Steel Facing
The steel facing—or iron plating—of copper plates is a technique where a thin layer of pure iron is electroplated onto a copper plate. The iron is harder than the copper and greatly extends the life of drypoint and subtle spit bite aquatints with virtually no loss of detail. Additionally the steel facing eliminates the problem of oxidation and contamination of light colors.
Highpoint offers steel facing for copper plates on a limited basis. Depending on our workload and staff availability plates can be steel faced within two to three days of receipt. Due to the sensitive nature of steel facing, plates need to be immaculately clean and we will have to charge additional labor for cleaning dirty or excessively tarnished plates.
Maximum plate size is 32 inches by 50 inches. The charge is thirty-five cents per square inch. Highpoint Co-op members are charged at twenty cents per square inch. Minimum charge is twenty dollars per plate for all steel facing work. Plates will be coated with hard ground to protect the steel facing and returned in the original package.