Process
Most engraving is done by first laying out a broad, general outline onto the plate. This is commonly referred to as etching. After this step is complete the artist can move on to actually engraving the work. The tool most commonly used for engraving is the burin, which is a small bar of hardened steel with a sharp point. It is pushed along the plate to produce thin strips of waste metal and thin furrows. This action is followed by the use of a scraper to remove any burs, since they would be an impediment during the subsequent inking process. It is important to note that engraving must be done in the reverse or mirror image so that the image faces the correct way when the die prints. One trick of the trade was for engravers to look at the object that they were engraving through a mirror so that the image was naturally reversed and they would be less likely to engrave the image incorrectly. Steel plates can be case hardened to ensure that they can print thousands of times with little wear. Copper plates cannot be case hardened but can be steel-faced or nickel-plated to increase their life expectancy.
Read more about this topic: Steel Engraving
Famous quotes containing the word process:
“In contrast to revenge, which is the natural, automatic reaction to transgression and which, because of the irreversibility of the action process can be expected and even calculated, the act of forgiving can never be predicted; it is the only reaction that acts in an unexpected way and thus retains, though being a reaction, something of the original character of action.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)
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—Michel Foucault (1926–1984)
“The toddler’s wish to please ... is a powerful aid in helping the child to develop a social awareness and, eventually, a moral conscience. The child’s love for the parent is so strong that it causes him to change his behavior: to refrain from hitting and biting, to share toys with a peer, to become toilet trained. This wish for approval is the parent’s most reliable ally in the process of socializing the child.”
—Alicia F. Lieberman (20th century)