Use contact paper to protect the back of your plate. If you don’t have contact paper, you can use tape to cover the back instead. If you’re using softground, be super careful. Don’t touch the face of the plate or allow it to brush up against anything.
Cut a piece of contact paper significantly larger than your plate (I usually cut it 2-ish inches bigger in every direction than my plate). Peel the sticker off of the contact paper and plop your plate onto the sticky, then use an xacto to trim it flush with the edges.
You’ll need to make a tab out of tape for handling the plate in the acid. Packing tape preferred although masking also works. You want the tab to span the back of your plate and be securely on there.
Notes: I put the backing on at this stage rather than before putting on the ground because sometimes the hot plate will melt the backing.
Alternately, you can use spray paint to paint the backs of your plates before you even begin. Acetone will remove the spray paint should you want to use the back of the plate. Keep an eye on the spray paint throughout the process though, since it tends to chip off and scrape during the etching/proofing process.
