ENGRAVING 285 



former, lay one of the flat sides of the graver on the oilstone, keeping the right arm 

 tolerably close to the side, .and rub it firmly ; next rub the other in the same way : the 

 lace is sharpened by holding it firmly in the hand, with the belly upwards, in a slant- 

 ing direction ; rub the end rather gently on the stone, at an angle of about forty-five 

 degrees, taking care to carry it evenly along until it acquires a very sharp point: this 

 being done, hold the engraver a little more upright to square the point, which a very 

 few rubbings will effect. The graver for line work must bo slightly turned up, to enable 

 the engraver to run it along the plate ; otherwise, the first indentation he makes on the 

 metal would cause his instrument to become fixed : the graver for stipple should be 

 slightly turned down, to make dots only. 



The scraper, which should have three fluted sides, is used for taking off the burr left 

 by the action of the needles on the metal. 



The burnisher is employed to soften lines that have been bitten in, or engraved too 

 dark, and to polish the plate, or get rid of any scratches it may accidentally have 

 received. 



The dabber used to lay the etching-ground evenly, is made by enclosing a small 

 quantity of fine cotton wool very tightly in a piece of silk, the threads of which 

 should be, as much as possible, of uniform thickness. 



There are a few other materials which an engraver should have at hand, but they 

 are not of sufficient importance to be mentioned here ; we may, however, point out 

 what is technically called a bridge, which is nothing more than a thin board for the 

 hand to rest on; 'it should be smoothly planed, and of a length and breadth in 

 proportion to the size of the plate ; at each end a small piece of wood should 

 be fastened to raise it above the plate when covered with wax. A blind, made 

 of tissue-paper stretched upon a frame, ought to be placed between the plate and 

 the light, to enable the engraver to see his work on the metal with greater facility 

 and clearness. 



In describing the processes of engraving the various styles enumerated above, little 

 more than a general outline of each method can be given, yet sufficient, it may be 

 presumed, to show the nature of the operation : to narrate all the details that might 

 be included on the subject would supply matter enough for a small volume. 



Etching may be classed under two heads : that which is made the initiatory process 

 in line-engraving, and that which is known as painter' s-etching : the latter was prac- 

 tised to some extent by very many of the old painters, particularly those of the Dutch 

 school ; and it has also come into fashion with many of the artists of our own day, 

 but more for amusement, however, than for any other purpose ; in both cases the 

 method of proceeding is alike. Etching is the result of a chemical process resulting in 

 corrosion of the metal on which the design has been laid down, or transferred, in the 

 following manner. The plate must first be covered with a substance already spoken of 

 as etching -ground, which may be purchased of most of the principal artists' colourmen, 

 but many engravers make their own : the annexed receipt has been handed to us by 

 Mr. 0. W. Sliarpe, who has engraved some very large steel-plates, as that which he 

 always uses : 



Parts 



Black pitch 1 



White wax 1 



Burgundy pitch . . ^ 



Asphaltum . . . * . . . >. . .1 

 Gum mastic . . . . . . . .1 



Melt the first three ingredients over a slow fire in a pipkin, then add the other two, 

 finely powdered, stirring the whole together all the time ; when well mixed, pour it 

 into warm water, and make it up, while warm, into balls ; if too soft, a little less wax 

 should be used. Care must be taken not to let the mixture burn during the process 

 of making. 



The etching-ground resists the action of the aqua-fortis. It should be tied up in a 

 piece of strong silk, and applied thus, which is called laying the ground : Take the 

 plate firmly in a small hand vice ; hold it, with the polished face upwards, over a 

 charcoal jfire, that it may not get smoked, till it is well, but not too much, heated : rub 

 the etching-ground, in the silk, over the plate till it is evenly covered; the wax, 

 melting with the heat, oozes through the silk. To effect a more equal distribution 

 of the ground, take the dabber and dab the plate gently all over, till it appears of an 

 uniform colour ; continue the dabbing till the plate begins to cool, but not longer. 

 The ground is then blackened by being held over the smoke of a candle, or two or 

 three tied together, wax is far preferable to tallow ; keep the plate in motion, so 

 that every part be made cqiially dark, and also to avoid injury, by burning, to the 

 composition ; when cold the plate is ready to receive the design. To transfer this, a 



