Yale University Library

39002003381259

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

1938

A
MANUAL OF LITHOGRAPHY,

OB

JHemotr

LITHOGRAPHICAL EXPERIMENTS
MADE IN PARIS,
AT THE
ROYAL SCHOOL OF THE ROADS AND BRIDGES;

CLEARLY EXPLAINING THE WHOLE ART, AS WELL AS ALL THE
ACCIDENTS THAT MAY HAPPEN IN PRINTING, AND THE
DIFFERENT METHODS OF AVOIDING THEM.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH,
BY C. HULLMANDEL.

LONDON :
PRINTED FOR ROD WELL AND MARTIN,
NEW BOND-STREET. 1820.

LONDON:
MINTM) BY IBOSIAS DAVISON, WH1TEFKIAR3.

PREFACE.

ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF LITHOGRAPHY.
Aloys Sennefelder, an actor of one of
the theatres in Munich, was the first to
observe that calcareous stones had the
property of receiving greasy lines, and
transmitting them to paper. He remarked
that* by wetting the stone, it was possible
to charge it again with ink, and obtain a
series of impressions : he thus became the
inventor df Lithography.
It was very natural that the city where
this art was invented should also be the
place where it was practised with most
success. The ingenious inventor obtained
in 1800 the exclusive privilege of exercising
his art. a 2

IV

It is said that Mr. Mitterer, a professor
of the public school for drawing, invented
the composition of the chalk ; and Messrs.
Manlich and Aretin set up some litho
graphic presses, chiefly destined for the
production of objects of fine arts, and
published the greatest part of the admira
ble collection of the drawings of ancient
masters, belonging to the King of Bavaria.
In 1801 lithography was spread all over
Germany ; but in Austria it was only in
1802 that Sennefelder himself set up an
establishment in Vienna.
In 1807 Mr. Andre, of Offenbach, who
had become a partner of Sennefelder's,
tried, but unsuccessfully, to establish
presses in London and Paris, while Mr.
Dalarme, of Munich, settled in Milan and
Rome. Hitherto lithography had been kept a
profound secret; and in 1810 Mr. Manlich

Could not obtain permission from the go
vernment to set up an establishment in
Paris ' and we might still be completely
in the dark with regard to this new art,
had not Mr. Marcel de Serres, who was
examining the manufactories in Germany,
by order of the French government, pub
lished in 1814 some observations on litho
graphy, As Mr. Marcel explained, with his usual
talent,, the process of lithography, this
Memoir attracted the attention of men of
science: it was read with interest; and,
so far as concerns theory, his treatise was
complete; but when applications were
made, it was found far from being perfect.
The real secrets of lithography exist in the
process of printing, and of course the
Germans were not inclined to initiate a
foreigner in them : there exists besides, as
in every other art, certain minutiae in the

VI

practical part of it which habit alone can
give, and can be explained only by a per
son who has had the courage to become
himself a printer.
Count Lasteyrie was distinguished as
one of the most active persons in attempt
ing to introduce lithography in France.
He performed several journies into Ger
many for the sole purpose of obtaining
information. He became a lithographer
himself, procured printers from Germany,
and announced his intention of publishing
a complete treatise on this new art.
In the interim Mr. Englemann, who had
a lithographic establishment at Mulhausen,
settled in Paris ; and as he perfectly un
derstood the practical part, he soon pro
duced perfect specimens, by which he
obtained an honourable mention from the
class of fine arts of the Institute.
Count Lasteyrie was also highly sue-.

VII
cesSful ; but as his establishment had cost
him a considerable sum, it was natural
that he should employ lithography as the
means of covering his expenses ; and this
art having once become with him an object
of speculation, he thought it right not to
make his treatise public : thus Paris pos
sessed two considerable lithographic esta
blishments. Unfortunately for the progress of litho
graphy, instead of mutually communicat
ing to each other, the discoveries which
they made, both EiKglemann and Lasteyrie
became jealous of one another, and made
a secret of the. whole process.
At this time the committee of the school
of the royal roads and hridges obtained
from the director-general the permission
of establishing a lithographic press : as I
was then one of the oldest of the pupils, I
Was intrusted with the management of the

Vlll

establishment. I was at first completely
in the dark. Mr. Berigny received from
a learned German several notes and ex
planations, which I had in vain attempted
to obtain from my own countrymen ; but,
nevertheless, it was only after continued
failures, during more than a year, that I
began to comprehend the different phe
nomena which so frequently occur in li
thography, and continually perplex the
printer. As no person could feel better than my
self the service that would have been done
to me if I had been spared by advice the
laborious researches I was obliged to make,
I was happy to impart to every inquirer
those observations which were the fruit of
self-taught experience. I was always in
hopes that some liberal person would have
given to the public a description of the
whole process of lithography; but two

IX

years have elapsed, and nobody has
stepped forward, although the number of
lithographers ha3 considerably increased.
I thus happen to be, perhaps, the only
man in France who has made a serious
occupation of lithography, and who has
no motive to make a secret of it ; and the
silence which other persons have hitherto
maintained encourages me still more to lay
my observations before the public.
Lithography has been seventeen years
in travelling from Munich to Paris, and an
equal lapse of time might probably ensue
before it were generally spread throughout
France. I am too much impressed with
its importance and its utility to the fine
arts, public instruction, manufactures, and
the different branches of administration,
not to be desirous of seeing its use extend
throughout the kingdom.
However short this Memoir may be, I

have thought it right to divide it in several
parts : the first will contain the preparation
of the inks, varnishes, &c. ; the second, a
description of the necessary implements ;
the third will explain the process of print
ing; and the fourth, and last, different
applications of lithography.

TRANSLATORS PREFACE.

The art of lithography, when not suffi
ciently understood, is so subject to failures,
that a sure guide has long been wanted
to explain all the phenomena that conti
nually occur during the course of the print
ing, and which repeatedly spoil the stones.
These failures have hitherto deterred many
artists from trying their skill in lithography.
In France, however, Lithographers are be
come almost certain of success, and seve
ral admirable specimens produced in that
country show to what a high degree of
perfection this art may be carried.
The books which have hitherto been
published on lithography are very im-

Xll

perfect, and are much more adapted to
persons who already understand the art
than to those who wish to learn it: they
explain, it is true, the different styles to
which lithography may be applied, and
the preparation of the chalks, inks, and
stones, but give no clue to the labyrinth
in which a beginner is soon bewildered,
when he once attempts the practical part
of printing from stone, I myself have,
like Mr. Raucourt, had to encounter all the
difficulties he has met with, and have failed
often for months together, without being
able to assign any probable cause; like
him, I have repeatedly wished for a guide
to explain the new accidents which occur
every instant, and which, when not pre
viously explained, appear each time so
new and intricate, that the beginner is con
tinually tempted to give up all hopes of
ever succeeding. I am consequently better

Xlll

enabled to appreciate the value of this ex
cellent treatise on lithography, and hesitate
not an instant to pronounce it the best work
which has ever been published on this art.
I had long found out that the whole success
ofthe printing depended on the nature ofthe
inks which were employed, but could form
no distinct notion as to the system which
it was necessary to follow, and it is chiefly
in this respect that the great superiority of
his work appears : his theory of the inks is
as new and ingenious as it is true; and his
observations on the management of the
rollers are equally important.
The clearness and method with which
Mr. Raucourt has written on lithography
are such, that any person, by reading this
short treatise, may after a few trials be
certain of success ; and I am confident that
by thus presenting to the public his ob-

xiv
servatibns in an English dress, I am for
warding the progress of this new and highly
useful art, and saving to those who wish to
study and practise it much trouble and
loss of time.
It now remains for me to request the in
dulgence of the reader for the numerous
repetitions which he will meet with in the
course of this translation ; but he must re
member that clearness is the first requisite
in a work of this kind, and that, in a trea
tise composed entirely of recipes and rules,
it was impossible, in order to be well un
derstood, to avoid a repeated use of the
same words. C. HULLMAKDEL.
London, Dec. 10, 1819.

CONTENTS.

Page
Origin and progress of Lithography . . in
PART I.
I. Of lithography . ... 1
2. Lithographic preparations . . .3
3. Of lithographic ink and chalk . . 5
4. Composition of lithographic ink . . 6
5. Manipulation .' . . . ib.
6. Lithographic chalk . . .10
7. Composition of ditto . . . .11
8. Of printing ink . . .12
9. Of the different sorts' of black . .14.
1 0. Apparatus for making essence-black . . 16
II. Calcination of the black . .17
12. Indigo blue' . . . ib.
1 3. Oils employed in lithography . .18
1 4. Manipulation of the varnish . .19
. 1 5. Mode of mixing the varnish and the black . 21
1 6. Ink for preserving drawings upon stone . 23
17. Mixture for cleaning the stones . . 25
18. Transfer paper . . - 27
19. Transfer ink . ... 28
20. Of lithographic stones . . .29
21. Of sawing and polishing the stones . . 32
22. Preparation of the stones for chalk drawings . 33

xvi Page
23. Of rubbing off chalk drawings . . . 37
24. Preparation of stones for ink drawings . ib.
25. Of rubbing off ink drawings . . . 38
26. Solution for. the preservation of the stones . 39
27. Of the papers employed in lithography . . 40
28. Preparation of the paper . . . ib.
PART II.
29. Cylinder press . . . .43
30. Mode of using the cylinder press . . ib.
31. Lever Press . . ... 46
32. Table for working the printing-ink r . 47
33. Tools for taking up the ink .... 48
34. Table for rubbing down the stones . . ib.
35. Etching box . . . . . ib.
36. Of the rollers . . . .49
37. Brass roller for transfers . . .51
38. Tool for cutting the chalk . . . ib.
39. Mould for ditto ... . ib.
40. Steel pens for writing . . .52
41. Steel pens for drawing straight lines . . ib.
42. Hair pencils . . .53
43. Scrapers for correcting . . ib.
44. Essence-black apparatus . . .54
PART III.
45. Precautions to be taken for drawing upon stone 55
46. Of sketching the drawing on the stone . . ib.
47. Drawing upon stone requires a previous study . 56
48. The same ... 59
49. Of correcting the drawing . . .60

