The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-24


cardboard. To make d stick 70 the card
board so that the gelatine viii not shift
. ia The tracing, the engraver moistens one
= edge of the sheet with saliva. and sticks
Z the gelatine. which Is Of a glue-like nature.
f 60 the cardboard. Then with an eii.
/ craving needle, which IS a pencil with
/ line steel point instead OF a lead point he
traces on the gelatine a general out
E line Of the design, which can be seen un-
deTneath the sheet The needle cuts or
Z scratches the lines which give the gen
eral outline Of the lettering, lights and
shades. Then the gelatne is torn or.
and the engraver rubs over the geiatine
E piece OF dry blue color, which looks Ike
soft chalk. The coloring material fills
the marks made by the needle
Before the polished stone is brought 10
the engravcr 70 Is rubbed over with a weak
solution Of nitric acid and gum arabic.
which fixes the stone so that no ink or
grease VIII stick to H. But the engravcr
must have a surface which viii show his
work as he goes ahead, so he puts on a
red or black ground" by rubbing over
the stone a piece Of red chalk or a prepa-
ration Of lampblack. This ground IS made
even by means Of brushes, and is then
ready 10 receive the outline of blue color
In the gelatine. The gelatine sheet Is
laid over the stone with the marked
side down, and is stuck to the some as
10 was to the paper by moistening the
euke OF the EelaUNe sheet. Inc enEraNer
goes over the back Of the gelatine with a
rubber having hard, smooth surface
and the pressure transfers the blue color
in the gelatine 10 the red ground Of the
stone, so that the general outline Of the
design is traced on the stone. of course
in reversed position.
The Autograph engraver uses two kinds
of needles In his work enc a Gne-pointed
needle for engraving the outlines, the
other a nat-poluted needle for scraplng
In the solids, such as the solid back Of
lettering. This last needle is called the
scraper. Split diamonds set IN ebony hold
ers are used for engraving the outlines Of
script. The engraver first engraves the
solids in the design, leaving the tints and
shadings 20 be done afterward.
When the blacks or solids are cut the
stone-and this engraving on stones re-
quires the highest skin. the steadiest hand
and the incest touch-the stone is taken TO
the linking up" table. where some boiled
linseed oil is rubbed over the engraved
part OF the stone.
The oil sinks into the stone somewhat
wherever IL has been touched by the nee
die and prepares Il to take Ink. for the
engraver wants TO test his work as he
goes along. To remove the oil the en-
graver uses water and removes the oil
with a rag Then the stone is dampened
as it always Is before ink Is applied and
with dauber. which Is a square block Of
wood covered with felt, ink is rubbed
into the engraving. The ink absolutely
refuses TO stick to the stone where II is
damp, and II would not stick to the en-
graved part but for the fact that the boiled
linseed oil made IL greasy. and hence the
water slips away from the greasy lines
and solid cuts. The ink fills the engrav-
ing. and the practiced eve Of the en-
graver knows whether his work is well
done or not Assuming that the engrav-
ing is satisfactory, the eugraver sponges
the stone with water and gum arabic to
protect it from the dust and any fugitive
grease spots, and after washing the gum
off, takes the ink from the engraving
with turpentlne and then washes out the
turpentine with water and prepares the
stone for the etching Of the ruled ines
With lead pencil the cngraVer blocks
out the shades and tints of the design and
covers the entire surface of the stone
with an acld-proof composition of Demdr
varnish. wax, rosln, pitch, gum mastic,
venetian turpentine and common
turpentine, which have all been
boiled together. This is put on evenly and
smoothly and the stone is laid away to
dry.
An examination of a autographs letter
head will show that the cloud work. shad.
ows tints and shading are all made by
fine lines running parallel some of them
20 TO the inch, or with even finer spacing.
These lines are etched on the stone after
the etching ground has been ruled on the
ruling machine. This machine has dia-
mond cutting edge, and the diamond is
moved back and forth over the stone by
hand, and a screw-feed attachment auto.
matcaily and evenly spaces the ruling.
The apprentice generally runs the rul-
ing machine. 1t is his first lesson in the
art of engraving. The diamond is not sun
posed to cut the stone, but simply to cut
through the etching ground to the stone.
The boy draws the diamond over the sur
race of the engraving, so that 1t is covered
with fine parallel lines II the acid were
put on at this stage the fine lines would be
etched into the stone. but the engraver
stops OUT with asphaltum all of that
portion Of the rulings he does not want.
He thus gives shape to the shading BY
stopping OUT the rest OF the ruling
When the asphaltum is dry the ruled lines
are ready to be etched by mixture Of
acetic acid and water.
This Is not poured over the stone. but the
acid is put on where il is needed with q
fine brush. And here a peculiar thing Is
noticed. Unless the engraver puts spittle
on the asphaltum the acid will run off.
but the saliva holds 1t there until it does
its work. Experience alone guides the
engraver in etching as to the length OF
time the acid is to work. He may leave IL
there q few seconds or 10 minutes, depend-
ing on the depth he wishes to get in the
Iuleu INES AFTER the etching is ended the
acid is cleaned off, oil is put on the etched
lines and turpentine takes the asphaltum
off the stone, and then the protective gum
arabic is sponged on and the stone is car
ried to the press of the transferrer.
This workman must have the faculty of
grouping developed to an extraordinary
degree, for he must lay out on another
stone anywhere from two TO a dozen con-
les of the original print taken from the
engraving, so that number can be print
ed at the same time. Again, one design
may be made up of parts Of a dozen diff
ferent designs, in which the name of a firm
or corporation is to so, so that the trans
ferrer viii take bit from one and a bit
from another and thus lay out the whole.
He first takes the old ink out of the en-
craving in the original stone with brush
and turpentine and then washes the stone
off clean with a rag. Then, with dauber
he fills the engraving with transfer ink.
a greasy Independently, of course, dam
pening the stone If the stone gets at all
dry while he is mixing it, the damp sponge
is rubbed over it. for the stone must be
damp. When the engraving is fun of ink
a transfer is taken on sheet of Chinese
paper, which has been faced with a pre-