Hot Bed Press, Manchester

Over the weekend I attended a course at Hot Bed Press in Manchester (Salford to be exact). I was very impressed with their studios, notably with the amount of space they had and how well each area was organised.

Images etched onto aluminium

After the images have been screen printed with the resist solution onto the aluminium plates, they can be etched in the same way as the last plates. The resist prevents the plates etching in the places where it has covered the plate.

The resist is then cleaned off the plates to reveal the finished etched image.

The two plates vary slightly, as the one on the left was prepared with wire wool before starting and the one on the right was left with its original shine. The left hand plate is less reflective and as a consequence I feel works better from all angles.

Screen Printing images onto aluminium plate

In order to etch a photographic image onto a plate, first the images need to be exposed onto a screen. I chose two pictures from some of those I found of Castle Bromwich workers during the war. The screen was placed into one of the screen beds at Margaret Street print room.

Using a squeegee a resist solution is pulled across the screen leaving the image on the plate.

These are then ready to etch once they are dry.

Making a print from an aluminium plate

The best way to see how successfully a plate has been etched is to make a print from it. Once the resist is removed from the plate after etching, it is ready to print from.

Ink is worked into the plate and then the surface wiped clean, so that the ink remains in the etched areas only.

The plate is then positioned on the etching press.

Damp paper is placed over the plate and then they are passed through the press and then the paper carefully peeled back. The image on the paper is the reverse to that on the plate. The resulting print shows that the depth of the etch is good and has a strong contrast to the text.

After the print is completed, the plate is cleaned. If the plate was to be used as the finished artwork in its own right, then the text would be placed on the plate the correct way round.

Experimenting with etching aluminium

Normally etched zinc or copper plates are used in the printing process. A copper plate, with a fine layer of aquatint allows you to achieve subtle ranges of tone. This is the process that I have been developing over the last year. When I had my exhibition over the summer, I displayed one of the copper plates and many visitors were interested in the technical aspects of producing the prints. Although the plate is a means to an end, it is in itself a lovely object.

I wanted to experiment with etching aluminium, as this was the metal that was predominantly used to fabricate the outer skin of the wings and fuselage of the Spitfire and Hurricane. Where as nitric acid is used to etch zinc and ferric is used to etch copper, I would have to mix a solution of copper sulphate and sodium chloride (cooking salt) to act as a mordant on the aluminium. On researching this process, I found it was often referred to as 'non-toxic', however all the usual precautions will need to be taken - gloves, mask, goggles, apron etc.

I started by treating the surface of the metal with wire wool to create a 'tooth' which should help the etching process - leaving a untreated strip as a 'control'. I then marked off thin strips on two of the plates so that I could gauge a succession of different timed etches.

On a third plate, I drew out a section of a quote from one of the Castle Bromwich workers - reversed, and then painted the letters with a resist . This should ensure the plate only etches the untreated areas and will leave the lettering untouched.

I mixed up the copper sulphate saline solution in a well ventilated area, in a tub that would be big enough for the plate to be completely submerged. I had a large tub of water next to this to wash off the solution.

I started by dipping one of the marked off plates for 2 minutes. There was a strong chemical reaction - rapid bubbling and a large build up of a rust coloured crust.

This had to be washed off the plate, which was then dried before a strip was stopped out with resist. The plate was then etched for a further 2 minutes and the process repeated until the last strip was left exposed having been etched for a total of 10 minutes.

I then etched the plate with the quote for 4 minutes. you can see on the image below the resist has done its job.

I then tried applying the copper sulphate saline solution directly to the plate with a brush. I applied strips of the solution at one minute intervals for a total of 10 minutes.

Castle Bromwich Stories

Because of my previous interest in the stories of ordinary people, I decided to look at available examples of stories from the Castle Bromwich workers. From my recent visits to Museums I also felt that these had not been well documented to date and were worth pursuing. However sources such as the Birmingham Mail, the Science Museum website and the BBC website (WW2 People's War) had some good examples.

One of the best was a thorough account of factory life left by Megan Rees on the BBC website back in 2005.

These are some quotes from Megan's account :

"I worked on the starboard wings of the Spitfire. They were built vertically in jigs. You had to be very accurate. The skins (big aluminium sheets) were fitted to the ribs. I used to machine drill the holes in the skins and then change the tool to punch the holes so that the rivets could lie flush."

"The lives of the pilots depended on the planes being built properly so it was very important that everyone did their job correctly. We would see planes coming back for repair and they were all shot up, their propellers mangled like tentacles of an octopus."

"When on the night shift, at 9pm we would put our gas masks and clothes ready at the end of the jigs so that we could grab them when the sirens went off. We would have to run to the air raid shelters."

"I remember going to work to start the 6am shift one morning and D Block had been bombed the night before. The clothes, shoes and gas masks of the workers from D Block were piled in heaps between A and B Blocks. They were wet from the water used by the fire brigade to fight the fires. You could see bodies still in the girders of the factory roof. It is a sight that you never forget."

"Throughout the war I just remember being so very tired working long hours but you just got on with doing what had to be done. I was too tired to do anything but work and sleep but I will always have a special place in my heart for the Spitfire."

War Artists

I have long been interested in the role artists played during both World Wars, particularly those that recorded war work. As well as boosting the national morale, art that depicted reserved occupations such as mining and shipbuilding helped people understand the vital work undertaken by those who were not active in the armed forces.

Stanley Spencer's paintings called 'Shipbuilding on the Clyde' included 'Welders' a detail of which is shown below:

Henry Moore produced drawings of miners at work on the pit face:

Author and illustrator Mervyn Peake was charged with painting the glassblowers at a Birmingham factory who produced the cathode ray tubes for radar sets.

But my favourite artist from this period is Dame Laura Knight. Her painting entitled 'Ruby Loftus screwing a breech ring' epitomises the skill and dedication of the women who worked in the factories.

Guy Martin's Spitfire

 An interesting programme on Channel 4 last night documented the restoration of a Spitfire that was shot down on a French beach during the Dunkirk evacuations. Refreshingly 'Guy Martin's Spitfire' had interviews with people who worked on the Spitfire during the war and included a section at Castle Bromwich (they even spoke to a passing young local - who was more than aware of the significance of his home city's contribution).

Trip to London

Last week I went down to London for the day. Firstly to visit the Science Museum at South Kensington, to see the Flight Gallery and specifically the Spitfire and Hurricane display. There was a disappointing amount of information about the construction of the planes - it was limited to one board. I also found the gallery to be so dark that it was very difficult to see the planes themselves. As a result I only took two photographs.

I then went on to the Imperial War Museum. It had been many years since I last paid a visit and I was very impressed with the space and presentation of the themed displays. It was packed with visitors too.

There was a gallery entitled 'A Family in Wartime' which used the experiences of one London family to explore the wider issues of the home front during the Second World War. There were photos and films of factories of the period.

Of specific interest was a painting entitled 'Building Spitfires' by Norman Wilkinson. There was no indication whether this was at Castle Bromwich however. The Museum book shop had several books on the Spitfire, but none made anything but a passing reference to its construction at Castle Bromwich and those who worked there.

In another area of the museum were the remains of a Japanese Zero fighter. The thin aluminium skin was torn and severely damaged, but the rivets and previous repairs could also been clearly seen, giving a real sense of its construction.