Standard Boxcar Base users: The majority of Standard Boxcar Base owners use the 94FL plate. However, some printers find they prefer printing with a harder plate, the KF95. This harder plate gives less distortion than the 94FL on type smaller than 8 points or on thin lines. However, the 94FL holds slightly better detail.

Deep Relief Boxcar Base users: The KF 152 plates work with our Deep Relief Boxcar Base.

It depends on the plate. If you're purchasing unexposed plastic-backed plates, you'll need adhesive to adhere the plate to your printing base. We sell adhesive in 12x18 sheets and 27 yard rolls. Apply to the back of the plate after processing. If you're purchasing unexposed steel-backed plates, there's no need to purchase adhesive. Adhesive is included if we process the plastic-backed plates for you.

This should be a pretty easy process.

First, peel up the old adhesive to remove it. Since it holds onto the plate strongly, you can potentially kink the plastic backing if you're not careful. We recommend that you lay the plate face down on a flat surface. Hold the plate down with one hand while peeling the adhesive off with the other. Try and keep the plate from flexing inordinately while you carefully tug the adhesive off the back of the plate. The adhesive might tear into pieces, but you can simply pull it up in strips.

Now, put on the new adhesive. Make sure you're putting down the side of the adhesive covered with the brown release paper onto the plate. The side with the pink release paper attaches to the base. When you first mount the adhesive to the plate, start with one side of the plate and roll out the adhesive so that it makes as few bubbles as possible. If the bubbles happen, work them out with your fingers or pierce them, through the adhesive, with an Exacto knife or awl. You should be able to get all the bubbles out at this point.

If bubbles form underneath the plate when you mount it to the base, first try working these out to the edges of the plate with your fingers. If that fails, you can puncture the bubbles by sticking an Exacto knife through the plastic backing of the plate to re lease the trapped air.

Because processing your own plates is complicated – and the results need to be excellent for quality letterpress printing – we recommend using a dedicated photopolymer platemaker. If you don’t already own one of these machines, we do sell platemakers in various sizes and for various budgets. If you’d rather learn how to hand-process your plates, we recommend taking a class at some of these great book centers: Center for Book Arts (NYC); Minnesota Center for Book Arts; San Francisco Center for Book Arts; Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts (Chicago). You’ll find essential exposure information in your plate’s datasheets, though you’ll want to use a Stouffer Gauge to perfect exposure. We can always process your plates professionally for you through our platemaking services.

We carry plates that are very similar to those recommended by Art Jewelry Magazine. Many metal clay artists have used our plates to great success. We have several plate types that will suit your needs. 

what boxcar photopolymer should you use for metal clay?
Art Jewelry suggests	Boxcar Press plate	Boxcar plate thickness	plate material	impression
0.8mm	94FL	.94mm/.037”	plastic backed	shallower
1.52mm	KF152	1.50mm/.060”	plastic backed	deep
0.9mm or greater	94SB	.94mm/.037”	metal backed	shallower
0.9mm or greater	145HSB	1.40mm/.057"	metal backed	medium
1.52mm	152SB	1.50mm/.060"	metal backed	deep

Boxcar Press offers two options to metal clay artists.  We can sell you unexposed polymer plates for Do-it-Yourself artists to create their own negatives and process themselves. Or we can take your digital files or images and professionally create plates for you, quickly and economically.

In either case, you will want to store your plates in a Ziploc bag out of sunlight. You may also want to consider using a silicon spray to protect the plate from the moisture in the clay. You will want to clean the plate with vegetable oil and/or a very small amount of water mixed with dish soap applied to a sponge. Exposure to too much water will cause the plate to deteriorate.

Remember, we’re a letterpress shop, and letterpress is our expertise. We can't answer specific questions about how our plates work with your process, but we can offer information on the polymer plate material, thickness, exposure times, and processing.

For additional information, you may also want to check out:

• Metal Clay yahoo group: join this vibrant community of over 3,000 artists. 
• Maggie Berman’s site features a great instructional article on using polymer plates for metal clay, PMC, or precious metal clay artists.