xvii Page
50. Some difficulties resolved . . . 60
51. Precautions to be taken for ink drawings . 61
52. Ink drawings inferior to engravings . . 62
S3. Mode of dissolving lithographic ink . . 63
54. Of pen drawings ... .64
55. Of drawing with the hair pencil . . 65
<56. Of drawing with the mathematical steel pen . 66
57. Use of the steel scraper for ink drawings . 67
56. Of imitating wood cuts . . . . ib.
59. Of etching upon stone ... .68
60. Observations on the mode of drawing upon stone ib.
61. Of printing lithographic drawings . . 69
62. Of the precautions to be taken before the printing ib-
63. Examination of the drawing before it is etched . 70
64. Of etching . . . .72
65. Effect of the etching . . . .74
66. New method proposed for etching drawings . 76
67. Of the precautions to be taken by the printer . 77
68. Ofthe thickness ofthe ink for preparing the stone
for printing ... .80
69. The same . . . .81
70. Of the different motions of the roller . .82
71. Precautions to be taken before the printing begins 89
72. Of the printing and mode of wetting the stone . 90
73. Of the lithographic printer . : .93
74. Mode of employing the different sorts of ink . 94
75. Ink for chalk drawings  96
76. The same . . . .97
77. Printing ink for ink drawings . . .98
78. Of the mode of managing the roller for chalk
drawings . . . .101
79. The same . . . - 102
80. Mode of working the roller . . .104
b

Page
¦81. The same .... . 104
82. Mode of making the ink adhere to the drawing ib.
83. Mode of taking up the ink
84. Management of the roller for ink drawings
85. Of retouching chalk drawings
86. Of retouching ink drawings
87. Of printing chalk drawings
88. Of inking in for effect
89. Of printing ink drawings

106107 ib.
108 109 ib.
Ill

OF THE ACCIDENTS WHICH OCCUR DURING THE
PRINTING.
90. The impressions are pale ¦. • .114
91. The impressions are uneven and spotty . ib.
92. A part of the impression is wanting . .115
93. Some parts of the impression are pale . . ib.
94. The impression is marked with light streaks . ib.
95. A number of faint and dark lines appear in all
directions . . . ib.
96. The impression is not clear . . .116
97. The lines appear to have all spread in the same
direction . . . ib.
98. The stone appears inclined to be smutty . 117
99. The stone imbibes water with avidity . . 118
1 00. The printing-ink is become hard on the stone , ib.
101. The stone runs black . ib.
102. The roller refuses to take the ink . .119
103. The stone takes a grey tint . . . ib.
104. Necessity of changing rollers when the ink is
changed . . . . . ib.
105. The stone refuses to take ink . ib.
106. Of making transfers . . . .124

PART IV.

Page

107. Comparison of lithography with engraving . 128
108. Prices of copper-plate compared with that of
stone . . • ... 129
109. Of multiplying engravings by means of transfer 134
110. Of printing with tints . . . .136
111. Of printing in colours . . 137
1 1 2. Of making matrices to replace wood cuts . ib.

MEMOIR ON LITHOGRAPHY.
PART I.

On the Art of Lithography .
(1.) Lithography is founded on mutual and
chemical affinities, which hitherto had never
been applied to the art of engraving. The dis
like which water has for all fat bodies, and the
affinity which compact calcareous stones have
both for water and greasy substances, are the
bases on which rests this new and highly in
teresting discovery.
The art of lithography may be divided into
two parts: 1. The execution ofthe drawing;
2. The printing. The former requires but little
practice, as any person who understands draw
ing may meet with success : the latter, which
forms the chief object of this memoir, is filled
with difficulties ; for no lithographic printer has
hitherto been found, who can be quite certain
of success in printing delicate and highly finished
drawings.

2
The first part consists in drawing on a stone,
which has been previously made perfectly level
and smooth, with an ink or chalk composed of
greasy materials, in the same way as one would
execute a drawing on paper with ink or common
chalk : the second consists in taking the stone,
as received from the draftsman's hands, and
obtaining impressions from it, as one would
from a copper-plate. To obtain these impres
sions, the lithographic printer wets the whole
surface of the stone ; but as the greasy chalk,
which constitutes the drawing, has a natural
aversion for water, those parts ofthe stone alone
which are not covered with the chalk imbibe it.
The printer, while the stone is still wet, passes
a thick and greasy ink over its whole surface ;
and the greasy lines ofthe drawing receive the
ink, while the wet surface of the stone refuses
to take it: a sheet of paper is now strongly
pressed on the stone, which, receiving the
printing ink that has been applied to the draw
ing, gives a reversed fac simile of the original
one : the stone is wetted afresh, afresh charged
with ink, and thus a series of impressions are
obtained. ti In the above description consists the whole
afot of lithography.
The same result is obtained as in printing

from copper-plate, but by different means : the
process of engraving is entirely mechanical,
that of lithography entirely chemical.
In order to avoid bewildering the reader by
a multitude of descriptions, we will only give
those recipes, and detail those operations, which
we have found by long experience to be the
best. We should, however, but ill fulfil our
duty, were we not to impart those hints which
have often led us to very important discoveries.
We shall thus make it a rule to describe every
phenomenon and accident that can take place
in lithography, and annex to it its explanation.
Of Lithographical Preparations.
(2.) In all great cities, a number of persons
are to be met with who give the greatest care
and attention to those objects which concern
the fine arts.
Artists are by this means spared an immense
deal of trouble and loss of time ; and a painter
need not be a varnish-maker or a colour-grinder.
Colourmen are thus really a useful class of in
dividuals ; and it is much to be desired, when
lithography will become more thoroughly known,
that shops should be established, where all the
b 2

materials necessary to this new art might be
found. Those, consequently, who really wish to study
lithography, must be armed with courage and
patience, and prepare themselves to exercise
more than one trade : it is true that black, var
nish, and printing ink are to be found in shops j
but none of these are proper for lithography.
All the materials necessary for this art cannot
be employed in the state in which they are
bought, some previous manipulation being
always necessary. This is a natural consequence
of the mystery which has hitherto enveloped
lithography, and which has until now hindered
the trade from furnishing the necessary ingre
dients. A lithographer is thus obliged to become
stonemason, carpenter, shoemaker, &c. and to
prepare his own black, his varnish, and his ink ;
for nothing is indifferent in lithography : all must
be done with care and intelligence ; and often
those things which, in their manipulation, ap
pear unimportant, are in the end of the utmost
consequence. We have thought it indispensa
ble to mention this, in order to explain the
necessity of entering into apparently minute
details, which to a superficial observer might
appear useless.

Of Liihographical Ink and Chalk.
(3.) If the only property of a lithographical
drawing were to give impressions, almost every
fat substance might be employed in lieu of chalk,
and every greasy liquid supply the place of ink ;
but the chief advantage of lithography consist
ing in giving fac similes of drawings, it is ne
cessary, in order to obtain them, to furnish the
draftsman with ink and pencils similar to those
he is in the habit of using; otherwise, by ob
liging him to employ materials he is a stranger
to, you run the risk of cramping his genius, and
it might become impossible to recognize his
usual spirit and freedom of touch. It is con
sequently necessary that the chalk should be
similar to Italian chalk, or common pencil, and
that the ink should be like seppia, or Indian
ink. Amongst the fat substances we are acquainted
with, wax is not sufficiently firm to make chalk ;
and oil cannot be employed as an ink, for it
would be liable to run and spread ; and, were
it thickened, it would not dry, and might be
rubbed out by the least accident.
Soap dissolved in water gives a slimy liquor,
which cannot be employed : in short, no simple
substance can answer the proposed object, and
it can only be obtained by compounds.

6
Inks and chalks have been prepared with
grease, mixed with essence of turpentine, and
with resins dissolved in spirits of wine : the pre
ference is, however, given to greasy and resinous
substances, combined with alkalies. Amongst
the numberless recipes we have tried for making
lithographic ink, the following appears to us
to be the best.
Composition of Lithographic Ink.
(4.) Tallow candle, 2 ounces.
Virgin wax, 2 ounces.
Shell-lac, 2 ounces.
Common soap, 2 ounces.
Lamp-black.
Soap is the only of the above components of
which the proportion must never vary ; it is
destined, by the alkali which it contains, to
render the other ingredients soluble in water.
Manipulation.
(5.) It is necessary, in order to mix the above
ingredients, to have an iron saucepan, with a
cover that closes hermetically. The wax and the
tallow must be put in, and heated until they catch
fire : while they are burning, the soap (which
has been previously cut into small bits) must
be thrown in separately, and stirred the whole

time; but a new piece must not be' thrown in
before the former one is melted. The whole
of the soap being dissolved, the contents are
allowed to burn until reduced to the volume
they had before the soap was put in : great care
must be taken, however, not to burn it too
much. The shell-lac is now added, and the
flame extinguished, if it has been possible to
keep it lighted during the whole operation, as
it is often necessary to extinguish it in the be
ginning, and take the saucepan off the fire, to
hinder the contents from boiling over. The
flame being once put out, if all the substances
are not completely melted, they must be dis
solved by simple ebullition.
A small quantity may now be put on a cold
plate: if it works between the" fingers like wax,
it must be burnt a little more ; but if, after it
is quite cold, it is broken in two, and the bits
will not join on being pressed with the fingers,
about a dram of soap must be added to the
mass in the saucepan, and, the moment it is
dissolved, the flame put out.
If, when cold, a piece of this ink is dissolved
with water in a saucer, by rubbing, as one would
Indian ink; although at first it appears but
little inclined to dissolve, it will at last unite
with the water, and form a greyish and slimy
liquor.

