Editing Repoussé and chasing (section)

===Pitch backing===
The plate must then be fixed on a suitable support.  A commonly used technique is to place the metal over a layer of [[chasers pitch]].  The pitch is heated until it is soft enough to make good contact with the metal, filling all its nooks and crannies, and then allowed to cool.  At room temperature, the pitch must be hard enough to adhere to the metal and hold it in place, but still soft and [[plasticity (physics)|plastic]] enough to "give" as the metal is hammered into it.

The pitch is often cast as a thick layer over some softer backing material that can absorb larger deformations.

The metal plate will have to be released from the pitch several times, for turning it over and/or for re-annealing.  Pitch residues stuck to the plate must be removed with an appropriate [[solvent]].