Carborundum (silicon carbide) was once a widely-used material in printmaking workshops for graining lithographic stones. Henri Goetz developed Carborundum Printing by adhering powdered carborundum powder directly onto plates before inking up like traditional intaglio printing processes.
Create a painterly intaglio without using acid or rosin with undiluted waterproof PVA (wood glue), unmodified fine carborundum brushed across. Here is an example of an orange plate created using this technique.
Graining Lithographic Stones
Utilizing a lithographic stone requires immense skill in order to produce quality prints. When creating an image on this medium, an artist draws directly on it with crayons, pencils or even tusches (greasy pigments that dissolve in water and can be painted like ink wash).
Before any drawing can begin on stone, it must first be prepared using a levigator and various grades of carborundum grit to be ground until its surface becomes even and flat enough for imaging. This process must be repeated several times until all surfaces have become smooth enough for images.
Once the stone has been ground it should be covered with clean paper and taped around its edges for security. A rasp file may then be used to round off its edges in order to prevent ink build-up during processing and printing stages.
Limestone is often used for creating lithographic stones in Germany and northern France, and provides an ideal medium for image creation. Limestone’s hard nature allows it to remain stable when creating images on it; additionally its sensitivity to grease-based images combined with gum arabic’s inherent properties and chemical etching process helps separate it from non-image areas of the stone. When creating lithographs this non-image area must then be etched away using a solution of gum arabic and nitric acid for complete effect – one of its most critical processes requiring great care so as not to leave gaps or miss potential mistakes!
Graining Wood
Selecting the appropriate grit size for woodworking tasks is paramount to avoiding surface damage and producing satisfactory aesthetic results. Numerous variables can have an effect on this, including the type and hardness of wood being sanded as well as whether or not its purpose is deburring rust or removing burrs, prepping for finishing, or polishing. Selecting ceramic and zirconia grains as the most hardwearing and long-term abrasives can have a substantial effect. Aluminum Oxide Abrasives are popular choices for metalworking, automotive and abrasive grinding applications; aluminum oxide (brown to reddish-colored) is most often seen used for woodworking applications. Aluminum oxide comes in coarse to micro grit products and usually attached to various backings – the friable grains break apart easily to provide fresh cutting edges over time.
Henri Goetz, a French fine printmaker, pioneered the carborundum printing technique by adhering coarse to fine particles of carborundum powder to an inked printing plate before inking up in intaglio mode. Carborundum’s gritty surface absorbs and retains ink well, producing prints with rich colors and tones; its expressive potential reaches its highest when mixed with binder such as acrylic medium for gestural brushstrokes on an already inked plate.
Graining Metal
Carborundum (silicon carbide) powder is used in an intaglio printmaking technique called carborundum printing, an intaglio printmaking technique which provides a wide tonal range without using acid or rosin as required by traditional aquatint. A fine to medium texture carborundum grit mixed with acrylic medium and applied onto a Plexiglas plate before being inked and wiped like any other intaglio plate would. Due to its hard surface it holds onto ink well without discoloring like zinc or copper plates may do.
Silicon carbide abrasive grains come in various grit sizes ranging from coarse to extremely fine grit sizes, making it suitable for various sanding applications ranging from finishing coats on wood flooring and automotive polishing applications to etching glass, metals and steel components as well as removing rust from steel components. They come in the form of abrasive blasting media, wet-and-dry paper discs or belts used with power sanding units.
The different grains vary in longevity, coarseness/aggressiveness, amount of friction, friability and cost. Emery is very cheap but has only limited longevity whereas aluminum oxide works well across most applications while ceramic alumina boasts small fracture planes which resharpen itself continually for consistent stock removal throughout its lifespan.
Graining Concrete
Carborundum grit is an invaluable asset when used to grain concrete surfaces to produce anti-slip surfaces, providing long lasting wear resistance. When combined with polyester or epoxy resins it forms an exceptionally hardwearing surface, creating an anti-slip surface. Paints may also use it to make anti-slip coatings. Furthermore, it may be mixed into plaster or gesso paste mixtures for use as non slip coatings or add anti-slip qualities to paint layers or mix into plaster/gesso paste for use against slippery surfaces.
Carborundum comes in various grades from fine to coarse. Six and ten-grit stones are ideal for smoothing trowel marks and rough finishes, or leaving out high spots on concrete surfaces, while 20-grit stones work better at removing heavy coatings like adhesives, rubber deposits and mastics. Twenty-two and thirty-grit stones offer medium grinding as well as etching and polishing concrete surfaces.
Akua offer ready-mixed carborundum paste which can be screen printed through stencils or painted directly onto plates to produce gritty surfaces that absorb ink well – perfect for creating prints with vibrant colours and tones. Here’s an example made using Akua Intaglio Black with added extender to fill crevices between the grit, creating very fine lines; while red plate was created by applying wood glue or waterproof PVA and then “pounceing” fine carborundum grit before tap off excess before tapping off excess.
English 
Swedish