I wonder if any of you are in a position to advise me in my current predicament?

I conducted the application of castor sugar onto Lascaux soft ground, as described in the recently published “Intaglio” book, by Carol Robertson and Robert Adams, which overall I find to be an extremley helpful book for printmakers nowadays.

I did the caster sugar Lascaux soft ground application on to an aluminium plate.

I then saline etched and proofed it. OK that was fine. I then thought I would do another castor sugar application, to improve the ‘aquatint’ like affect.

I have been obtaining my Lascaux A.R.E. printmaking materials from AP FitzPatrick, (sole suppliers of the full range -i within the UK).

Unfortunately they didn’t have any Lascaux remover in stock so I then ordered some of the Mystrol cleaner as recommended in the “Intaglio” book.

I wondered if this might be more economical too, given that I had just spent nearly £200-00, on purchasing most of Lascaux’s range of acrylic resist etch and tusche materials.

BUT IT HAS”NT WORKED !!!

I soaked it for half an hour following the directions in the book. But it didn’t ‘budge” – anyway so then I thought I would leave it in overnight which I did and still nothing !!

Is it the case that if I had the Lascaux soft ground on copper – that it would remove it?

Perhaps it doesn’t work with aluminium.

I had also read somewhere that using sodium metasilicate crystals would remove acrylic resist – but again I followed the instructions and it did not remove the resist.

I wish I was more knowledgeable where chemistry was concerned !!

So here I am waiting for the Lascaux ‘remover” to be back in stock at AP Fitzpatrick and with 5 bottles of Mystrol cleaner that won’t remove my acrylic etch !!

woe is me

Aine scannell

Aine