If it is desired to etch so as to produce various tones,--some strong
and some delicate,--after the manner of the copper-plate etchers, the
pouring of acid should cease as soon as the very finest lines of the
design have been etched sufficiently. Wash away every bit of acid with
clean water and let it dry. Then, with a small brush and chemical ink,
coat all parts that are not to be etched further. It is well if the
chemical ink used for this purpose contains a little more soap than
usual, so that it can penetrate well into all the depressions and leave
no little holes. The coating must be done very cautiously, and it is
better to paint on too much ink rather than too little, as the design
will appear very dirty if etching fluid should penetrate here or there
through the coated portions.
When the ink is dry, etching is resumed till the second tones have been
etched as far as desired. Then the procedure is repeated, these second
tones being coated. Thus one continues till all gradations of shading
have been reached.
When the stone is fully etched, clean water is poured over it, and then
all the parts that have not been coated with chemical ink are treated to
a covering. The object of the previous coatings was to prevent access of
acid to the parts; but at the same time the ink prepared the parts.
Therefore the remaining portions of the design also must be sated with
ink before the stone is inked-in for printing.
Let the stone dry and then pour on it as much oil of turpentine as may
be necessary to dissolve this whole ground coating, which then is wiped
off with a woolen rag wet with gum solution. Then the stone maybe
inked-in and printed.
If an error is observed before etching begins, the first question is if
the defect is deeply engraved in the stone or if it has been drawn
merely through the ground coating without affecting the stone itself
materially. In the latter case it is necessary merely to cover the
defective place with chemical ink and draw into it the correction. If
the error has been graved deeply into the stone, it must be covered for
the time being, but nothing new can be drawn there. To do this, one must
wait till the plate has been etched and rubbed-in with color. Then the
incorrect part is scraped or ground off as evenly as possible, the place
prepared anew with aquafortis and gum, and the correction made with the
steel needle.
An intaglio design often is greatly beautified by being printed with a
tint plate like a crayon design. It can be done with a second stone, but
it can be obtained also with the one plate that has the design on it.
Wash the designed stone with clean water and then paint a thick coat of
chemical ink containing more soap than usual over the whole stone or
over only such parts as one desires to improve by adding a tone. If
lights are to be worked into this tone, it can be done, after inking-in,
with a small brush dipped into weak aquafortis.
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