This box is designed to meet the needs of traditional etchers
who do
workshops, classes, or demonstrations where a small aquatint box would
be useful, or those who are space conscious and work on small plates.
See pictures below. (Pls. note; I was selling these, but currently am
not. Am leaving the
page here for anyone who is interested in the basic design possibly for
building their own, possibly with modifications. They're simple to
build.) Cut-List
and Materials for all wood boxCut-List
and Materials for box with metal handles
HOW IT WORKS:
It consists of a box made of 3/4 in. MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
with two snugly fitting lids that lift out, and a tray with a long
handle
which holds the plate/s and fits down into the box. The seams joining
the sides and bottom of the box need to be airtight, but the lids
don't, though the lids do need to be in place during use.
Powdered
rosin
is placed on the floor of the box. A plate is placed on the
tray
and the tray is slowly lowered into the box. The lids are set
in
place. (Notches are provided for the handle to pass through.) The
handle
is then lifted (briskly) until the tray holding the plate is near the
top
of the box. This causes air to be sucked around the sides of
the
tray creating a turbulence which stirs up the rosin powder and
simultaneously
creates an air chamber for the particles to be suspended in.
(This size box has a 1/8 in. gap between the edge of the tray and the
inside wall of the box. i.e. the tray is 1/4 in smaller in both
dimensions than the inside floor of the box. Larger versions of it may
use a 3/16 or 1/4 inch gap.) Then
the tray is lowered, and this causes the air below the tray with
particles
suspended in it to pass back up around the sides of the tray and fill
the
chamber created by the lowering of the tray with the plate on it, after
which the particles settle out on to the plate. If you lift
the
tray
quickly, you suspend more particles. If you lower the tray
immediately
you get coarser particles on the plate. If you wait 5 or 10
seconds
after lifting the tray before you lower it, you get finer
particles.
If you find that there's not enough dust on your plate, you can simply
repeat the cycle and add more dust to the plate without disturbing the
dust that's already settled on it. There's very little
mess,
since
everything takes place in an enclosed space and the only time you open
it is after the dust has settled. It only requires about a
tablespoon
of rosin powder to operate. When not in use, the handle can
be
detached
from the tray and both handle and tray fit inside the box.
The
lids
can be reversed so that the notches which form the holes for the handle
are on the outside edge, and you have a very sturdy closed box with a
flat
top that can be used to set things on. (detailed operating instructions)
STATS:
Capacity plate size: 15 X 20 inches
Overall box dimensions: 24.5 in. high, 23 1/4 in. long, 19 1/4 in.
wide (not including protruding handle)
Total weight: 60 lbs.
FEATURES:
* Small, portable
*Uses very little rosin, very efficient
* Virtually no mess
* Easy to control fine/coarse/heavy/light coating of dust on plate
* Requires little effort to operate
* Easy to clean out if necessary
* Can add dust easily if you don't get enough on plate the first time.
* When not being used, makes a sturdy base to set stuff on.
