ENGRAVING. 421 



guide it flat and parallel with the plate. Take 

 care that your fingers do not interpose between 

 the plate and the graver ; for they will hinder you 

 from carrying the graver level with the plate, and 

 from cutting your strokes so clean as they ought 

 to be. 



To lay the design upon the plate, after you 

 have polished it fine and smooth, heat it so that 

 it will melt virgin-wax, with which rub it thinly 

 and equally over, and let it cool. Then the de- 

 sign which you lay on must be drawn on paper, 

 with a black-lead pencil, and laid upon the plate, 

 with its pencilled side upon the wax ; press it 

 down, and with a burnisher go over every part of 

 the design, and when you take off the paper, you 

 will find every line upon the waxed plate which 

 you drew with the black lead pencil ; then with a 

 sharp pointed tool trace all your design through 

 the wax upon the plate, and you may then take 

 off the wax, and proceed to work. 



Let the table, or board you work at, be firm 

 and steady ; upon which place your sand-bag with 

 the plate upon it ; and, holding the graver as above 

 directed, proceed in the following manner. 



For straight strokes, hold your plate firm upon 

 the sand-bag with your left hand, moving your 

 right hand forwards; leaning lighter where the 

 stroke should be fine, and harder where you would 

 have it broader. 



For circular or crooked strokes, hold the graver 

 stedfast, moving your hand or the plate, as you 

 see convenient. 



Learn to carry your hand with such dexterity, 

 that you may end your stroke as finely as you 

 began it ; and if you have occasion to make one 

 part deeper or blacker than another, do it by de- 



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