8
The ink brought to this state of perfection,
put the saucepan upon a slow fire, and add some
essence black (art. 9) : it will now be observed,
that the more black is put in, the more soluble
in water the ink will be. Too much black,
however, would spoil it ; enough only is suf
ficient to make it black, instead of the light-
brown or greyish colour which it had before
the black was put in.
The ink is at length perfect; and it may
either be cast in paper cylinders, similar to
cartridges, or on a slab of marble (previously
rubbed with soap) ; and, when it begins to
cool, compressed by another piece of marble or
stone laid over it : it is lastly cut in square bits,
like Indian ink*. This composition is of the
highest importance to ensure the success of
drawings executed in ink. It must be similar
to Indian ink, from which it differs only in
weight and hardness, but of which it must
• In this and the following manipulations the progress of
the flame must he observed with great care ; if it weakens,
the fire must be increased ; but if it increases, with a crack
ling noise, and spreads itself to the sides of the saucepan, the
latter must be instantly removed from the fire. If that is
not sufficient to slacken the flame, and if the contents begin
to rise, the cover must be put on, and the whole allowed to
cool for some moments. Were not this precaution observed,
the whole of the ink would boil over into the fire.

9
have the fracture, the brilliant appearance, and
solubility in water. In case the manipulation
has not been completely successful, the follow
ing are the means of correction :

Defects ofthe Ink.
The ink is not soluble.
It is soft, and attaches itself
to the fingers. .
Some time after dissolving
it in water, it becomes thick
and slimy, and requires a
continual addition of water
in order to be enabled to
draw with it.
The ink is not compact,
and is full of bubbles.

The ink has no tenacity.
It seems composed of scorias.

Remedies.
Add soap.
Burn it more.
This is the defect of almost
all inks : it proceeds from its
not being sufficiently burned.
Burn it more.

It has been cast too hot on
the marble slab : cast it again
when it is less hot, and lay a
heavier stone over it.
Both these defects may
proceed, either from its being
too much burnt, or from its
containing too much black :
in either case add equal por
tions of wax and soap, and
melt on a slow fire.

In all this manipulation, it is sufficient to
have been informed ofthe qualities requisite to
constitute good ink ; and that the reader should
remember, that, unless the contents of the

10
saucepan be burnt to a coal, the composition
cannot be spoiled ; and that it is sufficient to
add more or less wax and soap, or burn more
or less, according to the judgment of the per
son, and the state of the ink, to be sure of
ultimate success.

Of Lithographic Chalk.
(6.) Chalk, to be of a good quality, must be
firm, without being dry, and must attach itself to
the stone without clogging. The cuttings ofthe
chalk must form themselves into spirals, like
wood shavings, and the texture must be close
and homogeneous, like that of wax.
The composition of chalk is still more arbi
trary than that of ink : more or less soap, wax,
or tallow, may be added at pleasure, as more or
less calcination may render these different pro
portions of little importance ; and, as the effect
of the calcination in a given time varies, ac
cording to the intensity of the flame, it is pre
ferable to indicate, as we have done for the ink,
the different defects that chalk may have, and
the remedy. The reader may easily imagine
that it is impossible to give certain rules for
making chalk, when he is assured that it-is very
difficult, even with great practice, to make twice

11
following the same chalk : there is always some
slight difference.
Chalks have been made with bitumen and
mastics, but they were too friable, and did not
adhere to the stone ; an addition of wax was
found necessary to bind the ingredients to
gether. It must be confessed, however, that
the chalk hitherto employed in lithography is
far from being perfect ; it generally has the
defect of being too soft in summer. It is very
important to keep the chalk in bottles with
glass stoppers, as the least damp alters the
nature of it.
Composition of Lithographic Chalk.
(7.) Common soap, 1 ounce and half.
Tallow, two ounces.
Virgin wax, two ounces and half.
Shell-lac, 1 ounce.
The manipulation of the chalk is in every
respect similar to that of the ink, with the only
difference that a few drams of wax (instead of
the bits of soap) are thrown in, at the end of
the operation. The burning must be stopped
as soon as the chalk, when quite cold, breaks
with a sharp and clean fracture, and resists
strongly the pressure of the fingers. Less
black is put in the chalk than in the ink ; it is

12
quite sufficient that the chalk should mark
easily on the stone.
If the chalk is too soft, it must be burnt
again; if too brittle, a little more wax added;
if filled with bubbles, it must be cast hot on a
marble slab, ground with a muller, and melted
again with a gentle heat ; lastly it must be cast
in a mould (fig. 8.) in which it must be strongly
pressed : for the heat of the fire expands con
siderably the composition, and, were not this
precaution taken, it might still be filled with
pores which would destroy its compactness.
If a mould cannot be procured, the chalk
may be cast in a small linen bag, previously
lined with some paper, well rubbed with soap;
it must then be well pressed with a weight or
stone placed over it. The chalk must be taken
out of the bag before it is quite cold, and cut
in bits of a proper, shape, either with a mould
or with a knife and ruler.

Of Printing Ink.
(8.) In France the printing ink is composed of
burnt oil or varnish and lamp-black ; in certain
cases, a twentieth part of indigo is added : in
Germany, wax, grease, and tallow, are often
added to the above materials.
The whole success of the printing depends

13
on the perfection of the ink : it is employed, as
we have observed, to charge the drawing which
is on the stone, in order to obtain impressions.
It is necessary to remark that the lines of the
drawing, thus charged, are slightly in relief on
the stone ; that the stones are by their nature
filled with innumerable pores, and that the
effect of the pression employed in printing
must naturally tend to make the ink spread and
penetrate into these pores.
Were this ink liquid, and were it forced by
pression to spread beyond the greasy line ofthe
drawing, and penetrate into the pores which
are already occupied by water, the instant the
pression ceases to exist the ink would be
repulsed by the natural aversion which these
two bodies have for each other ; were the ink,
on the contrary, thick, and composed of minute
and separate particles, these might by pression
and by their own elasticity remain in the pores
of the stone, and adhere therein with so much
strength as not to be overcome by chemical re
pulsion : it is this phenomenon which causes
the alteration and spoiling of a drawing, and is
called by the printers running smutty.
It would be desirable, consequently, to obtain
perfect ink, to find a composition possessing
sufficient consistency not to spread under the

14
pression, and yet liquid enough to avoid its
adhering to the pores of the stone : it would be
necessary that the colouring parts should be
so well divided as not to clog together, and
that a small quantity of ink only should pro
duce a dark line, in order that it might lay as
thin as possible on the stone. These observa
tions naturally lead us to employ thick oils,
and black composed of the finest particles.
Ofthe different Sorts of Black.
(9.) The above reflections, aided by long
experience, induce us to reject for lithography
all blacks composed of charcoals, such as blue
black, ivory black, and what is commonly
called Frankfort black ; these materials being
the produce of the calcination of bones or very
coarse resinous substances. All these blacks
are more or less compact, however well they
may be ground with oil ; and always tend to
clog together and accumulate on the stone : it
is impossible to employ these blacks.
Lithographic ink, to be good, must come
clean off on the paper, and leave no traces
behind on the stone ; when this takes place, the
ink with which the stone is charged again, is
retained on it merely by the chemical affinity

15
which it has for the greasy lines ofthe drawing.
Any other affinity but the above-mentioned
one must naturally spoil the drawing, and that
will happen if the ink can attach itself me
chanically to the stone : it resists the attempts
which the paper makes to take it up, and all
harmony is destroyed in the impression ; often
those lines which ought to be dark on the
paper, appear faint, while those which ought to
be faint, print dark. All those parts on which
too much ink collects, cannot withstand the
pressure, without spreading and gradually in
creasing in breadth until they unite and clog
together; thirty such impressions would be
sufficient to destroy the drawing completely.
The only black that can be employed in litho
graphy is lamp black ; it is the produce of the
smoke proceeding from the combustion of select
resinous substances: it must be soft to the touch,
woolly in its appearance, infinitely lighter than
any other black, and mix freely with oil.
Having found that by burning select re
sinous substances we could obtain a perfect
black, far superior to what is sold in shops, we
have invented a cheap and simple apparatus,
by which a black may be collected from essence
or spirits of turpentine, which is far preferable
to»any other ; we will call it essence black.

16
This black is indispensable to make good li
thographic ink and chalk; but as it is much
dearer than lamp black, we are obliged, unfor
tunately, to employ it only in select cases ; were
it not for this circumstance, we should always
give it a decided preference.
Lamp-black, proceeding from lamps, might
be an excellent substitute, but it is difficult to
be procured. Apparatus for making Essence-Black.
Fig. 12.
(10.) This apparatus is composed of a small
earthen or iron pan (a) filled with essence or
spirits of turpentine ; an iron plate, with a hole
in the centre for a wick, must serve as a cover
to the pan ; a paper cylinder (bb), shaped like a
drum, and closed at the top, must be placed over
the lamp; this cylinder shutting out all commu
nication with external air, the smoke arising from
the lamp attaches itself to the inside. In order
to collect the black which is formed, it is suf
ficient to strike, gently on the cylinder with
a small stick : when a sufficient quantity is
produced, the cylinder may be taken off and
the black laid by.
The apparatus we have just described is vejy

17
convenient for persons in the country who
cannot procure good black.
Calcination ofthe Black before it is employed.
(11.) A clean iron kettle must be procured
with a cover that closes well ; the lamp-black, or
the essence-black, must be put in the kettle and
the cover put upon it ; it must now be placed
on a good fire until the whole is red-hot, and
no more smoke escapes from the black.
This operation is highly necessary to dis
engage from the black those greasy and drying
substances which it contains, and which might
attach themselves to the stone : the black also,
before this operation, has a brown and, sooty
colour ; it is by these means obtained of a fine
black hue ; if it were wanted extremely fine, it
might be sifted in a silk sieve.
Indigo Blue.
(12.) This blue is always clear. To obtain it
fine it must be first pounded, mixed up to a paste
with water added in small quantities, and. well
ground on a stone with a muller ; the whole is
now thrown in a large pan filled with water ; it
nyist be well stirred and instantly decanted in

18
another pan, taking great care not to throw
the sediment of the first pan into the second.
The contents of the second pan are now al
lowed to settle, when the colouring matter will
separate from the water and precipitate itself to
the bottom ; the water must be poured off with
care, and the sediment dried, by which means
an impalpable blue powder will be procured,
which is indispensable, in certain cases, to obtain
a very dark printing ink in order to imitate
line engraving. Oils employed in Lithography.
(13.) No oil can be employed in lithography in
its natural state ; for, before the printer charges
the stone with ink he must damp its surface,
but the water soon evaporates, and the oil
would quickly spread and spoil the drawing,
however well it might be mixed with the black.
The oil must consequently be rendered thicker;
that object is obtained by burning it until it ac
quires sufficient- viscosity to preclude all fear
of its soiling the stone, even when unmixed
with black.
It is not always necessary, however, that it
should be equally thick ; this obliges printers
to have by them oils of different strengths.

