655 
tine, and mixed with lamp-black that, it may 
be seen better when laid upon the plate. 
Etching-ground is used for covering the 
plate all over, previous to drawing the 
lines on it with the needles. It is prepared in 
the following manner ; 
Take of virgin-wax and asphaltum, each 
twenty ounces ; ot black-pitch and Burgun- 
dy-pitch, each half an ounce ; melt the wax 
and pitch in a new earthenware glazed pip- 
kin, and add to them, by degrees, the asplial- 
tum, finely powdered. Let the whole boil 
till such time as by taking a drop upon 
a plate, it will break when it is cold, on bend- 
ing it double two or three times between the 
lingers. The varnish being then enough 
boiled, must be taken olf from the lire, and 
letting it cool a little, must be poured into 
warm water, that it may work the more ea- 
sily with the hands, so as to form into balls 
for use. 
It must be observed, first, that the fire be 
not too violent, for tear of burning the ingre- 
dients ; a slight simmering will be sufficient. 
Secondly, that while the asphaltum is putting 
in, and even after it is mixed with them, the 
ingredients should be stirred continually with 
a spatula ; and, thirdly, that the water into 
which this composition is thrown, should be 
nearly of the same degree of warmth with it, 
to prevent a kind of cracking, which hap- 
pens when the water is too cold. 
The varnish ought always to be harder in 
summer than winter, and it will become so if 
it is suffered to boil longer, or if a greater 
proportion of the asphaltum is used. The 
experiment above-mentioned, of the drop' 
suffered to cool, will determine the degree of 
hardness or softness that may be suitable to 
the season when it is used. 
To lay the ground for etching, proceed in 
the following manner. Having cleaned the 
copper-plate with some fine whiting and a 
linen rag, to free it from all grease, fix a hand- 
vice to some part of it where no work is in- 
tended to be, to serve as a handle for mana- 
ging it by when warm. Roll up some coarse 
brown paper, and light one end then hold 
the back of the plate over the burning paper, 
moving it about until every part ot it 
is equally heated, so as to melt the etching- 
ground, which should be wrapped up in a bit 
of tafifety, to prevent any dirt that may hap- 
pen to be among it from mixing with what is 
melted upon the plate. If the plate is large, 
it will be best to heat it over a chafing-dish 
with some clear coals. It must be heated 
just sufficient to melt the ground, but not so 
much as to burn it. When a sufficient quan- 
tity of the etching-ground has been rubbed 
upon the plate, it must be dabbed, or beaten 
gently, while the plate is hot, with a small 
dabbermade of cotton wrapped up in . a piece 
oftaffety, by which operation the ground is 
distributed more equally over the plate than 
it could be by any other means. 
When the plate is thus uniformly and thinly 
covered with the varnish, it must be blacken- 
ed by smoking, it with a wax-taper. For this 
purpose twist together three or four pieces 
of wax-taper, to, make a larger flame, and 
while the plate is still warm, hold it with the 
varnished side downwards, and move the 
smoky part of the lighted. -taper over its sur- 
face, till it is made almost quite black ; ta- 
king care not to let the wick touch the var- 
jfisb, and that the latter get no smear or stain. 
ETCHING, 
In laying the etching-ground, great care must 
be taken that no particles of dust or dirt o! 
any kind settle upon it, as that would be 
found very troublesome in etching ; the room 
therefore in which it is laid should be as still 
as possible, and free from dust 
The ground being now laid, and suffered 
to cool, the next operation is to transfer the 
design to the plate. 
For this purpose a tracing on oiled paper 
must now be made, from the design to he 
etched, with pen and ink, having a very 
small quantity of ox’s gall mixed with it. to 
make the oiled paper take it ; also a piece 
of thin paper, ot the same size, must he rub- 
bed over with red chalk, powdered, by means 
of some cotton. Then laying the red-chalk- 
ed paper, with its chalked side next the 
ground, on the plate, put the tracing over it, 
and fasten them both together, and to the 
plate, by a little bit of the bordering-wax. 
When all this is prepared, take a blunt 
etching-needle, and go gently all over the 
lines in the tracing; by which means the 
chalked paper will be pressed against the 
ground, and the lines of the tracing will be 
transferred to the ground: on taking off the 
papers they will be seen distinctly. 
The plate is now prepared for drawing 
through the lines which have been marked 
upon the ground. For this the etching-points 
or needles are employed, leaning hard or 
lightly, according to the degree ot strength 
required in the lines. Points of different 
sizes and forms are also used for making lines 
of. different thickness, though commonly this 
is- effected, by the biting in with the aqua- 
fortis. 
