Cuts That Are Not Lead?

bigboypress
on 10 Feb 13 (21:55)

I was fortunate enough to purchase some cuts from an estate sale and they were quite dirty. Upon cleaning they appear to be of a sky blue material - perhaps rubber? Does that date them from a particular period? A certain manufacturer or technique? A few printed beautifully. Any ideas what they might be made of? Thanks, Neil

jhenry
on 10 Feb 13 (23:50)

BigBoy:

Is the backing metal silver-gray in color? If so, the blue may be the “top” on the engraving plates which resists the acid etching. One manufacturer made plates with blue resist, andother with red.

If the material is blue all the way through, then that is a horse of a different color, and I’m not certain what you might have.

John Henry

AdLibPress
on 11 Feb 13 (11:44)

Updated 11 Feb 13 (11:45)

Zinc photoengravings were made using an acid resist coating applied photographically to the plate before etching, and many or most photoengravers used a blue-colored resist, whereas the zinc metal of the plate would be greyish in color, as John says. If the plates are rubber (which us usually reddish) they would be soft enough to dent with a fingernail.

Bob

bigboypress
on 13 Feb 13 (21:07)

Thanks - sounds like zinc. Best - Neil