19
Linseed and walnut-oil are the best for the
purposes of lithography, but they must be of a
superior quality. Oils a year old are far pre
ferable to those which are fresh made.
Burnt oil, under the name of varnish, is to
be procured in shops : it is oil burnt with
litharge, Which gives it a drying quality, so
that it is apt to stick to the stone, and dry the
drawing. The varnish, of which we are going to de
scribe the preparation, differs from the former,
in its containing no litharge, and being less
greasy : too much care cannot be taken in its
preparation. The quality of the varnish and
the black are most important to ensure success.

Manipulation ofthe Varnish.
(14.) Put one ot two quarts of linseed oil in a
kettle large enough to contain four : the oil
must be heated until it catches fire (it is safer
to light it with a piece of paper, or by warming
some of the oil in an iron ladle until it flares,
and bringing the oil thus lighted to the con
tents of the kettle) : if the flame crackles and
spreads to the sides of the kettle, it must im
mediately be taken off the fire, and the cover
c 2

20
(which must be made to fit well) put on ; other
wise the oil would boil over, and cause very
serious accidents.
If the oil burns with difficulty, it must not be
taken off the fire until it appears to flare freely :
the flame may easily be kept up by stirring it
with an iron ladle, and the cover put on as soon
as the flame grows fierce. It is now better to
allow it to cool a few seconds, and light it
again, which may be done with a piece of
paper. The oil having now lost a sixth of its volume,
two thick slices of bread must be employed to
imbibe its greasy particles. The first slice
must be put in with a fork, and stirred about
until it is fried ; but the oil must burn freely
before the second slice is put in : it is even
better to put it on the fire again if the flame is
too dull.
The oil is now freed from grease, and it is
necessary to pour out a drop in a cold plate ;
and, if sufficiently burnt, it must be of a sirupy
nature. A quarter of the contents of the kettle
must be laid apart : this forms the varnish
No. 1. The remnant must be again burnt for
a few minutes, and another quarter taken out :
this forms the varnish No. 2. The same pro
cess is continued with the other remaining two

21
quarters, which will give the varnishes Nos. 3
and 4. This last must be thick and ropy.
It will be seen hereafter that these different
qualities of varnish are indispensable in the
course of printing.
If it were desirable to render the ink shining,
a little sugar-candy, or any mucous substance,
put in the oil while it is burning, would fulfil
the object.
This varnish must be kept in small earthen
jars, well closed *.
Mode of mixing the Varnish and the Black.
(15.) Take as much ofthe varnishes Nos. 1
and 2 as can be contained in half an egg-shell,
mix them on the grin'ding-stone with an equal
quantity of black. It must now be worked some
minutes with the muller : then add some more
black, and grind it again ; and go on adding black
* Those who are desirous of preparing their own varnish can
not be sufficiently cautioned against the dangers of the opera
tion. It ought never to be made in a floored room ; arid, if pos
sible, an out-building ought to be selected, as even two quarts
of oil will sometimes (if the flame cannot be mastered) flare up
to the height of fourteen feet, and spread itself in all direc
tions : at any rate a couple of wet sacks ought to be kept
ready, in case of accident, as that alone can put out the flame.
Translator's note.

22
and grinding, until the ink becomes extremely
thick, and refuses to unite itself with any more
black. This operation requires great strength ; and
the ink is never good if not perfectly well
mixed. At first the ink is spread over the surface of
the colour-stone, working the muller over the
whole, and taking it up with the colour-knife,
and again spreading it with the muller. In the
beginning ofthe operation, the ink being thin,
this is easily performed ; but by degrees the
ink becoming stiffer, by the addition of black,
the muller can no longer work it, when laid
flat : in which case it is necessary to grind it
with the side or angle ofthe muller, and thus
form lines in all directions on the surface of the
stone. This is the time for well working the
ink: it must be repeatedly taken up with the
knife, and again spread with the muller, until
the whole appears shining and well united : if
any dull specks are seen, it is not sufficiently
mixed. The whole operation takes up at least
two hours to be well performed.
This ink must be preserved in small lumps,
in water : it is destined for drawings executed
with lithographic ink, and now and then to be
used, according to circumstances, with the var-

23
nishes Nos. 3 and 4 : it must never be used but
three or four days after it is made.
The printing ink for chalk drawings must be
made with the varnish No. 3, mixed with lamp
black : some may be made also with the varnish
No. 4. Three quarters of an hour are quite
sufficient to grind this ink; and it may imme
diately be used for printing. It need not be
made so thick as the first ink ; and, as soon as
the muller can no longer be worked flat, no
more black is to be added.*
Prussian blue must be ground with great
care with the varnish No. 1, and prepared
rather thicker than for oil-painting : it is kept
in a bladder, like oil-colour, and must be used
only a week after it is made.

Ink for preserving Drawings upon Stone.
(16.) The drawing on a stone is always charged
with printing ink if the printing is stopped,
were it even for a minute. The printing ink
is less liable to dry than the drawing itself,
but it does dry after a short space of time ;
and, unless impressions are taken once every
* If shining ink is wanted, a little isinglass, dissolved in
spirits of wine, may be added.

24
ten or twelve days,' the lines no longer receive
the ink, and the drawing is lost.
When several hundreds of stones are em
ployed (as is often the case in lithographic
establishments), one may easily imagine the
immense loss of time which the necessity of
freshening the ink must cause : and, on the
other hand, that the least negligence must oc
casion a severe loss.
It has often been with us a matter of sur
prise, that no printing ink should hitherto have
been composed in which wax and soap were the
principal ingredients. It was easy to suppose,
from the nature of these substances, that lines
charged with such an ink would never dry;
and indeed experience soon confirmed our sup
position. We consequently are persuaded that
we are rendering a real service to lithography,
by giving the following composition :
Tallow, 1 ounce,
Soap, 3 ounces,
Virgin wax, 4 ounces.
Melt the tallow and wax together, until they
catch fire ; throw in the soap bit by bit ; put
out the flame as soon as the composition has
acquired the consistency of wax ; add merely
black enough to give it a colour ; and cast the
whole on a marble slab. (See Art. 5.)

25
When wanted, this ink must be gently melted
on the fire, with the addition of a fifth or a sixth
of the varnish No. 3 ; and, when cold, it must
have the consistency of the printing ink men
tioned in Art. 15. It must be ground before it
is applied to the drawing ; and, when properly
prepared, the stone will always. be fit for print
ing, however long it may have been laid by.
Mixture for cleaning Stones when they run
smutty.
(17.) Put in a glass phial equal parts of water,
spirits of turpentine, and oil of olives ; shake
the mixture well, until it froths ; throw this
froth on the stone which you want to clean
(having previously wetted it), and rub it gently
with a soft spunge ; the printing ink which had
collected on the stone will immediately dissolve;
the whole surface will become white, without
any appearance of the drawing ; but, on charg
ing it again with printing ink, the drawing will
soon re-appear, as sharp and as perfect as when
it was first executed.
Let us now examine what has taken place.
The lines of the drawing became smutty (that
is to say, that they retained too much printing
ink), not only on account ofthe chemical affinity

26
which the stone has for the ink, but also by a
mechanical cause (Art. 8) ; and the printing
ink having accumulated on the stone, the lines
had naturally spread and joined by the pressure.
Now, the water contained in the mixture keeps
damp those parts of the stone which ought to
be so, the spirits of turpentine dissolves the
printing ink, while the olive oil, by its fatness,
preserves the lines ofthe drawing. If the stone,
when it first began to run smutty, has remained
wet under the accumulation of ink, the latter,
although it may have spread beyond the lines
ofthe drawing, will not have communicated its
grease to the stone, in which case the mixture
will restore it to its primitive state ; but if the
stone has got dry under the smutty parts, these
will have imparted their grease, and the mix
ture will no longer have the desired effect, in
which case no means are left to save the
drawing. Good lithographic printers have rarely occa
sion to employ this mixture ; but it is highly
useful to beginners. We will shortly point out
the means of avoiding the necessity of employ
ing it.

27

Transfer Paper.
(18.) The necessity of reversing both writings
and drawings on the stone, has made the use of
this paper indispensable to all those who are not
in the habit of writing reversed.
This paper must unite two qualities : first,
it must be as good to write upon as common
paper : secondly, the writing must leave no
traces behind on the paper, when transferred to
the stone.
Mucous substances, with which the paper is
besmeared, are hitherto those which have been
found to answer best the purpose. It is sufficient
to wet the paper thus prepared, to make the ink
separate from it.
Gum, starch, glue, isinglass, &c, may be
made use of.
Whichever of these substances is selected,
it must be dissolved on the fire till, when cold,
jt acquires the consistency of starch ; it must be
applied lukewarm, on one side only of a sheet
of soft sized paper.
The following composition (which is to be
prepared as has just been explained) is found to
answer the purpose. Glue, 6 drams,
Gambooge, 1 dram.
Alum, i dram.

