Masks are recommended
A plate is used to create an etching. A copper or zinc plate is covered with an acid-resistant ground and the artist uses sharp tools to scratch a design through the ground. The plate is then immersed into an acid bath, allowing the acid to bite into the metal where the protective ground has been removed. The finished plate is then inked and wiped clean, leaving ink in the crevices of the design that has been bitten into the metal. When the plate is run through a press along with etching paper, the great pressure from the press leaves an ink impression of the etched design on the paper.