ENGRAVING. 



manner has been to confine the right arm 

 close to the side, placing the fore finger 

 of the left hand on the upper side of the 

 tool when on the stone. This instrument 

 is used for finishing 1 the imperfections 

 discoverable in etchings, and exclusively 

 in engraving- writing. 



The scraper is a long triangular piece 

 of steel, tapering gradually from the han- 

 dle to the point; the three edges produc- 

 ed by this form, being sharpened on the 

 oil-stone, are used for scraping off the 

 roughness occasioned by the graver, and 

 erasing erroneous lines. 



The burnisher is a third instrument of 

 steel, hard, round, and highly polished, 

 for rubbing out punctures or scratches in 

 the copper. The oil stone has been al- 

 ready mentioned ; to those may be added 

 the needle or dry point for etching, and 

 making those extremely fine lines which 

 cannot be done with the graver. 



Cushions made of soft leather, and fill- 

 ed with fine sand, hence called sand- 

 bags, are required for the support of the 

 plate in engraving, which, from their cir- 

 cular surface, permit the copper to turn 

 with ease, and facilitate the cutting of 

 those true curves composing the shading 

 of most subjects. The oil rubber and 

 charcoal are necessary for polishing the 

 plate. 



Every thing depends upon the free use 

 of the graver, therefore the utmost care 

 must be taken to hold it properly, by pre- 

 venting the interposition of the fingers be- 

 tween the graver and the plate, with the 

 fore finger on the upper angle, which 

 enables the artist to conduct it parallel 

 with the substance engraved, thus pre- 

 venting the point from entering deeply, 

 and impeding the progress of the tool. 



To engrave well requires good materi- 

 als, though those are nearly confined to 

 two, the graver, and the best copper; the 

 latter should be free from flaws, small 

 punctures, well hammered to close the 

 pores, and polished to such a degree as 

 to be free from the slightest scratches. 



To trace the design intended for en- 

 graving accurately on the plate, it is usual 

 to heat the latter sufficiently to melt 

 white wax, with which it must' be cover- 

 ed equally and thin, and suffered to cool ; 

 the drawing is then copied in outlines 

 with a black-lead pencil on paper, which 

 is laid with the pencilled side upon the 

 wax, and the back rubbed gently with 

 the burnisher, which will transfer the 

 lead to the wax. The design must next 

 be traced with an etching needle through 

 the wax on the copper, when, on wiping 



it clean, it will exhibit all the outlines 

 ready for the graver. 



The table intended for engraving on 

 should be perfectly steady, and the sand- 

 bags placed equally firm* in cutting o 

 curved or undulating lines, the graver 

 must be held still, or moved, to suit the 

 turning of the plate with the left hand ; 

 but when straight lines are intended, the 

 plate is to be held stationary, and the 

 graver urged forward with more or less 

 pressure, according to the thickness of 

 the line. Great care is necessary to 

 carry the hand with such steadiness and 

 skill, as to prevent the end of the line 

 from being stronger and deeper than the 

 commencement ; and sufficiem space 

 must be left between the lines, to enable 

 the artist, to make those stronger, gradu- 

 ally, which require it. The roughness 

 or burr occasioned by the graver must 

 be removed by the scraper, the lines 

 filled by the oil-rubber, and the surface 

 of the copper cleansed, in order that 

 the progress of the work may be ascer- 

 tained. 



If any accident should occur, by the 

 slipping of the graver beyond the boun- 

 dary required, or lines are found to be 

 placed erroneously, they are to be ef- 

 faced by the burnjsher, which leaving 1 

 deep indent ings, those must be levelled 

 by the scraper, rubbed with charcoal and 

 water, and finally polished lightly with 

 the burnisher. 



As the uninterrupted light of the day 

 causes a glare upon the surface of the 

 copper, hurtful and dazzling to the eyes, 

 it is customary to engrave beneath the 

 shade of silk paper, stretched on a square 

 frame, which is placed reclining towards 

 the room, near the sill of a window. 



Such are the directions and means to 

 be employed in engraving historical sub- 

 jects ; indeed, the graver is equally ne- 

 cessary for the completion of imperfec- 

 tions in etching, to which must be added 

 the use of the dry point in both, for 

 making the faintest shades in the si.y, ar- 

 chitecture, drapery, water &c. &c. 



Engraving' of JWezzotmlos differs en- 

 tirely from the manner above described ; 

 this method of producing 1 prints, which 

 resemble drawing's in Indian ink. is sa.d 

 by Evelyn, in ins history of chalcography, 

 to have been discovered by Prince Ru- 

 pert, and was some years pas., a very fa- 

 vourite way of engraving poitraifs and 

 historical subjects ; of the former, the 

 large heads by Fry are of superior ex- 

 cellence. 



