Valuable Secrets concerning Arts and Trades... Chap. I. Secrets relative to the Art of Engraving.

Valuable Secrets concerning Arts and Trades:
or Approved Directions, from the best Artists, for the Various Methods...
Printed by Thomas Hubbard,
Norwich, 1795I. A wax to lay on iron or steel.

Take the bulk of a nut of white wax: melt it, and add to it the size of a musquet ball of ceruse of Venice. When both are incorporated together, form this composition into small sticks. With them rub your piece of steel, or iron, after having previously warmed it sufficiently to melt the wax, which you will spread well over it with a feather. When the wax is cold, trace whatever you will on it, and pass afterwards, on the lines you shall have drawn, the following water.


II. A mordant water to engrave on steel.

1. Take good verjuice in grapes, the strongest you can find; alum in powder, and a little salt dried and pulverised. Mix all together till perfectly dissolved: then pass some of that water on the lines of your drawing, repeating the same, till it is sufficiently deep engraved. That engraving will appear white, as silver, on a white ground.

2. Or else take verdigrise, strong vinegar, ammoniac and common salts, and copperas, equal parts. Set all together a-boiling, for a quarter of an hour: then strain it through a rag, and run some of that water on your plate. In about half an hour afterwards it will be perfectly engraved.

3. CALLOT'S varnish, of which the composition shall be found hereafter, in the Chapter on Varnishes, in an admirable composition to lay on the plate you propose to enrave.


III. To engrave with aquafortis, so that the work may appear like a basso relievo.

Take equal parts of vermilion and of black lead: two, or three, grains of mastick in drops. Grind them all together, on marble, with lintseed oil; then put this composition into a shell. Next to this operation, cut some soft quills, and let your steel or iron be well polished. Try first, whether your colour runs sufficiently with your pens: and, if it should not, you must add a little more oil to it; without making it, however, too limped; but only so as to have your pen mark freely with it, as if you were writing, with ink, on paper. Then rub well your plate of steel with wood ashes, to clean and ungrease it; after which, you wipe it with a clean rag, and draw your design upon it, with your pen, prepared as before, and dipped into your liquor. If you want to draw birds, or other animals, you must only draw the outlines of them with your pen, then fill up the inside of those lines with a hair-pencil; that is to say, you will coverall the space, contained between the first outlines drawn with the pen, with the same colour, which you will lay with a brush, to preserve all that part against the mordacity of the aquafortis. When that is done, you let your work dry for a day or two. When dryed thus, you take some fire, made with charcoal, into a chaffendish, and bake over it your colour, by degrees, till it becomes quite brown. Take care notwithstanding not to burn it, for fear you should scale it when you come to scratch, with the point of a needle, those etchings, or places, which you want to be engraved, with the following aquafortis.


IV. Aquafortis for engraving.

Take verdigrise, roch alum, Roman vitriol, and common salt, of each three ounces; which you will pound into a very fine powder. Have a new pipkin, in which you will put a little more than a quart of water, and your drugs, all together. Let them thus infuse a couple of hours; then place them over a charcoal fire: and, when the water has a little simmered, take the pot from of the fire and let it cool so, that you may dip your hand in it without scalding. Then have an earthen cup, with which you take of that water, and pour it over the work you mean to engrave; so that it may run well, and freely, ever all the places which are to b emarked, and then off into a pan placed under to receive it. Continue thus to water your work for three quarters of an hour. Then you will pour upon it clear pump water, to wash off the must which the aquafortis shall have occasioned. You are then to try, with a needle, the depth of the lines of your engraving; and, if not at your liking, you must begin again watering it, as before. The only care you are to have, is, that your liquor should not be too warm: for, then, it would spoil the work. It is better to use it lukewarm only, and be longer at it.


V. To engrave on brass, or copper, with aquafortis.

You must put in your colour more mastick in drops, and bake it also rather more over the fire, after it is hid on your plate; so that it should turn almost black. And, if it be a flat work, as generally are all those on copper plates, you must raise around it a border of wax to prevent the aquafortis, which you are to pour on it, from running off, and which is to be a separating aquafortis with which you cover the plate to the thickness of a crown piece. After it has been thus left covered with that aquafortis, for a little while, this becomes green: than, is the time to throw it away, and to pour, in its place, some pump water, when you will examine whether the lines be sufficiently deep or not. If not, pour again fresh aquafortis on your plate, and thus you will obtain works of basso relievo by contrary; that is to say, raised grounds. You may thus engrave all sorts of works.


VI. To engrave prints, by aquafortis.

Take some ceruse, which you will grind well with clear pump water, and size it with isinglass. Lay this composition, with a coarse brush, or pencil, on the plate which you want to engrave. When it is dry, draw on it whatever design you please. Or, if you want to counterproof a copperplate print, blacken all the back of your print; and, placing that blackened, part on your plate, prepared as before, go over all the strokes of your print, with a smooth ivory, or wooden, point; which will stamp the black of the print, in all those places, on the plate. Then you will go again over all the black strokes, which are laid on your plate, with a pen and ink: and, taking afterwards a steel point, very fine and well tempered, you will etch your plate with it, in, following all the strokes marked on it, and pour aquafortis, as before directed.