28

German Composition.
Starch, 2 ounces.
Plaster of Paris pro
ceeding from old
busts pounded and
sifted, 4 ounces.
Gambooge, \ dram.
These substances must be well ground on a
stone until reduced to a fine paste ; it must then
be dissolved in two or three glasses of water,
put on the fire and boiled until when cold it
acquires the consistency of jelly ; this must be
applied lukewarm, on one side only of a sheet
of soft-sized paper; several coatings must be laid
on, allowing them to dry each time ; when the
paper is perfectly dry, it must be passed in the
press on a polished stone, in order to make it
smooth. Before you write on this paper it is necessary
to rub a little powdered gum-sandarac over
the preparation, in order to hinder the ink from
spreading. Transfer Ink.
( 19.) The composition of this ink is the same as
that mentioned in art. 4. The manipulation is
the same, but it must be less burnt and less es-

29
sence black put to it ; in short, it must have the
consistency of wax. When in this state, it must
be slowly melted, and one dram of wax to every
ounce, and two spoonfuls ofthe varnish No. 4.,
(art. 13.) added to the whole. It must then be
cast in sticks similar to Indian ink, (art. 5.).
Of Lithographic Stones.
(20.) Any stone which effervesces with an acid,
which imbibes water with facility, and is easily
penetrated by greasy substances, is fit for litho
graphy. It is well known that carbonate
of lime fulfils these conditions ; next to silex,
lime is the earth, found in greatest abundance
on the surface of our globe, and chiefly in the
state of carbonate. It is found, first, in masses
in primitive beds, and almost always of a white
colour, and in a pure state ; secondly, in tran
sition beds, in masses of different colours, pro
ceeding from the detritus of the first, such are
marbles ; thirdly, in beds of later formation : in
these it is found in abundant strata ; but it is
necessary to choose amongst these, as these beds
or deposits formed by water are almost always
of a coarse texture, intermixed with crystals
or filled with shells.
By this it is easy to see that lithographic

30
Stones are not scarce ; from the coarse calcareous
stone which serves for buildings, to the com
pact calcareous ones, which receive the polish of
marble ; an infinite variety of other stones exist,
which contain With lime, silex and alumina, and
the two latter even to excess, and which are all
more or less proper for lithography.
Lithographic stones may consequently be
found in chains of mountains, on hills and in
plains ; those therefore, who are in search of
them, ought to be provided with a small bottle
of nitric acid, and whenever a white stone is
found which does not strike fire with steel*, it
must be tried with the acid, and if an efferves
cence takes place, it is a lithographic stone.
The following are the rules by which the best
may be selected.
The best lithographic stone hitherto' found,
breaks with a conchoidal fracture; it is of a
fine homogenous texture, its colour is of a uni
form and yellowish white, being nearly similar
in appearance to the hone stones used in sharp
ening razors ; on breathing on them, a slight
aluminous smell (similar to that of pipe-clay) is
perceived. The quarry from which the first lithographic
* It is very rare to find calcareous stones which strike fire
with steel.

31
stones were extracted, nineteen years ago, is
still that which furnishes them in the greatest
abundance, and of the largest dimensions. It
is situated at Solenhofen, near Papenheim, in
Bavaria. No quarries hitherto known in France
give stones equal to the German ones.
Stones however have been found near Cha-
teauroux, which in some respects have a great
advantage over the Bavarian ones ; they are
much harder, of a finer texture, they preserve
much better the soft tints in chalk drawings,
and the impressions are much brighter. For
these reasons, the French stones would be far
superior to the German, were they not inter
spersed with innumerable spots and defects, so
that it is extremely difficult to find one, eighteen
inches square, which is free from them.
We have tried some stones extracted from a
new quarry, found near Chatellerault ; they ap
pear to possess all the necessary qualities : they
may be procured of any size ; they are white,
slightly inclined to a grey, excessively hard, and
highly aluminous ; they absorb both water and
grease with equal avidity. Lines drawn upon
this stone print with great purity, and it is
perhaps preferable to any other for ink draw
ings. Next to these stones, which are the only ones

32
to be employed for highly finished drawings, we
may rank white marbles, which are not so proper
for lithography ; after these come the common
calcareous stone, which produce drawings of va
rious qualities according to the more or less
fineness of their texture ; and last of all, the
coarsest calcareous stones, which from the num
ber of foreign substances they contain, cannot
be employed in lithography.
Some lithographers have attempted to sub
stitute stuccos and compositions to stone ; the
newspapers have announced that prepared paste
board was employed in Prussia ; we have often
thought that vellums, linen, or even paper,
might be prepared so as to be employed instead
of stone, and indeed this discovery would double
the utility of lithography.
Of sawing and polishing the Stones.
(21.) In order to withstand the necessary pres
sure, a stone a foot square must not be less than
one inch and a quarter in thickness ; and one
three feet square, must be at least two inches
thick. When the stones are a great deal thicker than
is necessary, they may be divided by a saw and
sand, as is done with marble; and after they have
been squared, they must be rubbed face to face

33
with sand and water, and the edges rounded
with a file and smoothed with pumice stone.
If there are any defects in the stone, they are
sometimes rubbed down with sand and water ;
but this operation is often very long and tedious :
some machinery might easily be invented to
supply the labour of men, which would be a
great saving of time and expense.
Preparations of the Stone for Chalk Drawings.
(22.) The stone being now perfectly smooth
and level, it must be well washed in order to free
it from any coarse grains of sand which might
adhere, as one alone of these is sufficient to
fill the stone with innumerable scratches ; it is
placed on a table (Fig. 3.), and a small quan
tity of water and very fine sand strewed over
its surface ; another stone is then placed over
it, and they are rubbed face to face, adding
now and then fresh sand and water : this opera
tion must be performed with great care, and
small circles must be described in rubbing them
together : in a short time the grain will be
come very fine, and when sufficiently so, they
must be well washed and wiped with a clean
cloth. In this state they are ready for the
draftsman.

34
It* is sufficient to inform the reader that
whether the stones be rubbed with sand and
water, or with sand alone, the operation is
only terminated when, on being perfectly
cleaned, they appear uniformly white, of an
even grain, and without any shining part ; in
short, their appearance must be exactly similar
to that of a sheet of vellum paper. The grain
may be made finer or coarser according to the
fineness of (he sieves that have been employed
in sifting the sands.
Those stones which have been grained with
dry sand must be wiped with a dry cloth; but
this must be done with great care, as if any
portion of dust remains, the chalk, in making
the drawing, cannot penetrate to the stone,
and consequently these lines are liable to dis
appear in the printing.
Different grains are given, according to the
nature of the drawings : fine and delicate draw
ings require a very fine grain, while bold and
spirited ones require a coarser one ; this leads
us to remark, that lithographic drawings gene-
* In England the sand called Silver Sand, for preparing
the stone, and the common brown sand (which is strewed on
kitchen floors) for giving it a fine grain, are the best. It
may also be observed that the upper stone is always finer
grained than the under one. — Translator's note.

35
rally fail in point of effect, and we are of
opinion that this is chiefly occasioned by the
uniformity of the grain which is given to the
stone. In fact, when an engraver wishes to
observe the rules of aerial perspective in an
engraving intended to imitate chalk drawings,
he will take care to execute all the distances
with fine and delicate strokes, composed of
very fine dots ; while the fore grounds will be
done with large strokes composed of large dots.
By this we see that it is not the breadth and
strength alone of the strokes which give keep
ing to the engraving, but that this depends a
great deal on the size of the dots which com
pose the lines. How then can it be expected
to produce the same effect on a stone of which
the grain is uniformly the same ? It may per
haps be alleged that the finest drawings, in
point of effect, are produced on paper, of
which the grain is the same throughout its
whole surface : yet we must observe, that the
drawing would gain a great deal were it
otherwise, and that it is impossible to do upon
stone, with lithographic chalk, which either
bends or breaks, according to the state of the
temperature, that which can be done upon
paper with good pencils of different degrees
of hardness. Were it even possible to finish
d 2

36
highly upon the stone, it must be remembered
that a great part of this high finish disappears
when printed ; that the more delicate the
touches the more the failure of these parts
offend the eye, so that those portions of the
drawing which ought to be the finest, are often
those which have the coarsest grain, as is con
tinually the case in lithographic prints. In
fact, in order to insure success in the printing
of a drawing, the chalk ought to touch nothing
but the extremities ofthe grain ofthe stone; all
the touches would then be in the most favour
able situation to hinder them from running
smutty. Now if, by dint of patience and high
finish, the interstices which separate the grain
of the stone are filled with chalk, either this
chalk does not hold during the printing, or if
it does, it will of course receive the printing
ink ; but it is evident that the paper cannot be
applied with so much strength to the hollow
parts as to those which are in relief, conse
quently the paper will take up but a part of it:
at the second proof, a new quantity of ink is
added to the first, and this will thus go on
increasing until the whole of the cavities are
filled with ink, and those parts of the drawing
appear but one mass of black.
From the above observations, We are firmly

37
persuaded that an equal grain is extremely
unfavourable to aerial perspective; and that
those who wish to obtain effect and good im
pressions, must give different grains to different
parts of the stone, according to the nature of
the drawing. Method of rubbing off Chalk Drawings.
(23.) When a stone is done with, and it is
wished to rub off the drawing which is on it, in
order to execute another, it must be first rubbed
with sand until the lines of the drawing have
disappeared ; it must then be washed with a
mixture of aqua fortis and water, (in the pro
portion of one part of acid to twenty of water.)
This operation is indispensable in order to de
stroy the former drawing, which otherwise
would reappear in the printing : it is then
rubbed with fine sand, and treated in every
respect as in article 22.
Preparation of Stones for Ink Drawings.
(24.) The stones having been prepared with
fine sand, as is done for a chalk drawing, must
be well washed, and carried to a table perfectly
free from sand or dust; they must then be

38
rubbed face to face with powdered pumice
stone and water; when perfectly smooth, they
must be again washed. This being done, take
a large pumice stone, of a fine texture, and rub
each stone separately with it, and with a cir
cular motion ; this must be continued until the
stone is polished and perfectly free from grain
or scratches.
When it is wished to give a still higher
polish, the stones are often rubbed with a rag
and pumice stone well pounded and sifted ; it
must be afterwards washed and rubbed violently
with a linen rag ; the stone is then ready for the
draftsman. Method of rubbing off Ink Drawings.
(25.) In order to rub off ink drawings, the
surface of the stone must be strewed with pow
dered pumice stone and water, another stone
laid over it, and thus they must be rubbed face
to face until the drawing disappears : acid and
water are now to be poured on the stone, which
must be afterwards washed and prepared afresh
as in article 23.

