The PTA is having a silent auction next month, so I’m making a few things to donate to it. The school’s mascot is a cheetah and paws are everywhere. I decided to etch some copper with scaled-down versions of the school’s iconic paw print sticker.

I like to use wax sheets that were originally designed for investment casting. Wax makes a great resist for the etchant. I put the design right under the translucent wax sheet and cut it out with an exacto knife.

This is what the wax looks like after it’s been applied to the copper:

The next step won’t be so pretty. I plan to soak the copper sheet in a solution of ferric chloride for a couple of days.

Update: So the second time I check on it, I see that some of the wax pieces are floating on top of the acid bath.

Back to the old drawing board. But first, remove the rest of the wax, pickle it, then tumble it in steel shot. Thinking about using permanent marker instead of wax.