er, and let it stay there for a
quarter of an hour. Having withdrawn the plate, rub it lightly with a
piece of flannel; the ink, having been softened by the water, comes off,
together with the varnish which covers it, and leaves the design in
well-defined lines on the copper, which you may now bite.

You may work either with one pen and several bitings, or with several
pens of various degrees of fineness and one biting.

As in the case of soft ground etching, you may make additions with the
needle to give delicacy.

It is necessary to ground the plate and to soak it in water as soon as
may be after the finishing of the design. At the end of two days, the
ink refuses to rub off.

CHAPTER VIII.

PROVING AND PRINTING.

85. =Wax Proofs.=--Our first desire, after the ground has been removed
from the plate, is to see a proof. If you have no press, and yet desire
to take proofs of your work after each biting, you may employ the
following process to good advantage:--

Take a sheet of very thin paper, a little larger than your plate, and
cover it with a thin layer of melted wax. The latter must be real white
wax. Then sprinkle a little lamp-black on your engraved plate, and
distribute it with your finger, so as to rub it into the lines; clean
the surface of the plate by carefully passing the palm of your hand over
it. Now lay the sheet of paper on the plate, with its waxed surface
down, and be sure to turn the edges of the paper over on the back of the
plate, so as to prevent its moving; then rub with the burnisher in all
directions. The lamp-black sticks to the wax, and is sure to give an
approximate image, sufficient to guide you in the further prosecution of
your work, if that should be necessary.[20]

86. =The Printing-Press.=--These proofs, however, as well as those which
were hurriedly printed for you so far, give only a mere idea of your
work, without conveying its full meaning. If you desire to become
acquainted with all the resources of the printing-press, you will have
to go to a plate printer. It is well worth your while to acquire this
knowledge, also, after you have familiarized yourself with the various
processes at the command of the etcher.

Here, then, is the printer at his press: at his side there is a box made
of sheet-iron, enclosing a chafing-dish; there are also printing-ink, a
ball for inking, rags, and paper.[21] He is about to explain the use
made of these things to our young student,