VII. Another.

Take white lead, and grind it well with mastick indrops. Cover your plate with it by means first of a brush, and then smooth it with the soft part of a goofe feather. Let this dry, for a day or two; then give a second coat, of this composition, over the first; and spread it with the palm of your hand. When dry, bake it over charcoal, till it comes a little yellow; then draw what you will over it, with a black lead pencil; and proceed afterwards, as before directed.


VIII. The method of engraving with aquafortis.

You must have a very well polished plate, and perfectly clean. Set it to warm over a chasingdish, in which there is a charcoal fire. While on it, cover it with a varnish, either dry or liquid, for there are two sorts; Then you blacken that varnish with the flame of a candle, over which you pass, and repass the plate on the varnished side.

2. This being done, you have no more to do than to chalk your design on that plate, which is infinitely more easy than to engrave with the graver. For, if you rub the back part of your drawing with some sanguine stone (red chalk) or any thing else, and lay it afterwards on your plate, to trace it with a point, the sanguine, which is on the back of the draught, will easily set off on the varnish. So that you may follow afterwards all the lines of the design, and be infinitely more correct in all the turns, and the expression of the figures. This is the reason why all the painters, who have their own works engraved take the trouble of drawing also the outlines of their figures, that the spirit and beauty of the design may be preserved. Indeed it must be confessed, that we always discover a great deal more art in those pieces which are engraved with aquafortis than there is found in them that are done by the graver. And, even in many of these, the aquafortis is often em ployed to sketch lightly the contours, or outlines, of the figures, and to have them mere correct.

3. True it is, that it is some times found necessary to touch a little over, with the graver, certain parts which are not strong enough, or that the aquafortis has not eaten in sufficiently. For it is not easy, in a great plate, to get all the several parts so proportionably, and a-propos, eaten in, as there should be nothing to find fault with.

4. It is not enough for an engraver to work with the point of his needle, or scooper, in all the different places of his work, with the strength and delicacy necessary to make appear, as he wants them to be, the most remote and the bearest parts. It is again requisite that he should take care, when he comes to put the aquafortis on his plate, it should not bite equally every where. This is prevented, as follows, by a mixture of oil and tallow, which you will drop in it, from a lighted candle.

5. To this effect he must have a framed wooden board, over-laid with wax, on which he fixes his plate a little flant way: then pours aquafortis on it so that it may only pass over it, and run into an earthen pan, placed under to receive it. Therefore he takes care to examine when those parts, which are not to be so deeply eaten in, have received a sufficient quantity of aquafortis: in which case, taking off his plate, he washs it with pump water, by pouring it only over; dries it gently before the fire, then covers the most remote parts, and them which he wants to preserve weakest, with the above mentioned mixture of oil and tallow, that the aquafortis should not act. any more, on those places. Thus, covering at several times, and as much as he pleases, such places of his plate as he wants to keep not so strong as others, it results that the figures, which are forwards in the picture, are constantly every time washed with the aquafortis which eats in them, till he sees they are sufficiently engraved, and according to the degree of strength which he is desirous of giving them.

6. That sort of aquafortis we have mentioned and described in this chapter at the article of the water for engraving on iron and which is composed with verdigrise, vinegar, common and ammoniac salts, and copperas, is also made use of to engrave on copper, in pouring it on the plates, covered either with hard or soft varnish, and scratched, or etched, agreeably to the design you intend to engrave on them.

7. As for what concerns the refiner's aquafortis, commonly called white water, it is never used but upon the soft varnish; and never as the former, which is called green water by pouring it only over the plate, and letting it run off into a pan under it. A border of wax must be made round the plate, on which, this being laid flat upon a table, some of that white water is poured, after having previously tempered it more or less with a proportionable quantity of common water, which is called pickling.


IX. To engrave on wood.

You begin by preparing a board, according to the size and thickness you want it, and finely polished on the side it is to be engraved. The sort of wood, which is generally chosen for such a purpose, is either pear-tree or box. And, of the two, this last is even still preferable, both on account of its being of a superior hardness, and also less liable to be worm-eaten. On that board you draw first your design, such as you want it to appear in printing. They, who have not the talent of drawing, as there are a great number, make use of the very drawing you give them, which they paste on their board, by the right side, with a paste made of good flour, water, and a little vinegar. You must take care that all the strokes of the drawing should touch well, and stick on the wood: and, when the paper is very dry, wet it gently, and with the tip of your finger rub it off by degrees, to that the strokes only of the drawing should remain on your board, as if you had drawn it with ink and a pen. These strokes, or lines, skew you all that you are to spare, or preserve; all the rest you are to cut off and sink down with delicacy by means of a sharp and well tempered pen-knife, small chisel, gouet, according to the size and delicacy of the work, for you have no need of any other tool.


