![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=158&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=fdea29040e680ae84b39e6c2e93fb244 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=315&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=e13d4bdeb979d435f66289e40a4dc0dc 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=576&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=7bc02ddbe96042068d1a2f59183f0a1c 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=768&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=146da726d6dd154ba576d5fd1a197476 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1050&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=49711bd30e2377a5b6d2b037eccc970c 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1200&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=1df671c003a7c889cc48da1f74973e70 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-8-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1440&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=1fe7e433fa04b3122e9116595d3fcceb 1920w)
To produce a metal-etched part for a Make model, we draw it up in CAD and send it to a specialist firm, where they lay out the CAD data to make a pair of ‘phototools’, or transparencies, of the part. These tools are then used to apply a photo-resistant ink onto both sides of a thin metal sheet.
The metal then passes through a machine which sprays it with an acid solution. Where the print is applied, the ink resists the acid and preserves the metal. Where there is bare metal, the acid eats through it, leaving a crisp hole. By printing both sides, the etching can be controlled to create fully etched holes or half-etched details, like panel lines or brick and blockwork.
After cleaning and drying, the frames of parts are packed and sent to us, ready to be clipped out, painted or polished and, finally, applied to a model.
![#](https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=280&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=210&s=39af757f57387d95e76a7a95bfc89be8 210w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=560&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=420&s=c3c13f0a2d9d1b84d33db8dedab9cecc 420w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1024&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=768&s=6951e362c5c7e3d8cdd4e40de371b9b2 768w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1365&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1024&s=4e31dd18e51229f3bde56af03df35d82 1024w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=1867&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1400&s=ca044dab9063b49ff415c292eed8ccf6 1400w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2133&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1600&s=05f3f953cad5447d6468b9235dac2d30 1600w,https://make-arch.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.makearchitects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F02%2FFlat-etchings-1-scaled.jpg?auto=format&crop=center&fit=crop&h=2560&ixlib=php-1.2.1&w=1920&s=dcf5ca879c0bba6d31460f4fe399fb82 1920w)
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We commonly use etching to make components like railings, balcony balustrades, window frames and complex patterned facades. Parts can be 2D, or designed as flat elements with fold lines, that are then bent to shape, glued together or attached to other model elements. A variety of metals can be etched, though we mostly use brass, stainless steel or nickel silver. Brass is generally used where a part will be painted, and stainless steel and nickel silver where we want the metal colour to be the final finish.
Metal-etched Make models
Our model of 5 Broadgate makes extensive use of stainless steel etching, to capture the finish of the real building’s distinctive facades. Etching allowed us to not only create a dazzling real metal quality, but also to express the panelled detail of the surface, along with the intricate roof vents. Another advantage of metals as a material is that they are totally light-tight, which is important with an internally lit model like this. With a laser-cut plastic model, we might have had to spray multiple layers of black paint to interior surfaces or apply light-blocking tape to seams to prevent light-bleed. With metal, this is just not a problem!