Etching needle

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Various etching needles, some with multiple needles

The etching needle is an engraving tool used by goldsmiths and artists for the production of engravings and artistic prints . With the etching needle, a drawing is scratched on a piece of metal or a gravure plate under pressure ( etching ).

The needle-shaped tip distinguishes the etching needle from the wedge-shaped burin , which is used in copper engraving and which is guided away from the body. The tip of the eraser is usually made of hardened steel. Etching needles with a mounted diamond splinter are also used.

With drypoint etching , the drawing is carried out with the effort of a steel needle set in wood or a somewhat heavier etching needle made of solid steel. A stronger pressure on the needle also creates a stronger line. The weight of the massive eraser makes the drawing work a little easier, which is associated with effort due to the metal resistance. The displaced material stands up on both sides of the grooves and forms a sharp ridge. Notches are pressed into the material and the metal is cold deformed.

For etching , the masking varnish applied to the printing plate is lifted off in places, like with a pencil, so that the etching liquid can attack and deepen the metal at the exposed places . The etching needle must not be too pointed for this, otherwise the exposed line would not be wide enough for even etching.

Echoppe with examples of the lines (illustration from Diderot's Encyclopédie )

The so-called Echoppe is a special form of the etching needle. This is beveled at the tip and is used almost exclusively for drawing in the masking varnish for etching. By turning it slightly, lines swell up and down.

literature

  • Wolfgang Autenrieth: New and old techniques of etching and fine printing. An alchemical workshop book for erasers. Tips and tricks from practice. Krauchenwies 2010, 230 pages, ISBN 978-3-00-035619-3 , (excerpts online)
  • Felix Hollenberg: Handbook for painter erasers. The etching, the art of etching, the copperplate printing. Deutscher Kunstverlag , Munich and Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-422-02148-8
  • Henner Kätelhön: The etching. Experience of a copper printer. Steintor Verlag , Möhnesee 1996, ISBN 3-00-003982-1
  • Walter Ziegler: The manual graphic techniques . Volume 1: Black and White Art , Halle 1919. Volume 2: Manual Color Graphics , Halle 1922.

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