[supphaman]

I’m in.

[supphaman]

Would it be possible for you to post some images of the boxes and other equipment?

[supphaman]

Thanks for the advice Mr. P. You’re right, going beyond what is necessary would be a total waste of time and resources. I’m just a bit OCD, so even the most minor of imperfections with the plate are troubling to me. But if the scratches in the above image wouldn’t show up when plated I would be perfectly happy with the method. I suppose ill just have to plate it to find out for sure.

For convenience sake, I’d still like to try the ROS method. I have somewhat limited access to my wheel buff do to it’s location. I’m thinking that I could use the sander at my residence making it possible to polish plates at my leisure, meaning I could get a lot more work in. Ok, enough rambling, thanks for the response!

[supphaman]

I’ve been purchasing 12″x18″ sheets and cutting it down to size; I have access to a large metal shear. The polished copper comes with a protective film on one side, keeping it scratch free. That leaves only the factory mill marks to buff out (note image). I actually have quite a bit of scratched copper lying about that got me frustrated trying to get the surface blemish free with 1200 sandpaper and emery compound on a buffing wheel. I realize that I need to exercise more patience, but getting scratches out of copper really gets to me. I’m wondering if the ROS would reduce my frustration making it possible for me to use up the scrap copper I have.

 

The second image is of a plate that has fine scratches from the buffing wheel that I can’t seem to get rid of. Frustrating indeed, i’m about to resort back to my old method of slurried pumice powder to achieve the mat finish. This method seems to yield good results, however, i’ve yet to have a polished plate plated for comparison.

 

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[supphaman]

I’m definitely interested in trying out an ROS. Maybe should have invested in one sooner as i’ve already spent enough money on buffing wheels, compounds and related misc materials to pay for a sander. Oh well, what’s another $150 right : o

One last question: I have been purchasing polished etchers copper at 2x the cost to reduce time spent on copper preparation. If I were to continue to use polished copper to begin with, what step of the process would you suggest I start? And just out of curiosity, is there a significant difference in prep time per plate using an ROS vs. wheel buff?

[supphaman]

A general question regarding pre plating copper polishing. In the past I have used pumice powder to give the copper an even matte finish prior to having it plated. This go around i’m trying to apply a mirror finish with a wheel buff instead. I have been able to get the plate nice and shiny, but not without some scratches. These appear to be on surface only and not gouged into the plate, but I can’t get them to completely disappear. I’m wondering if these will show up after plating? I’d just like some thoughts on how perfect the plates need to be as I don’t want to continue working on them unnecessarily; feels like i’ve been on the same 5 plates for ages already. TIA

[supphaman]

And I was all excited to give this process a go, but now i’m a bit worried about damaging the image, so I think i’ll hold off on cleaning attempts and instead better seal the package until I can get my hands on some more info. Perhaps wait until Mr. Robinson publishes the conclusion of his research. You got an ETC on that? (jokingly)

[supphaman]

Thanks for the advice Agno3. The before an after images you’ve posted shows an immense improvement. I’m excited to try it out. I’ll give it a whirl on a plate that i’m not quite as fond of first and take it from there. Many of the plates I own are fairly tarnished, one to the point where the image is hardly perceptible. If this works well, i’ll be giving them all a cleaning. I’ll post the results soon.

[supphaman]

My latest attempt last weekend, ungilded w/scratches and all. Spot meter readings ranged from 6.5-10 EV( need to start keeping track of incident readings) + an 8″ bellows ext. w/150mm lens, the exposure was calculated at 40 min. I overexposed a prior test plate at 52min and reduced .25 stop for this one.

 

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