39

Solution for the Preservation of the Stones.
(26.) Take some gum arabic and melt it in
rain water until well dissolved ; add water until
it has the consistency of oil in summer : it must
be strained before it is used.
This solution is of the utmost importance in
lithography ; it must be preserved in a bottle,
and if kept a long time, a few drops of spirits
of wine may be added. When one leaves off
printing from a stone, it must be covered with
a thin coating of this gum, laid on with a flat
brush, in the same way that a picture is var
nished. The gum penetrates all the wet
parts of the stone, and when dry, fills all its
pores ; it surrounds the greasy lines of the
drawing, hinders them from spreading, and
preserves them in all their purity; and if
by some accident the drawing were rubbed, it
is sufficient to wash it to restore it to its former
state. The coating of glim must not be laid on too
thick, for in summer it might be liable to crack
and scale off; this accident may be avoided by
keeping the stones in a damp place, by laying
on the gum thin, or by adding a third part of
sugar candy to the solution.

40
It is said that in Germany stones are often
preserved with onion juice with the addition of
a little brandy.
Ofthe Papers employed in Lithography.
(27.) Vellum paper is the best for lithogra
phy ; and, if possible, for chalk drawings it
must be thick, of a fine texture, and sized :
soft paper is apt to stick to the stone and tear
off. Thin vellum paper is better for ink drawings.
Preparation ofthe Paper.
(28.) The paper having been previously cut
of the necessary size, is placed in a heap to the
right : two sheets are taken with the left hand,
and the upper sheet wetted with a sponge with
the right hand ; the sheets are thus taken two
by two, until the whole is wetted : the paper
must be placed between two boards to free it
from any excess of water ; half an hour after
wards the upper board must be loaded with a
weight of seventy or eighty pounds, and left in
this state five or six hours. Two sheets must
now be taken at a time, turned on every side
and strongly struck with the flat of the hand ;

41
it must then be placed again between the
boards for use ; this operation is very neces
sary, in order to spread the paper and make it
equally damp.
Common paper may be wetted with less
care : take five or six sheets at a time, dip them
in a tub of water and drain them, and so on
till the whole is wetted ; it must then be
pressed and struck with the hand as above.
Wetting paper is an operation which requires
great practice ; if it is too dry it does not
adhere well to the stone, if too wet it does not
take up the printing ink. In general paper is
less wetted for lithography than for copper
plate or common printing; it is sufficiently
damp if it does not make a noise when bent.
We have now communicated all that we
know of lithographic preparations, and have
tried, as much as possible, to simplify the
various compositions ; we have obtained, with
the recipes we have given, impressions which
equal the finest that have been produced in
lithography, although it is very possible that
other persons might be equally successful, even
if they employ totally different compositions.
This will not excite any surprise, when it is
considered that lithography is entirely founded
on the laws of chemistry, and that the number

42
and nature of substances are so great and
various, that their combinations have no bounds.
If we reflect on the little that has hitherto been
done, and on all what remains yet to be disco
vered, it will be evident that this new art is still
in its infancy, and that it is inpossible to know
what degree of perfection it may attain.
Although this work will enable any person
to make perfect imitations of drawings and
etchings, yet we are far from be^eving that it is
a perfect treatise of the whole process of litho
graphy; and though we think ourselves ac
quainted with every thing that has hitherto
been discovered, we are persuaded that this
memoir will be found very incomplete twenty
years hence, and leave to those who unite
knowledge to talent the task of improving on
Sennefelder's admirable discovery.

MEMOIR ON LITHOGRAPHY.
PART II.

OF THE NECESSARY UTENSILS.
LITHOGRAPHIC PRESSES.
Cylinder Press.
Plate 2.
(29.) This press consists in a strong frame or
box (&g. 13, 14, 15,) ab, having an upper part
or cover cc, in which a smooth calf-skin is
strongly stretched, by means of screws with nuts,
fixed in the cross-bar xx, and which catch a
small iron bar screwed on the skin ; the other
extremity of the skin being screwed on the
opposite cross-bar of the frame cc. This frame
is fixed on the under one ab, by two hinges tt,
(fig. 1 7) so constructed that, by means of thumb.*
screws, the upper frame cc may be screwed
higher or lower according to the thickness ofthe
stones. The box ab must be about one inch
deep, and have a very strong and level bottom.

44
Three or four sheets of thick pasteboard must be
put in this part of the box, to place the stone
upon. When open, the part cc rests on the
moveable frame r.
This box, ah, moves backwards and forwards
(by means of the star-wheel m, and the pully
and strap n, q.) in two grooves formed in the side-
pieces dd ; these grooves must have holes and
two pins, which serve to stop the box at dif
ferent distances, according to the size of the
stones. The box ab is brought back by the
strap v and the weight y.
The two uprights ee have a groove in their
length, see section fig. 18, in which the piece g
works up and down. On this piece g is screwed
the strong iron hook f, fig. 17, which moves on
a hinge at w ; opposite are the two uprights
pp, having three holes a a a, by which means the
scraper bearer oo may be brought higher or
lower, by means of an iron pin on which oo
turns. This part must be so constructed that
the scraper bearer might be put in an upright
position, and out of the way of the printer, while
he is charging the stone. The scraper is a flat
piece of beech or box- wood, fig. 19. shaped
like a wedge, where it touches the leather, and
about an eighth of an inch in that part; it
must be planed quite level so as to fit the stone

45
exactly. , Each scraper must have a hole in the
middle, that it might work about in the scraper
bearer : this is very necessary, as often both
surfaces of the stone are not parallel. The
upper part cc being shut, the scraper-bearer is
brought down, and the iron hook f having caught
the part z of oo, the whole is pressed down by
bearing with the foot on the treadle i. This trea
dle moves on a hinge screwed on the floor at a ;
at b is fixed a long iron plate, k, pierced with se
veral holes, so that by means of a pin the bar
hh may be brought higher or lower ; (by this
means the pressure on the stone is diminished
or increased). A rope l, fixed on hh, and working
through the side-piece dd on a pulley, draws up
hh by means of the weight c', when the foot is
taken off the treadle i.
The box ab works on a cylinder b'r', made
of hard oak, at least seven inches in diameter,
and turned very true ; it must be placed exactly
under the scraper, and turns on two iron pins
working in brass sockets.
(30.) The table, fig. 1, is placed near the press
at u. A bason containing rain water and a
sponge must be placed on a projecting board
e'e', fig. 13, and the printer taking a little water
with the fingers of his left hand, splashes it on
the stone and spreads it with a sponge ; he then

46
works the roller on the stone fig. 1, and charges
the drawing with it. The paper being placed, the
part cc is shut dowj, the scraper-bearer is
brought down, the hook f placed so as to catch
the part z of oo, and hh being regulated by means
ofthe plate k, according to the thickness ofthe
stone, the printer bears down the treadle : he now
seizes the wheel m, and by turning it, the strap
q draws the box ab under the scraper. The
impression is now taken, he raises his foot from
the treadle, loosens the hook f, throws up the
scraper-bearer oo, and the weight y draws back
the box ab in its former position.
Fig. 20.
(31.) Lever Press.
This press is very good for small stones and
printing writing, as it wo^ks more expeditiously
than the cylinder press. The stone is placed on
a table ab. The frame cc is similar to the frame
cc of the cylinder press : dd is an upright
fixed on the floor and against the ceiling ; the
longer it is, the truer the scraper works on the
stone : ee works in dd by means of a pin f, and
gg has several holes at h, so that by means of a
pin the degree of pressure may be regulated.
By bearing on the treadle i i, the scraper is

47
strongly pressed on the stone, and worked with
the hand by pulling it backwards and forwards.
The pole of the scraper is composed of two
parts, the upper piece and a lower one, l, fig. 2 1 ,
on which ihe scraper is screwed, and moving
in the upper piece which is so made that when
the printer draws the scraper to him, the whole
forms one straight line, and when he pushes it
back, the piece l beods or folds at j.
In both presses the leather must be well
greased on the outside, to enable the scraper to
slide with ease.
The stones must be well fixed with wedges,
and the greatest care taken, in case a cylin
der press is employed, to regulate the box by
means of the pins and holes of the grooves
that are formed in the side-pieces. These must
be so placed that the scraper should begin
and finish acting on the leather within half an
inch of the sides of the stone : tearing the
leather is the usual consequence of neglect in
this respect. Plate 1. Fig. 1.
Table for making the Printing-ink.
(32.) This table has a marble slab (ab) at the
top for working the roller, which is to impart the
printing-ink to the stone ; near it are placed the

48
pots containing the different printing-inks ; un
derneath are two small cupboards ; in the upper
one are kept the oils, inks, gum, &c. ; in the
under one the rollers, in order to keep them
free from dust. Fig. 2.
(33.) 1. Tool for taking up the ink when
spread on the stone.
2. Pallet-knife for the same purpose.
3. and 4. Printers' tools for correcting the
stones. Fig. s.
(34.) The table for rubbing down the stones.
This table is open at the top, and has two cross
bars (aa) to lay the stones on. The bottom of
the table slopes towards the hole (b) in order to
let the sand and water run out in a pail placed
underneath for that purpose ; the sand which
falls in this pail may be dried, and when sifted,
serve for fine graining the stones.
Fig. 4.
(35.) Etching-box. This box may be made
of any size ; it must be water-tight, and have
two pieces of wood (aa) with notches fixed
in its bottom. The stone, when it is etched,
must rest on the notches and the pieces of wood
(bb): (c) is a long and narrow trough, with
which the acid is thrown on the stone.

