I’ve never seen any linoleum thats been “etched” although I’ve read about it. Does anyone here have any tips on doing this?
Here’s how I’m going to experiment with etching linoleum:
I’ll first put down a resist on the linoleum…I’m not sure what will work, but I have oil pastels, spray varnish, candle wax….maybe I’ll try all three.
I bought some sodium hydroxide crystals at the grocery store– Red Devil Lye is 100% NaOH. I think Drano is also pure sodium hydroxide, but I only saw the liquid form of Drano.
I plan on using an old plastic container and a small amount of water to which I’ll slowly add sodium hydroxide crystals until I get a saturated solution, and apply it to the resist-prepared linoleum sheet. I think it’s going to be a slow etch process, but after it looks etched, I’ll wash it off and see what sort of results I get.
My college background is chemistry and microbiology, and sodium hydroxide is very powerful alkalai, so I’ll be covered in protective eyewear, non-porous gloves, smock, and in a ventilated area.
I appreciate any tips or info you have about lino etching.