A margin or border of wax must now be 
formed all round the plate, to hold the aqua- 
fortis when it is poured on. 1 o do this, the 
bordering-wax already described must be put 
into lukewarm water to soften it, and render 
it easily worked by the hand. When suffi- 
ciently pliable it must be drawn out into long 
rolls, and put round the edges of the plate, 
pressing it down firm, andfornfing it with the 
fingers into a neat wall or margin. A spout 
must be formed in one corner, to pour off the 
aquafortis afterwards. 
The nitrous acid (spirit of nitre) is now to 
be diluted with four or five times as much 
water, or more (according as you wish the 
plate to be bitten quick or slow), and poured 
upon the plate. In a few minutes you will 
see minute bubbles of. air filling all the lines 
that have been drawn on the copper, which 
are to be removed by a feather ; and the 
plate must be now and then swept, as it is 
called, or. kept free from air-bubbles. By the 
more or less rapid production of these bub- 
bles, you judge of the rapidity with which 
the acid acts upon the copper. The biting- 
in of the plate is the most uncertain part of 
the process, and nothing but very great ex- 
perience can enable any one to tell when the 
plate is bitten enough, as you cannot easily 
see the thickness and depth of the line till the 
ground is taken off. 
When you judge from the time theacid 
has been on, and the rapidity of the biting, 
that those lines which you wish . to be the 
faintest are as deep as you wish, yon pour off 
the aquafortis by the “spout:, wash the plate 
with water, and dry it, by blowing with bel- 
lows, or by the fire, taking care not to melt 
the ground. 
Those lines that are not intended to be bit- 
ten any deeper, must now be stopped up with 
turpentine-varnish mixed with a little lamp- 
black, and laid on with a camel’s hair pencil ; 
and when this is thoroughly dry the aqua- 
fortis may be poured on again, to bite the 
other lines that ar.e required to be deeper. 
This process of stopping out and biting m 
is to be repeated as often as there are to be 
lines of different degrees of thickness, ta- 
king care not to make liny mistake in stop- 
ping out wrong lines. 
It is also necessary to be particularly care- 
ful to stop out with the varnish those parts 
from which the ground may happen to have 
come oil by the action of the acid, othei w ise 
you will have parts bitten that were not in- 
tended, which is called foul-biting. 
When the biting in is quite finished, the 
next operation is to remove the bordering-*- 
wax and tiie -ground, in order that you may 
see what success you have had ; for till then 
this cannot be known exactly. 
To take off the bordering-wax the plate 
must be heated by a piece ot lighted paper, 
which softens the wax in contact with the 
plate, and occasions it to come oil quite 
clean. 
Oil of turpentine is now poured upon the 
around, and the plate is rubbed with a bit of 
linen rag, which removes all the ground. 
La-tly, it is cleaned off with whitening. 
The success of the etching may now be 
known, but it is necessary to get an impres- 
sion taken upon paper by a copper-plate 
printer. T his impression is called a proof. 
If any parts arc' not bitten so deep as were 
intended, the process may be repeated, pro- 
vided the lines are not too faintly bitten to ad- 
mit of it. This second biting-in in the same 
lines is called re-biting, and is done as fol- 
lows : Melt a little of the etching-ground ou 
a spare piece of copper, and dab it a little, 
to get some on the dabber ; then having 
cleaned out with whiting the lines that are to 
be rebitten, heat the plate gently, and dab it 
very lightly with the dabber. By this the 
parts between the lines will be covered with 
the ground ; but the lines themselves will not 
be tilled up, and consequently will be ex- 
posed to the action of the aquafortis. This 
is a. very delicate process, and must be per- 
formed with great care. The rest ot the 
plate must now be varnished over, the bor- 
dering-wax put on again, and the biting re- 
peated in the same manner as at first. 
If any part should be bitten too deep, it is 
more difficult to recover it, or make it fainter: 
this is generally done by burnishing the part 
down, or rubbing it with a piece of charcoal. 
This will make the lines shallower, and. cause 
them not to print so black.. 
Should any small parts of the lines have 
missed altogether in the biting, they may be - 
cut with the graver; which is also some-- 
times employed to cross the lines of the etch- 
ing, and thus to work up a more finished 
effect. 
Dry-pointing, as it is called, is another 
method employed for, softening the harsh, 
effects usually apparent in an etching.. This 
is done by cutting with the etching-point 
upon the copper. without any ground or var- 
nish. This does not make a very deep line, 
and is used for covering the light, where very, 
delicate tints -and soft shadows are wanting, . 
By varying these processes of etching, gra<* 
