is nothing but ordinary etching-ground,
dissolved in oil of lavender. It must be about as stiff as honey in
winter.

The rollers for revarnishing, which can be had of different sizes, are
cylindrical in form, and are terminated by two handles, which revolve in
the hands. The roller ought, if possible, to cover the whole surface of
the copper.[5] As soon as it has been used, it must be put out of the
way of the dust.

These various recommendations are by no means unnecessary, as the least
material obstacle may sometimes hinder the flight of the imagination. It
is well to be armed against all the troublesome vexations of the
handicraft; for the difficulties of the art are in themselves sufficient
to occupy our attention.

B. PREPARING THE PLATE.

I shall now proceed to give the various talks which I had with my young
pupil.

17. =Laying the Ground, or Varnishing.=--You have here a plate, I say to
him; I clean it with turpentine; then, having well wiped it with a piece
of fine linen, and having still further cleaned it by rubbing it with
Spanish white (or whiting), I fasten it into the vice by one of its
edges, taking care to place a tolerably thick piece of paper under the
teeth of the vice, so as to protect the copper against injury. I now
hold the plate with its back over this chafing-dish; but a piece of
burning paper, or the flame of a spirit-lamp, will do equally well. As
soon as the plate is sufficiently heated, I place upon its polished
surface this ball of ordinary etching-ground, wrapped up in a piece of
plain taffeta; the heat causes the ground to melt. If the plate is too
hot, the varnish commences to boil while melting; in that case, we must
allow the plate to cool somewhat, as otherwise the ground will be
burned. I pass the ball over the whole surface of the copper, taking
care not to overcharge the plate with the ground. Then, with the dabber,
I dab it in all directions; at first, vigorously and quickly, so as to
spread and equalize the layer of varnish; and finally, as the varnish
cools, I apply the dabber more delicately. The appearance of
inequalities, and of little protruding points in the ground, indicates
that it is laid on too thick, and the dabbing must be continued, until
we have obtained a perfectly homogeneous layer. This must be very
thin,--sufficient to resist strong biting, and yet allowing the point to
draw the very finest lines, which it will be difficult to do with too
much varnish