ENGRAVING. 



stance, the engraver of the crystal, lapis 

 lazuli, &c. fixes his tools in the lathe, and 

 holds the precious stone to them, thus 

 forming vases, or any other shape, by 

 interposing diamond dust mixed with oil, 

 or emery and water, between the tool 

 and the substance, as often as it is dis- 

 persed by the rotary motion of the for- 

 mer. 



The engraving of armorial bearings, 

 single figures, devices, &c. on any of the 

 above stones, after they are polished, 

 is performed through the means of a 

 small iron wheel, the ends of the axis of 

 vfhich are received within two pieces of 

 iron, in a perpendicular position, that 

 may be closed, or otherwise, as the ope- 

 ration requires ; the tools are fixed to 

 one end of the axis, and screwed firm ; 

 the stone to be engraved is then held to 

 the tool, the wheel set in motion by the 

 foot, and the figure gradually formed. 

 The materials of which the tools are 

 made is generally iron, and sometimes 

 brass ; they are flat, like chissels, gouges, 

 ferules, and others have circular heads. 

 After the work is finished, the polishing 

 is done with hair brushes, fixed on 

 wheels and tripoli. 



Engraving in wood, has been practised 

 for several centuries, and originally with 

 tolerable success ; it languished for great 

 part of the 18th century, but revived to- 

 wards the close, and is still practised in 

 a manner which reflects credit on the in- 

 genuity of the age. Bewick will long 

 be remembered by his works in this 

 style of engraving, and his imitators 

 have been numerous and successful. As 

 it is entirely different from engrav- 

 ing on copper, the artist already ac- 

 quainted with that mode would find 

 himself at a loss how to proceed on 

 wood, as the lines, instead of being 

 cut into the substance, are raised, like 

 the letters of printing types, and print- 

 ed in the same manner. 



The wood used for this purpose is box, 

 which is preferred for the hardness and 

 closeness of its texture ; the surface must 

 be planed smooth, and the design drawn 

 on it with a black lead pencil ; the gra- 

 ver is then used, the finer excavations 

 from which are intended for white in- 

 terstices between the black lines pro- 

 duced by leaving the box untouched, 

 and the greatest lights are made by cut- 

 ting away the wood entirely, of the in- 

 tended form, length and breadth ; but 

 the deepest shades require no engraving. 

 Much of the beauty of this kind of en- 

 graving depends upon the printing, nor 



is it every artist who can excel in it, 

 as expedition and freedom are not to be 

 attained : in short, the best wooden cuts 

 are evidently the products rather of per- 

 se verance and ingenuity than easy con- 

 fidence in ability, observable in every line 

 of fine etchings. There are some who 

 succeed to admiration in represent- 

 ing foliage and plants, but unfortunately 

 a few months practice will enub'e a pu- 

 pil to etch them on copper with greater 

 truth : drapery and architecture ;tiuy be 

 well done in wood, but the faces and 

 limbs of figures never look well. 



Such are cue diii'erent descriptions of 

 engraving which do not require the aid 

 of aquafortis ; of tho^e made by tb.. in- 

 tervention of that liquid, the principal is 

 Etching. He that would excel in this 

 branch of the arts must be thoroughly 

 acquainted with drawing-; otherwise his 

 works will appear tasteless indeed. The 

 ground used in etching is a combina- 

 tion of asphaltum, gum mastic, and vir- 

 gin wax, mixed in such proportions as 

 will prevent the asphaltum from break- 

 ing the composition, when under the 

 aqua fortis. or the wax from making it 

 so soft as to close the lines when cut 

 through it by the needle. As every 

 thing depends upon the stability of the 

 ground, it should be purchased of those 

 persons who are most celebrated for 

 making it ; or if the person wishing to 

 use it prefers doing it himself, let him 

 remember, that he must keep every par- 

 ticle of grease or oil far from him and 

 his materials, and that, without the great- 

 est care, the inflammability of the as- 

 phaltum will ruin his operations in melt- 

 ing them. The proportions of the ingre- 

 dients should be obtained by experi- 

 ment. 



After being prepared in the above man- 

 ner, the ground is tied in a piece of lust- 

 ring for use, and another piece of the 

 same kind of silk must be made into a 

 dabber by tying a quantity of cotton in it. 

 The copper-plate, hammered to a con- 

 siderable degree of hardness, polished as 

 if intended for the graver, and perfectly 

 cleansed with whiting, is then secured at 

 one corner by a hand vice, heated over a 

 charcoal fire, and the silk containing the 

 ground rubbed over it, till every part is 

 covered by the melted composition ; but 

 before it cools the silk dabber must be ap- 

 plied in all directions, till the surface of 

 the plate is thinly and equally varnished. 

 After this part of the process is complet- 

 ed, several lengths of wax taper, twisted 

 together, are to be lighted, the plate rais- 



