A technical dictionary of printmaking, André Béguin.

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Sugar
[1] SUGAR LIFT TECHNIQUE.
An intaglio process practiced on metal plates. India ink saturated with sugar is applied to the plate using a brush or a pen. The mixture must be applied directly onto a well scoured plate. When the drawing is dry it is covered with a light layer of ground applied with a brush. The plate must be put into clean water before the ground dries up entirely. As a consequence the sugar will absorb some water through the ground and will swell up thus cracking through the ground. The lifting process can be helped along by rubbing a very soft cloth or a brush over the plate surface. The sugar lift process can be considered to be an improvement on the ink lift process.
[2] SUGAR GRAINING. See granulated plate surface

(overgenomen uit bulletinboard over sugar lift technique 12 september 1999)

I found a good recipe in Ruth Leaf's book "Etching, Engraving and other Intaglio Printmaking Techniques"

5 ounces of Corn Syrup (Karo or similar)

4 ounces of India Ink

3/4 ounce of Ivory Snow (flake detergent...may be hard to find, it's often used as a gentle detergent for baby clothes)

1/4 ounce of Gum Arabic (you can find this in most places that sell watercolors)

 

Try to mix without shaking...warming it a little may help. I don't know how much you know about the process. I don't mean to insult your intelligence, so I'll be brief. You paint the ground on the plate and let it dry. I've used a hair dryer and had mixed success with a hotplate. Then apply a hard ground. I've had the best results with a thinned Graphic Chemical Hard Ground thinned with mineral spirits poured over the plate. Once the ground has dried, you then place the plate in warm water to dissolve the sugar lift. It's important to let the ground dry thoroughly. Especially when you use a brush to dislodge the lift ground. An old bristle brush seems to work just fine.

As a side note...have you ever used White Ground?

I really recommend Ruth Leaf's book.

 

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