ENGRAVING on copper

ENGRAVING on copper, is employed in representing portraits, histories, landscapes, foliage, figures, build-

ings, &c. either after paintings, or designs for that purpose.

It is performed with the graver on a plate of copper, which, being well polished, is covered over thinly with virgin-wax, and then smoothed, while warm, with a feather, so that the wax be of an equal thickness on the plate; and on this the draught or design, done in black lead, red chalk, or ungummed ink, is laid with the face of the drawing on the wax: then they rub the backside, which will cause the whole design of the drawing to appear on the wax. The design, thus transferred, is traced through on the copper, with a point, or needle; then heating the plate, and taking off the wax, the strokes remain to be followed, heightened, &c. according to the tenor of the design, with the graver, which must be very sharp and well pointed.

In the conduct of the graver consists almost all the art, which depends not so much upon rules as upon practice, the habitude, disposition, and genius of the artist, the principles of engraving being the same with those of painting; for if an engraver be not a perfect master of design, he can never hope to arrive at a degree of perfection in this art. In conducting the strokes, or cuts, of the graver, he must observe the action of the fingers, and of all their parts, with their outlines; and remark how they advance towards, or fall back from his sight, and then conduct his graver according to the risings or cavities of the muscles, or folds, widening the strokes in the light, and contracting them in the shades; as also at the extremity of the outlines, to which he ought to conduct the cuts of the graver, that the figures or objects represented may not appear as if they gnawn; and lightening his hand, that the outlines may be perfectly found, without appearing cut or slit; and, although his strokes necessarily break off where a muscle begins, yet they ought always to have a certain connection with each other, so that the first stroke should often serve to make the second, because this will shew the freedom of the graver.

If hair be the subject, let the engraver begin his work by making the outlines of the principal locks, and sketch them out in a careless manner, which may be finished, at leisure, with finer and thinner strokes to the very extremities.

The engraver must avoid making very acute angles, especially in representing flesh, when he crosses the first strokes with the second, because it will form a very disagreeable piece of tabby-like lattice-work, except in the representation of some clouds, in tempests, the waves of the sea, and in representations of skins of hairy animals, and leaves of trees. So that the medium between square and acute seems to be the best and most agreeable to the eye. He that would represent sculpture, must remember, that as statues, &c. are most commonly made of white marble, or stone, whose colour does not produce such dark shades as other matters do, they have no black to their eyes, nor hair of the head and beard flying in the air. If the engraver would

would preserve one quality and harmony in his works, he should always sketch out the principal objects of his piece before any part of them are finished.

The instruments necessary for this sort of engraving are, besides a graver, a cushion, or sand-bag, made of leather, to lay the plate on, in order to give it the necessary turns and motions; a burnisher made of iron, or steel, round at one end, and usually flattish at the other, to rub out slips and failures, soften the strokes, &c.; a scraper, to pare off the surface, on occasion; and a rubber, of a black hat, or cloth rolled up, to fill up the strokes that they may appear the more visible.

In ENGRAVING precious stones, they use either the diamond, or the emery. The diamond, which is the hardest of all stones, is only cut by itself, or with its own matter. The first thing to be done in this branch of engraving, is to cement two rough diamonds to the ends of two sticks big enough to hold them steady in the hand, and to rub or grind them against each other till they be brought to the form desired. The dust or powder that is rubbed off serves afterwards to polish them, which is performed with a kind of mill that turns a wheel of soft iron. The diamond is fixed in a brass dish, and, thus applied to the wheel, is covered with diamond dust, mixt up with oil of olives; and when the diamond is to be cut facet-wise, they apply first one face, then another, to the wheel. Rubies, sapphires, and topazes, are cut and formed the same way on a copper wheel, and polished with tripoli diluted in water. As to agates, amethysts, emeralds, hyacinths, granates, rubies, and others of the softer stones, they are cut on a leaden wheel, moistened with emery and water, and polished with tripoli, on a pewter wheel. Lapis-lazuli, opal, &c. are polished on a wooden wheel. To fashion and engrave vases of agate, crystal, lapis-lazuli, or the like, they make use of a kind of lathe, like that used by pewterers to hold the vessels, which are to be wrought with proper tools; that of the engraver generally holds the tools, which are turned by a wheel; and the vessel is held to them to be cut and engraved, either in relievo or otherwise; the tools being moistened, from time to time, with diamond dust and oil, or at least emery and water. To engrave figures or devices on any of these stones, when polished, such as medals, seals, &c. they use a little iron wheel, the ends of whose axis are received within two pieces of iron, placed upright, as in the turner's lathe; and to be brought closer, or set further apart, at pleasure: at one end of the axis are fitted the proper tools, being kept tight by a screw. Lastly, The wheel is turned by the foot, and the stone applied by the hand to the tool, and is shifted and conducted as occasion requires.

The tools are generally of iron, and sometimes of brass; their form is various, but it generally bears some resemblance to chisels, gouges, &c. Some have small round heads, like buttons, others like ferrets, to take the pieces out, and others flat, &c. when the stone has been engraved, it is polished on wheels of hair-brushes and tripoli.

ENGRAVING on steel is chiefly employed in cutting seals, punches, matrices, and dyes proper for striking coins, medals, and counters. The method of engraving with the instruments, &c. is the same for coins as for medals and counters: All the difference consists in their greater or less relievo, the relievo of coins being much less considerable than that of medals, and that of counters still less than that of coins.

Engravers in steel commonly begin with punches, which are in relievo, and serve for making the creux, or cavities, of the matrices and dyes: though sometimes they begin with the creux, or hollowness, but then it is only when the intended work is to be cut very shallow. The first thing done, is that of designing the figures; the next is the moulding them in wax, of the size and depth they are to lie, and from this wax the punch is engraved. When the punch is finished, they give it a very high temper, that it may the better bear the blows of the hammer with which it is struck to give the impression to the matrix.

The steel is made hot to soften it, that it may the more readily take the impression of the punch; and after striking the punch on it, in this state, they proceed to touch up or finish the strokes and lines, where by reason of their fineness or the too great relievo they are any thing defective, with steel gravers of different kinds, chisels, flatters, &c. being the principal instruments used in engraving on steel.

The figure being thus finished, they proceed to engrave the rest of the medal, as the mouldings of the border, the engrained ring, letters, &c. with little steel punches, well tempered, and very sharp.

ENGUICHE', in heraldry, is said of the great mouth of a hunting horn, when its rim is of a different colour from that of the horn itself.