ENGRAVING. 



cu by the vice in the left hand, and the 

 right, holding the burning taper,s to be 

 moved gently backwards and forwards 

 under the ground, carefully avoiding 

 touching it with the wick, yet causing 

 the flame to spread over the surface, 

 which will render it perfectly black, 

 smooth, and shining, in a short time ; this 

 is to be ascertained by turning the plate : 

 If the copper appears through the ground, 

 the taper must be applied again imme- 

 diately ; but if it is held too long beneath 

 the plate, the ground will become opaque, 

 andbivak when the aqua fortis is used. 



The next object is, to transfer the de- 

 sign to the ground, which may be done 

 by drawing il on thin white paper with a 

 black-lead pencil, and having it passed 

 through the copper-plate printer's rolling 

 press, who will accomplish it by laying 

 the plate carefully on the board of his 

 press, the pencilled paper slightly damp- 

 ed on it, and turning the press, the lead 

 will be conveyed fi:iniy to the ground, 

 which will appear in perfect outlines on 

 removing the paper. Another method is, 

 to draw the design reversed from the 

 original; rub the back with powdered 

 white chalk, and laying it on the ground, 

 trace the lines through with a blunt point: 

 this operation requires much precaution, 

 or the point will cut the ground; besides, 

 if the paper is not securely fastened with 

 wax at the corners, it may slip, and either 

 interrupt the true continuation of the 

 lines, or scratch the ground. 



In working with the etching needle 

 nothing more is required than to keep it 

 upright, that the lines made by it through 

 the ground may not slope, and thus make 

 the aqua fortis corrode improperly ; but 

 it should be particularly observed, that 

 the point, though taper, must be so round- 

 ed as to be free from a possibility of its 

 tearing the surface of the copper, which 

 would prevent the progress of the point, 

 and ruin the plate when bitten ; the ne- 

 cessary polish of the point may be ac- 

 complished by rubbing it on the sole of 

 u shoe. The young artist must now be 

 left to his own exertions, as directions 

 for etching beyond those already given 

 are useless, and he will acquire more 

 knowledge and freedom from copying 

 good prints in one week than a quarto 

 volume of observations would afford. It 

 seems almost needless to add, that every 

 line must be kept distinct, at all events, 

 throughout the plate, and that the most 

 distant should be closer and more regular 

 than those in the fore ground, as the 



greater the depth of shade the broader 

 and deeper must the lines be made. 



When the etching of the plate is com- 

 pletely finished, the edges of it must be 

 surrounded by a high border of wax, so 

 well secured that water will not penetrate 

 between the plate and it The best spirits 

 of nitre fortis must then be diluted with 

 water, in the proportion of one part of 

 the former to four of the latter, which 

 will be found to answer the first opera- 

 tions, if the weather is fine and the atmo- 

 sphere free from moisture ; but if the 

 contrary is the case, the spirits of nitre 

 must be increased in proportion to the 

 humidity of the air ; this, when poured 

 on the plate, cannot be too attentively 

 observed, in order to remove the bubbles 

 of fixed air with a feather, and to ascer- 

 tain the time for stopping out the lightest 

 parts; for it must be remembered, the 

 whole secret of biting or corroding any 

 subject consists in the judicious manner 

 in which the depth and breadth of the 

 lines are varied, as by proper manage- 

 ment they may be left scarcely percepti- 

 ble, or increased very considerably. The 

 composition used for the above purpose 

 is turpentine varnish mixed with lamp- 

 black, and diluted so as to be used freely 

 with a camel's hair pencil ; this, applied 

 to the parts of the plate sufficiently cor- 

 roded, will effectually prevent the aqua 

 fortis from touching it again, and the re- 

 mainder proceeds as if no such application 

 had taken place : it will be necessary to 

 strengthen the water as the work be- 

 comes nearer completion, but cautiously, 

 lest the ground should be broken ; and 

 every time the aqua fortis is removed, the 

 plate must be washed with clean water, 

 and gradually dried, otherwise the varnish 

 cannot be used, and the lines would be 

 clogged with the decomposed metal. 

 For taking the ground from the plate it 

 is usual to cover the surface with olive oil, 

 and heating it, wipe the plate with a soft 

 piece of old linen and spirits of turpen- 

 tine, will effectually remove all remain- 

 ing dirt. 



Re-biting, is the art of strengthening 

 those lines of an etching, in a plate from 

 which the original ground has been cleans- 

 ed. This is done by applying the ground 

 as at first directed, but with great care, 

 that the melted composition does not fill, 

 or even partially fill the lines, to prevent 

 which the cotton wrapt in silk, called the 

 dab ber, should be used exclusively, by 

 taking a small quantity of melted ground 

 on it, and gently touching the parts be- 



