Carborundum – Silicon Carbide Powder

Carborundum (silicon carbide) is originally an industrial abrasive used for sharpening and polishing. As early as the 1930s, artists experimented with it, but it was in the 1960s that Henri Goetz, with printer Joan Barbarà, developed the method into a true printmaking technique, later used by Miró, Tàpies, Clavé and others.

Unlike traditional intaglio, which involves cutting into a plate with tools or acids, Carborundum printmaking is additive: material is added to the plate to create relief, similar to collagraphy.

Materials required

• Support plate: metal (zinc or copper), plasticor rigid cardboard

• Carborundum powder: fine (220) , medium (150) or coarse (80)

• Binders: acrylic medium, vinyl glue, varnish, epoxy

• Tools: brushes, spatulas, stencils

Process steps

1. Plate preparation: degreased, clean and dry

2. Applying Carborundum:

   • Mixed with a binder and applied with a brush/spatula

   • Or sprinkled onto a fresh binder layer
     → More Carborundum = stronger ink retention and deeper blacks

3. Creating shapes and textures: free work, stencils, layering

4. Drying: the plate hardens and becomes printable

5. Inking: thin, fluid ink applied with a dabber or brush, wiped with tarlatan

6. Printing: on anintaglio press, with heavy felts and strong paper

A modern, expressive technique

• Produces deep blacks, rich textures and reliefs

• Accessible (no acids required)

• Excellent for colour printing: multiple inks in one run

• Can be combined with other techniques (etching, aquatint, drypoint…)

Technical product details

• Composition: silicon carbide (Carborundum)

• Colour: dark grey to black

• Grain sizes: fine, medium, coarse

• Packaging: 0.5 kg and 1 kg