X. To engrave on copper with the grawer.

1. When the plate, which is to be of red copper, is well polished, you draw your design on it with either the black lead-stone or a steel point. When that is done, you have no further need of any thing but very sharp and well tempered gravers to cut in, and give more or less strength to certain parts, according to the subject, and the figures, you execute.

2. You must also have a certain tool of fsix inches long, or thereabouts, one of the ends of which, called a scraper, is made in the form of a triangle, sharp on each edge, with which you scrape on the copper when you want it. The other end, called a burnisher, has very much the shape of a fowl's heart, a little prolonged by the point, round and slender. This serves to polish the copper, to mend the faults, and soften the strokes.

3. In order to form a better judgement of your work, you must now and then, as you proceed on, make use of a stump, made with a piece of an old hat rolled up and blackened, with which you rub your plate, on the place you are working, which fills the strokes with black, and makes you feel better the effect of your work, as you go. You must be provided likewise with a leather cushion, on which you lay your plate, while you engrave it.

4. We shall not give any further account of the art of engraving than this short epitome, and we shall not at tempt to enter into a more particular detail of the various and curious circumstances attending this noble art. They, whose curiosity, on that subject, will prompt them to be more particularly acquainted with it, may amply satisfy themselves, by taking the trouble to read the treatise which Abraham Bosse has purposely composed, on the art of engraving.


XI. To engrave on steel or iron; such as blades of swords, knives, &c.

1. Take one part of linden-tree coals; two of vitriol, and as much of ammoniac salt. Grind all together with vinegar, so as to obtain a soft paste of it. Then, what ever you want to engrave on steel or iron, begin first by Sketching it with vermilion diluted with lintseed oil, which you shall have put a-drying to use it afterwards like a pencil. When your drawing is done, cover it with the above mentioned paste to the thickness of a finger. This composition must be applied warm; and the more warm it is, the sooner the work will be engraved; though you must have care not to burn it. When this composition is well dry, take that powder off, and wash well the engraved place.

2. You may to the same effect take Spanish verdigrise, or common salt, one part; and while you pound it in a mortar, add some very strong vinegar, and proceed as ahove.

3. Some make use of vitriol, alum, common salt, and linden-tree coals, which they prepare and use as above.


XII. A water to engrave on iron or copper.

1. Take Spanish verdigrise, sublimate mercury, vitriol, and alum, equal parts. Pound it all well in a mortar, and put it in a glass vessel sufficiently large, with a proportionable quantity of the strongest distilled vinegar. Let the whole thin infuse for twelve hours, strirring it often. Draw next what design you like on a coat of wax laid on your iron, or copper, either with a steel point, or fictitious ocher, mixed with lintseed oil. Then pass some of your liquor on the places you shall have etched with a needle or steel point, in following carefully the strokes of your design, if it be first drawn on wax. For, in the use of this method, you must not fail to begin by covering first your plate with it, as we said elsewhere. You may again lay on your design, prepared as we said, some sublimate alone, finely pulverised; then pour over it good strong vinegar, which you will let lay for the space of half an hour, after which wash it with cold water, and clean off your plate.


XIII. Another more mordant water.

1. Take Spanish verdigrise,alumen plumeum, ammoniac salt, tartar, vitriol, and common salt, of each a quarter of an ounce. When the whole is well pounded, and mixed with the strongest vinegar, let it thus remain for the space of half an hour. If you want to have your design raised, make it with factitious ocher and lintseed oil, well ground and mixed together, and let it dry perfectly. Then set the aforesaid water a-warming over the fire in an iron pan well tinned with lead; and, leaving it on the fire, take youx steel plate, and holding it in one hand over the pan, take with the other of the warm liquor, with a spoon, and pour it on your plate; so that, by falling again into the pan, you lose none of your water. Continue so doing, for a quarter of an hour's time: taking care, however, your water should not be too warm, left should set a-running the oil which is mixed with the varnish. When this is done, rub the aforesaid composition with pot-ashes mixed with an equal quantity of quick lime in powder, and you will find that what was covered with the composition will be preserved, and raised from the other parts of the plate which are eaten down.


XIV. An ardent water to engrave steel deeply, or even eat it off entirely.

Take two quarts, or thereabout, of thick black wine, the oldest and the best you can find. Dissolve into it quicklime, and brimstone in powder, wine tartar and white salt, of each equal parts, and as much of the whole as there can possibly be dissolved in that quantity of wine. You shall next put all that mixture into a cucurbit, or rather in a retort well luted. Adapt to it a bolt-head to serve as a receiver. Lute well the joints, then give it the heat gradually. There will distill a very mordant water, which yo may keep in a phial, carefully stopped, for use.