130/ POLYMERIZED LINSEED OIL

Available in bottles  of 1000, 250 and 125 ml.

131/ PLATE OIL/HEAVY

Available in bottles  of  250 and 125 ml.

143 HARD BALL GROUND (In lump form)

Available in lumps of 100 gr.

Solvents: Turpentine, benzine, mineral spirits.

This is our traditional ball ground shaped into lump form. It is rubbed directly onto the moderately heated plate and spread thinly with a taffeta dabber. It may be smoked it the artist desires although that step is not essential to the use of his ground. When applied to a properly cleaned plate, our HARD BALL GROUND yields superior results in the intricacy of detail which may be needled into it without fear of flaking, foul biting or failure in the strongest acid baths normally used in the etching process.

144 SOFT GROUND (Also called Soft Wax or Ceramolle)

Available in lumps of 100 gr.

Solvents: Turpentine, benzine, mineral spirits.

This is our traditional soft-ground shaped into lump form. It is applied to a moderately heated plate with a dabber.

As the name implies, the ground remains soft on the plate and may be worked in the two traditional soft-ground techniques.

Method 1: A thin sheet of paper is placed over the soft grounded plate after it has cooled from the heater. The artist draws directly onto the paper using a pencil, ball-point pen, stylus or other similar instrument. The pressure of the point through the paper removes the ground to a greater or lesser degree according to the paper and stylus used and the pressure applied in drawing. The resulting print, after the plate has been etched, shows a distinctly crayon-like or soft pencil like quality in its lines and worked passages. The lines are soft and grainy rather than precise and unbroken as one would achieve by needling directly onto a hard grounded plate.

Method 2: The SOFT GROUND may also be used innovatively by pressing textures such as fabrics, leaves, twine, paper or similar materials through the ground and revealing those textures on the bare metal of the plate. The textures are pressed through the ground by placing the desired objects on the soft-grounded plate, adding a protective sheet of waxed paper on top and passing the plate through the press with slightly diminished pressure. The plate is then etched and the resulting print will show in finest detail those objects which were pressed through the soft-ground.

146/ SPAIN WHITE (Magnesium Carbonate)

Available in 1 kg. and 250 gr.

This pure, carefully milled powder serves three useful purposes for the intaglio artist; 1, for polishing and de-greasing the plate (both before ground is applied and in the final cleaning before the plate is inked); 2, in obtaining maximum whiteness in printing the plate (for hand wiping); 3, as an additive to inks to render them more dryer or to otherwise alter their viscosity.