Charbonnel: Traditional Etching Grounds

The Main Constituents of Charbonnel Etching Grounds

Judea bitumen:

It offers chemical resistance to acid and gives an opaque and darkened hue.

Waxes:

Their hardness varies according to the properties of the wax. Waxes make the ground supple, avoid scaling on etching and produce a matt or satin finish.

Dammar and Mastic resins:

Transparent resins that increase the grounds' hardness. Their hardness allows etching with tools. Mastic resin is insoluble in white spirit.

Essence of turpentine:

It dries slowly and gives a semi-gloss finish to the grounds.

Quick drying petroleum:

It dries faster than essence of turpentine and gives the grounds a more matt finish.

Colophony:

Increases the grounds' hardness and allows etching with tools.

Pitches:

Range from brown to black depending on their origin. Increase the grounds' hardness.

Dry extract:

Dry component (non-volatile) included in the above products. The higher the percentage of dry extract, the higher the non-volatile quantity of the product.

Thinners:

All these grounds may be thinned using quick drying petroleum, essence of turpentine and F-essence, except mastic grounds which must only be thinned using quick drying petroleum.

Applicators:

The grounds are applied with a soft and very wide brush or with a roller.

Grounds for Etching

Before applying these grounds, it is imperative that all grease be removed from the plate. To do this, thin some Marly white with a small quantity of water and rub the plate with a soft cloth or a piece of cotton. Rinse under flowing water. Pour a soured solution of vinegar and salt on the plate. Rinse once again. Dry rapidly. Avoid putting fingers on the plate whilst carrying out these operations.

Hard Grounds

Once the ground is applied and dry, the picture is etched with a hard point in order to expose the metal beneath the ground. The plate is then placed in a bath of acid to erode the exposed metal. Once the required bite depth has been attained, the plate should be taken out of the acid bath solution and dried and the ground removed with the appropriate thinner.

Item #3225040:

Hard Black Ball Ground (solid)
Characteristics: Fine detail and deep etched lines. The matt black finish makes etching work very clear.
Contains: Judea bitumen, wax.
Dry extract: 100%
Finish: opaque matt
Hardness: very hard
Consistency: paste
How To Use: Preheat the plate on a hot plate. Wrapped in a piece of taffeta which serves as a filter, the ball is rubbed on the pre-heated metal plate. Dab on the ground to obtain an even surface before smoking.

Item #3225050:

Lamour Hard Balck Ball Ground (solid)
Characteristics: Not quite as hard as Charbonnel ball ground. Fine detail and deep etched lines. The matt black finish obtained makes etching work very clear.
Contains: Judea bitumen, Dammar resin, wax.
Dry extract: 100%
Finish: opaque matt
Hardness: hard, not quite as hard as Charbonnel ball ground.
Consistency: paste
How To Use: Preheat the plate on a hot plate. Wrapped in a piece of taffeta which serves as a filter, the ball is rubbed on the pre-heated metal plate. Dab on the ground to obtain an even surface before smoking.

Item #3225011, #3225013:

Ultraflex Liquid Ground (75 ML, 500 ML)
Characteristics: Due to its transparency, it is suitable for a second application and reworking.
Contains: Judea bitumen, essence of turpentine, wax.
Dry extract: 25%
Finish: satin translucent
Hardness: hard
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: Apply it cold to the plate with a very supple brush, or plate coating device or pour it directly onto the inclined plate.

Item #3225032:

Lamour Black Satin Varnish ( 250 ML)
Characteristics: Allows a long etching time with no risks of scaling. It dries faster than Ultraflex due to the presence of quick drying petroleum. It is harder than the Ultraflex ground and, therefore, allows finer lines.
Contains: Judea bitumen, essence of turpentine, quick drying petroleum, wax.
Dry extract: 25%
Finish: satin opaque
Hardness: hard
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: Apply it cold to the plate with a very supple brush, or plate coating device or pour it directly onto the inclined plate.

Soft Grounds

Soft grounds protect the plate. They are non-drying grounds, applied with a painting dabber or roller. Textures and materials pressed into their non-drying surface will lift off, leaving the metal bared, ready for the bite of the acid. The plate must be heated before application.
The "Pencil Method" consists of drawing with a hard point on "laid" paper applied over the soft ground. The paper sticks to the drawn parts. After the bite of the acid, a pencil stroke effect is obtained.

