Steelfacing
Steel facing will harden the surface of any copper etching plate without diminishing fine detail in any mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, softground or line engraving. Therefore, when editioning copper plate etchings, the plate work will not wear away and the prints will not appear faded as the editioning progresses through to the last prints.Steel facing allows for an infinite edition size because the image remains intact from the first print to the thousandth unchanged.
Steel facing will keep the color true when printed. Color pigments asre primarily metals which can react to copper metal. Copper molecules can bind with etching inks causing them to change color. For example, when yellow is wiped from a copper plate, it turns green. This will not occur when the copper plate is steel faced. Yellow remains yellow.
Steel facing allows for easier wiping of ink from a copper plate.
Steel facing provides a sharper image.
Steel facing fees are based on the size. Facing charges are $0.32 a square inch, with a minimum charge of $75.00 per plate. All shipping and insurance charges are incurred by sender. For more information, contact AGB at 608/251-7277.