Blog: RKA Plaque

Etched Brass and Walnut Timber Wall Plaque

I was flattered to be commissioned out of work by RKA to make a door plaque for the recently opened Glasgow office.

Following a few design reviews with Richard and Chris, making sure I understood what they were after and informing them on what could be achievable at my end, we came to a resolved design for me to produce.  Carefully, using the acid etching process I had experimented with on a small custom RKA branded bottle opener, I was able to make the debossed practice logo into the brass, with a unique pink/brown patina finishing in the newly formed recessed areas.

I sanded down the face of the raw brass and quickly sealed it with a polyurethane spray lacquer before the raw brass could oxidise. This gives a lovely contrast from the matted and patinated logo in the recessed areas and the bright and brushed front face.  I then made an 18mm MDF backing to the brass with a solid Walnut timber frame that extruded the plaque off the wall, giving it more weight, contrast from the white wall and gave the brass sheet needed depth and stopped it from looking so flat on the wall. This was finished with a light sand and protected using Danish oil.

This was a really fun and rewarding commission, making something for the practice that we can be proud to be public facing. I am grateful for the opportunities that RKA has given me and was extremely flattered to be asked to produce this for the team.  If you are interested in seeing more of my woodwork related projects, find me on Instagram under the name “stu.woodworks” or via the following link: https://www.instagram.com/stu.woodworks/