Mr. E. TurreWs Menstiuu7njbr Biting-in on Steel Plates. 425 



culty was experienced in biting-in the etched plates ; for, what- 

 ever acid was used, it invariably happened that the lines when 

 corroded were exceedingly shallow and rough upon the edges, 

 many times so much so as to cause serious disappointments 

 and great loss to those engaged. Such, indeed, was the risk 

 of failure, that several artists have refused to execute any 

 thing on steel, on account of the diflBculty of biting-in their 

 etchings. 



I believe I am correct when I state that Messrs. Perkins and 

 Heath paid the late Mr. Lowry fifty pounds for the secret of 

 a menstruum that would effect the biting on steel in a manner 

 superior to that which they had previously practised. It is 

 but justice to state, that, previous to purchasing the before- 

 named secret, their method was stated to all who applied to 

 know it, and this consisted in using the worn-out acid that had 

 been used for biting-in copper plates, which, therefore, was an 

 acidulous nitrate of copper, in the state of solution. But with 

 this the results were very unsatisfactory, and almost always 

 the lines were so much shallower than those produced on cop- 

 per, that the proofs from the plates in that state were very 

 gray and spiritless, for want of depth to hold the proper quan- 

 tity of ink. 



No person was more sensible of this defect than the late 

 Mr. Charles Warren, and the method of biting-in upon pre- 

 pared steel, invented by him, and communicated to the public 

 in the Transactions of the Society of Arts, &;c. vol. xli. fully 

 evince how warmly he entered into the investigation ; and also, 

 when he had attained a better method than was generally 

 known, how liberally he presented it to his brother artists. 



Had Mr. Warren stated in his communication that perfec- 

 tion was attained by this method, I should have conceived it 

 an invidious task to dispute that point, by offering to the So- 

 ciety's attention a method of biting-in etchings, executed upon 

 steel plates, which 1 feel confident has many advantages over 

 any at present generally made known. But I am relieved 

 from any such considerations, by the recollection of his ex- 

 pressions to the committee, that he not only came forward to 

 contribute what he had invented, but was also very desirous 

 to elicit facts and information, by leading others to make ex- 

 periments on the subject, as he had done. I therefore trust 

 that those who rcs))ect his memory, and feel grateful for his 

 communication, will consider that I am following his example; 

 and allhougii I may not have found out a faultless improve- 

 ment, yet that much new light will be cast upon the subject, 

 tending to elicit new facts, and thereby bring to speedy ma- 

 turity 