Item #3225060:

Soft Black Ground (solid)
Characteristics: The non-drying ground will lift off, leaving the metal plate bare. Soft lines "pencil method" and textural material effects.
Contains: Judea bitumen, pitch resin, tallow, beeswax.
Dry extract: 52%
Finish: satin opaque
Hardness: supple
Consistency: paste
How To Use: A painting dabber or roller is recommended for application. It is applied to a preheated plate using the hot plate.

Protecting Varnishes

These are applied cold with a paintbrush. Applied to the back and the edges of the plate, they serve to protect these parts from the bite of the acid. They are extremely resistant.

Item #3225032:

Lamour Black Covering Varnish ( 250 ML)
Characteristics: Extremely resistant. Particularly recommended for aquatint techniques. Applied to the back and the edges of the plate, to protect these parts from the bite of the acid.
Contains: Bitumen, essence of turpentine.
Dry extract: 25%
Finish: gloss opaque
Hardness: hard
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: Applied cold with a paintbrush. Applied to the back and the edges of the plate, to protect these parts from the bite of the acid.

Alcohol Varnish (75 ML, 250 ML)

Contains: Acrylic resin, alcohol.
Dry extract: 16%
Finish: gloss, bluish
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: Unlike all other Charbonnel varnishes, it is thinned with alcohol and can, therefore, be combined with other varnishes. Two different types of thinner may be used (petroleum and alcohol).

Retouching Grounds

After leaving the plate in acid for the required time, remove the plate from the acid bath solution and remove the ground using the appropriate thinner. The amount of time you leave the plate in the acid depends on the acid's strength (measured using an acetometer), the room temperature and the depth you wish to give the stroke. The etching is then ready and only the finishing touches need be applied. A retouching ground can be applied to the plate which may then be retouched as required following the lines of the previous etching.

Rebiting Grounds

These are used to rework a plate that has not been etched deep enough by the acid. They protect the surface of the plate without flowing into the recesses. They are, therefore, used to give the etched lines greater depth due to a fresh exposure to acid.

Item #3225070:

Lamour Soft Black Ground (in 20 ML jar)
Characteristics:
Contains: Judea bitumen, mastic resin, wax.
Dry extract: 93%
Finish: satin opaque
Hardness: supple
Consistency: paste
How To Use: It dries slowly and remains supple far a long time. It is applied to a preheated plate using a hot plate. It can be used for soft ground.

Rebiting Roller Ground (10 G roll)

Contains: Beeswax, bitumen, mastic resin, essence of turpentine.
Dry extract: 61 %
Finish: satin opaque
Hardness: hard
Consistency: paste
How To Use: It is applied cold using a printmaking roller.

White Grounds

Hard White Ball Ground (solid)

Contains: Pitch resin, beeswax, colophony.
Dry extract: 100%
Finish: transparent
Hardness: very hard
Consistency: paste
How To Use: It is applied to a preheated plate using the hot plate and a cloth ball or painting dabber. This is the hardest of all retouching grounds.

Soft White Ball Ground (solid)

Contains: Pitch resin, beeswax, tallow.
Dry extract: 100%
Finish: transparent
Hardness: souple
Consistency: paste
How To Use: It is applied to a preheated plate using the hot plate and a cloth ball or painting dabber.

Liquid Brush Grounds

Transparent Liquid Varnish (90 ML)

Contains: Beeswax, pitch resin, essence of turpentine.
Dry extract: 18%
Finish: transparent
Hardness: supple
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: It is applied cold with a paintbrush. It is slow-drying and lets the previous etching show through.

Duroziez Black Retouching Varnish (75 ML, 250 ML)

Contains: Bitumen, quick drying petroleum, colophony.
Dry extract: 50%
Finish: very glossy opaque
Hardness: very hard
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: It should be applied in thin coats using a brush. It may also be used as ground for aquatint. It tends to become crumbly over time and should, therefore, preferably be used as soon as it is dry.

Liquid Siccative Varnish (90 ML, 500 ML)

Contains: Beeswax, bitumen, ketone thinner.
Dry extract: 26%
Finish: satin opaque
Hardness: hard
Consistency: liquid
How To Use: It is applied cold using a paintbrush