I was using 36 gauge .005 soft brass and soft aluminum, the same
size you are using. Below I show the tips of the tools I use to press into the plastic bag that holds the metal after vacuuming. You can sometimes place
a thin foam sheet (you can find it in the children’s section of craft stores) between the plastic and the paper to reduce the chance of tearing the embossment you are making. Also, always start with the widest diameter clay-forming tool when you start to press deeper into the plastic above the paper.
These are some of the tools I use to press into the plastic vacuumed piece I’m
creating. The largest one is 1/2" in diameter.
After you have made your GF mold in wood or acrylic, an excellent paper for card making is Strathmore’s 400 Series Printmaking paper. It holds together very well even under heavy pressure from the sphere-shaped tools that you press against the plastic. And, it will not lose its shape even with repeated handling.
I used to work with a guy who did amazing repousse and watched him while he worked. To do a proper original style not using a mold as we are talking about is an amazing skill, more than even hand control but like chess knowing several steps ahead what you wanted to happen where you haven’t gone yet so it will act properly when you get there, plus the metal is hardening every time you bend it so there is no going back.
Like hand engraving it is not something to pick up on the fly and several months not doing it is not like starting from scratch but feels that way. I never had the dedication sufficient to get a proper skill in either case though I had the tools.
My original thought was to have various durometers and thicknesses of rubber and a press that could apply the psi needed but I think that the rolling mill would work better rather than the spiralling force needed to do it all at once as the energy for a double size piece is 4 times plus what the smaller one was, though there is a bit of design distortion in the process.
Thank you so much for introducing us to this amazing technique! I’ve embossed using pressure, but not vacuum. I like your results better, and can’t wait to try it!
I missed this when it first got posted, this is very cool. I imagine you could get a similar effect using a pasta maker as a rolling mill with some craft foam. Thanks for posting, your project is a wonderful use of the glowforge.