49
m! > 'mU ¦ Fig. 5. r : .
< (36.) Roller for charging the drawings with
printing-ink. These rollers may be made of any
length, but must not be less than four inches in
diameter. They are made of alder or lime-tree ;
the wooden, handles which project serve for the
printer to hold them by; the rollers must be
turned with great care, and. covered with at least
three complete turns of flannel, well stretched
and nailed at the extremity of the rollers, near
the handles: the whole is covered with a calf's-
skin, sewed with great care, and so as to fit
tightly. This operation is performed as fol
lows:' the calf's-skin is wetted, stretched on a
board with nails, and allowed to dry ; it is then
cut so as to fit the roller well ; the seam must
be sewed with silk, and with what shoemakers
call a closing-stitch ; this must not be performed
on the roller, but separately, and with the smooth
"side outwards-; when; the seam is finished the
skin must be turned with the rough side out
wards, and is then slipped on the roller like. a
glove : the extremities (the skin being cut longer
than the roller) must be tied together with a
string. . .
As/ in turning the rollers on the stone the
handles might hurt the printer's hands, two little
handles (h) are employed, and so made that on
E

50
their being pushed more or less on the wooden
handles, they work more or less easily.; this
effect may also be greatly helped by the pressure
of the hands.
This mode of holding the rollers is a most im*
portant thing in lithography, and a lithographic
printer ought to study it with the greatest care :
if he perfectly understands how to manage the
roller, he may either force the stone to receive
more ink or take it up from the stone ; in short,
he may vary as he likes the effect of the prints,
and even change the entire tint of the impres*
sions. As the stones for ink drawings are polished*
it is not so easy to make the rollers turn on them ;
In which case wooden handles (c) are substituted
for 'the leather ones.
In passing the roller, which is besmeared
with printing ink, over the stone, those parts
which have been previously wetted will of
course refuse to receive it, while, on the con
trary, the greasy lines will attract it, according
to the intensity with which they are drawn, and
the difference which exists between the several
tints will depend entirely on the varied effects
of' the drawing, and on the manner in which
the printer will press with his roller.
In order to prepare a roller for receiving the

printing ink, it must be held near the fire and
«yell besmeared with lard, which must after
wards be scraped off; it must then be worked
for two or three days on the table (fig. 1), with
the varnish No. 4, after which it must be co
vered with printing ink, and is then fit for use,
If a roller is to be laid by for more than a
fortnight, the ink must be with care scraped off,
and j;t must be besmeared with hog's Jard.
(37.) A brass roller, two inches and three
quarters in diameter, covered with a piece of
woollen cloth ; this roller serves to make certain
transfers on the stone. Fig. 7.
(38.) Tool for cutting the chalk of a square
shape : the chalk having been cast in a bag, (as
mentioned in art. 7), it is cut by this tool with
a stroke of a mallet. Fig. 8.
(39.) Mould for chalk. This mould consists
of two brass plates, with semicircular grooves or
flutings so constructed, that when closed (which
is done by pushing the .bpx (a) in the box (c),
$„h,ese |>lat£s form a hpllpw , cylinder : the .box
e2

52
may be made four inches and three quarters in
height (by which means each groove will be
of the length of two pencils), and each groove
two eighths in diameter.
Before the chalk is cast in this mould, care
must be taken not to close it completely ; and
when it begins to cool the mould must be
screwed tight in a press: this pressure will
squeeze out some of the chalk at the upper
part, and it must be cut off with a knife :
when the chalk is quite cold, on opening
the mould it will be found shaped in small
compact cylinders, which must be cut in two.
Fig. 9.
(40.) Quills and pens are very soon blunted by
the nature of the stone and of the ink ; steel
pens are the only ones that can be used. These
are made out of a very thin piece of steel,
which must be bent in the form of half a cylin
der ; it must be cut of the shape indicated in
fig. 9, with a pair of sharp scissors, tempered,
and then ground to a fine point on a hone:
these pens are fixed on a common quill.
Fig. 10.
(41.) A steel pen with a screw for drawing

53
straight lines : this is an indispensable instru
ment for drawing lines : the parts (b b) must
be much more bent than in those usually found.
at instrument makers : this is done in order'to
enable the ink to flow freely to the point,
which otherwise it would not do. As the points
of this instrument soon get blunt by use, the
moment it is the case, they must be ground
with great care on a hone with oil. This is a
very delicate operation, as the fineness of the
lines depends entirely on the points being per
fectly sharp and even.
(42.) A miniature hair pencil is also an in
dispensable article ; two thirds of the hairs
must be cut off with a sharp penknife, so that
only twelve or fourteen hairs remain. A hair
pencil thus prepared, and the steel pen (article
41 ) are the only instruments with which draw
ings can be executed that can equal engravings
in the delicacy of the lines.
Fig. 11.
(43.) The common scrapers for scratching
out writing are not convenient for lithography y
it is better to take pieces of square steel, shaped
as represented in fig. 1 1, ground on a stone, and
fixed in handles.

54
Figj 12,
(44.) Apparatus for making essence black.
See article 10s.
Note. The figures 9, lOj and 11, areas large
as nature.

MEMOIR ON LITHOGRAPHY,
PART III.

Precautions to be taken for Drawing upon
Stone.
(45.) The stone must be well wiped with
a clean piece of linen ; this is a very necessary
precaution, as some dust or sand might still
adhere to the stone, in which case the drawing
would disappear in those parts.
The draftsman must take great care that no
greasy substances be allowed to come in con
tact with the stone, as these would infallibly
mark in the printing ; he must on no account
touch the surface with his fingers, nor breathe
upon it. lie must also be cautious lest any
spittle should fall on the drawing, and it is
necessary to lay a sheet of paper under the
hand to avoid any accident.
(46.) The sketch may be made with lead pen
cil or black chalk, observing that the impression

56
will be the reverse of the drawing. One may
also, to avoid doing the drawing reversed, make
a sketch on paper with a soft pencil, put it on
the stone with the drawing towards it, and pass
it in the press ; by this operation the sketch
will be found traced on the stone.
If one wished to have the sketch on the side
according to which it is drawn, the paper must
be rubbed behind with red chalk or black lead,
and applied to the stone ; by passing a blunt
needle over all the lines of the drawing, the
black lead which is on the other side will repeat
them all on the stone : to avoid dirtying the
back part of every sheet of paper, a separate
sheet, rubbed with black lead, may be laid be
tween the drawing, and the stone.
It is necessary to have several portcrayons
ready with chalk in them, as, from the nature of
the chalk, it is apt to get heated and softened
by the warmth of the hands.
(47.) In speaking of lithography, persons
often assert that drawing upon stone requires
no previous study. We think it necessary to
inform artists that, if they wish to be fully suc
cessful, this new art requires their serious atten
tion. The assertion may be true with regard
to a slight sketch ; but it is far from being so

57
for a finished drawing, particularly when one
considers that it frequently happens that two
drawings, finished with equal care, and exe
cuted with the same chalk and ink, succeed
very differently in the printing. Another cir
cumstance which must be considered is, that of
two drawings, the one executed in a firm and
free manner, the other highly finished, it al
most always happens that the former succeeds,
while the other often fails in the half tints : this
proves evidently that there exists some secret
cause, which proceeds from the method of
drawing of the artist, and that lithographic
chalk adheres to the stone more or less, accord
ing to the mode in which it is applied to it.
This phenomenon deserves investigation, and
we will observe, First, that lithographic chalk is
by its texture firm and solid, so that when two
portions of it are separated from each other and
again brought into contact, they will never ad
here so strongly as before (article 6) ; secondly,
that the greater the power employed to make
chalk adhere to a substance, the stronger it will
fasten itself to it ; and that the same thing will
happen with regard to two bits of chalk brought
in contact with each other.
It is well known that the surface of a stone,
prepared for a chalk drawingy is composed of

58
innumerable little points (art. 22), which file, as
it were, the chalk, and receive on their surface
small portions of it ; but, according to the se
cond observation,; some force must be employed
to make it adhere to the stone, and the greater
the force the more it will adhere : the drafts
man must consequently take care to present to
the stone those parts of the chalk which have
the greatest degree of cohesion ; thus, instead
of giving, a sharp point to his pencils, he must
avoid cutting them as much as possible ; and if
he is forced to do so by the fineness of the lines,
it is better to cut the pencil in the shape of a
wedge* Independently of the different methods of
cutting the chalk, there are also different modes
of holding it ; it may be brought from right to
left, held vertically, inclined to the left, so that
the point might follow last, or inclined to the
right, so that its point might come first. Of all
the different positions of the pencil, this last is
the one which causes the chalk to adhere the
most strongly to the stone ; the more it is in
clined like an engraving tool, the more cer
tain one will be that the chalk may hold. In
short, a better comparison cannot be found than
that of a sharp stick, wluch on being pushed
with its point foremost on a rough floor, will

59
catch every protuberance j whereas, if it is
merely dragged, it will slip on without ariy di£
ficulty. The chalk will also hold much better if
the drawing is executed without going twice over
the different parts, particularly with regard to the
soft tints ; for each elevation of the stone being
charged with different particles of chalk, .these
cannot adhere so well (observation 1} as when
the whole quantity of chalk is laid on at once^
Thus it is evident that a drawing which is exe*
cuted in a free and bold manner must be more
successful than one which is often re-touched.
(48.) To resume. When it is wished to pro*
duce a great deal of effect, (art. 22) an artist
must chbose a stone of which the grain must be
such as may be desirable for the' foreground ;
he must then give, with a small glass muller and
fine sand, different grains in different parts of
the stone, according to the nature of the draw
ing and the effect he intends to produce. A
stone thus prepared will be much more favour
able to aerial perspective than one with an equal
grain. The different parts, however highly
finished, may be executed at once ; success in
the printing Will be almost certain, and the
grains which compose the lines will be in har
mony with the several plans.
The pencil beimgcut in the shape of a wedge,
the stone well covered with paper, the distances

60
may be first drawn, and care taken to hold the
pencil firm in the hand, although it may be in
tended to touch the stone but slightly. When
the point of the pencil is turned up by drawing,
that part must be taken off with the fingers, as
the firm part ofthe chalk alone must touch the
stone.. : '<">
(49.) Different methods may be employed to
correct a drawing : if it is wished to make a dark
line fainter, parts of it may be picked out with
the point of the scraper (fig. 1 1); if a line is to
be completely scratched out, the sharp part
must be employed; but this must only be
done in case it is not intended to draw on that
part again, as this operation destroys the grain
of the stone : if a considerable portion of the
drawing is to be rubbed out, the glass muller
and fine sand must be made use of.
Some Difficulties resolved.
(50.) 1. How is a sketch to 1. Wash the stone with a
be rubbed off the stone when clean rag dipped in rain-
executed with black or red water, until the lines have
chalk, or black-lead pencil ? disappeared.
2. If spittle, tallow, or 2. Rub . that part with the
any greasy substance have muller and fine sand, and to
touched the stone, how is it be certain that all grease is
to be remedied ? destroyed, wash the part with
a brush dipped in weak acid
and water.

61

3. If some parts of the 3. Correct those parts with
drawing are too dark, how the point of the steel scraper,:
are they to be made lighter ? care must be taken not to go
too deep in the stone, as these
holes might fill with ink in
the printing.-
. 4. The extremity of the 4. The stone may have
chalk becomes white j and some dust on it's surface, or
although the first lines have the room is too cold. This
marked on the stone, on may also proceed from the
coming over them a second chalk being too hard, in
time, they are detached which case it must be melted
from it. again, with the addition of
some wax.
Precautions to be taken for Ink Drawings.
(51.) Ink drawings may be executed with the
hair pencil, the common steel pen, or the steel
pen, fig. 10, according to the style it is in
tended to imitate.
The hair pencil is used for all line drawings,
writing, ornaments, maps, and landscapes: of
all the instruments employed for these purposes
this is the most useful : with the brush one may
imitate the finest engraving, and the most de
licate and sharp lines.
The steel pen is far from being equally good,
but as it is more expeditious, it is often em
ployed, particularly for broad touches ; in short,
the mathematical steel pen is used for all straight
lines, and particularly for plans.

62
Whatever may be the nature of the drawing
which is to be executed with lithographic ink»
the stone may always be employed as it comes
from the workman's hands ; consequently there
exists a great difference between the prepara
tion of stones for ink and for chalk drawings,
since in the former case the whole surface
must be equally polished, while in the latter,
the grain ought to be different in different parts
(art. 48.)
. As it is indispensable that the lines of an ink
drawing should be as neat and as pure as pos
sible, it is necessary that the stone should have
the -highest possible polish. Soft lithographic
stones are not good for ink drawings, as they
are liable to be scratched by the steel pens»
and in general the hardest stones are by far the
best : the delicate lines in ink drawings, and the
light tints in chalk drawings, print much better
with these.
(52.) We have remarked (art. 22) that three
different modes were employed to produce aerial
perspective : first, the different thickness ofthe
lines; secondly, their more or less intensity ^
thirdly, the different grains of the stone. But
from what we have observed above with regard
to ink drawings, it will easily be seen that the
third mode cannot be used, and that the drafts
man can employ the two fiirst only, in order ]to

68
produce with one colour the various tints of a
drawing ; the second even is hardly to be relied
upon (art. 55.) This probably explains the
reason why persons attempting this style of
drawing have hitherto met with little success.
Etching on copper-plate has nearly the same
disadvantage with ink drawings upon stone ;
but this defect is supplied by working the plates
afterwards with the engraving tool and the dry
point ; for by means of these tools the smallest
details, the most delicate tints for distances, .and
the darkest ones for the foregrounds, are easily
produced. Ink drawings upon stone are far
from offering the same resource; in general,
however, they have the advantage of being
freer and bolder than etchings.
This style of drawing is in great practice in
Germany ; the etching needle has also been em
ployed with success, and it would be much to
be wished that this latter manner were studied
by eminent engravers, as by their practice in
line engraving they might produce admirable
specimens. Mode of dissolving the LithQgraphic Ink.
(53.) Lithographic ink is employed in the
same way as Indian ink; it must be dissolved by
rubbing it in a saucer with a few drops tif sum

64
water ; hard or spring water must never be
employed, as, by the salts they contain, they neu
tralize the alkali contained in the ink ; it must
be of the consistency of cream, and a. cover
must be placed on the saucer, to hinder evapo
ration, as otherwise the ink soon gets thick
and slimy : if it gets too thick, a few drops of
¦water may be added. The ink is still good ;
although it might have dried in the saucer, a
few drops of water will soon make it fit for
use. Pen Drawings.
(54.) The stone being polished and well
wiped, a sketch of the drawing must be made
on it (art. 46.) A steel pen must be em
ployed for hard stones, and a common quill for
soft ones ; it is often difficult to make the ink
flow, and the surface of the stone frequently
presents difficulties that are not met with when
drawing on paper ; but by a little practice and
patience these difficulties are soon conquered.
It is often necessary to wipe the pen, and even
to wash it in water ; it is also requisite to have
a small piece of lead, on which a drop of ink is
always kept : this will be found very convenient
! to freshen the. ink which is in. the pen, by now
and then dipping the point in it.

65
Of Drawing with the Hair Pencil.
(55.) It is not possible to produce various
tints with lithographic ink ; the hair pencil is
only employed to imitate line engravings, as
with a brush one can produce much finer lines
than with any other instrument.
The pencil is dipped in the saucer and then
worked on a little piece of sheet lead, placed
close to the drawing, in order to give it a fine
point; this piece of lead is extremely useful,
as it is necessary every instant to work the pen
cil on it, in order to hinder the ink from dry
ing at the point.
The ink flows readily from a hair pencil, and
if the lines are compared with those drawn with
a pen, it will be found that the former are
sharp and clean, while those executed with the
pen are rough on the sides ; this defect will in
crease in the printing.
It is necessary to inform artists who wish to
execute a drawing with lithographic ink, that
whatever be the instrument they employ, the
lines must be well filled with ink, and, above
all, done at one stroke; for once dry, it is
very difficult to come over them again, and
preserve their former sharpness : the different
degradations must be produced by the dif-

66
ferent thickness of the lines, but never by dif
ferent intensity ofthe tints ; as, whether laid on
thick or thin, they will all print equally dark :
it must, however, be remembered, that those
lines drawn full, with thick ink, will give many
more impressions than when drawn with thin
ink. Of Drawing with a Mathematical Steel Pen.
(56.) These pens are chiefly used in drawing
plans ; they must be held perpendicularly to the
stone, and after the ink has been put in with a
brush, the points must be wiped externally with
a rag ; after which, they must be tried pre
viously on a sheet of paper, and the screw
moved until a line is produced of the desired
thickness. When it is intended to draw very
fine lines, all the abovementioned precautions
must be taken very quickly, as, .if done slowly,
the ink thickens at the point and the pen will
no longer mark ; if, however, a dot can once be
formed, the ink will flow easily afterwards : if
all this does not succeed, the pen must be
wiped, and fresh ink put in.
Although it is difficult at first to trace fine and
dark lines with these pens, with a little practice
a person will soon succeed, and lines may be
produced as delicate as those of an etching.

67
As stones for ink drawings have a very fine
polish, the ink must be employed rather thick,
for otherwise it would be apt to run and spread J
the broader the lines, the thicker the ink must
be. Ofthe Use of the Steel Scraper for Ink Drawings.
(57.) The steel scraper must be used very
sparingly in chalk drawings, as the grain is
always destroyed when this tool is employed.
It is however very different with ink drawings,
for in this case, the scraper does not at all spoil
the surface of the stone ; thus, one may scratch
out twenty times, if desired, give sharpness to
the edges of a line with the scraper, divide it
in its length or its breadth, separate two lines
that have united together, and divide one into
several parts or dots : in short, you may make
use of this tool as much as you choose, provided
the parts corrected are entirely taken out with
out going too deep in the stone.
Imitations of Wood-Cuts.
(58.) The ease with which one can use the
scraper in ink drawings enables us to imitate
wood-cuts with great facility in lithography. f 2

68
The stone is covered with printing-ink, and the
lights scraped out ; those parts that are to be
formed of fine lines are not covered with litho
graphic ink, but are executed after with the hair
pencil. Etchings upon Stone.
(59.) The stone having been previously
polished, is washed in a solution of acid and
water, and dried ; a very small quantity of gum-
water and black are laid on the stone with a
rag, so as to form a thin coating. When this is
dry, the drawing must be traced with red chalk
and executed with etching needles ; it must
be remembered that these lines, or scratches,
which of course will appear white, will seem
much thinner when filled with printing-ink :
this comes from an optical deception, proceed*.
ing from their change of colour from white to
black : great care must be taken not to breathe
On the stone, as this would dissolve the coating
of gum. When the etching is finished, the en
tire surface ofthe stone must be rubbed with a
rag and linseed oil, and afterwards the whole
coating must be washed off with water. These
etchings may be printed either with the roller
or with rags, like copper-plates.
(60.) The skies and delicate touches of a

69
drawing might be clone with the etching-needle,
the thicker lines with the pen and hair pencil,
and the fore grounds .and darkest parts in imi
tation of wood-cuts.

Of Printing Lithographic Drawings.
(Si.) We have now explained to the readers
the various preparations the stone must undergo,
and the precautions they ought to take in ex
ecuting their drawing; we consequently sup
pose it ready for printing, and will now enter
into a complete description of the process ; but
it is necessary to inform them, that from the
difficulty of the operation, we think it impossible
to detail it too minutely.
Ofthe Precautions to be taken before the Printing.
(62.) The artist who is at the head of a litho.
graphic establishment must examine with great
care the drawings that are delivered to him for
printing ; and before they undergo any previous
preparation, he must modify them according to
the knowledge he has of the stones, and of the
chemical agents he employs.
In order to be understood, it is indispensable
to observe, that the impressions on paper are

70
never exactly similar to the drawing on the
stone ; both the delicate tints and the dark ones
change in their appearance : the artist will, how
ever, recognise in them exact fac-similes of his
original drawing, just as an engraver recognises
his own plate in two unequal impressions. Since,
then, a lithographic drawing changes its ap
pearance in printing, it is very important to be
enabled to foresee these changes, and to avail
one's-self of them so as to obtain better impres
sions. This observation shows how important
it is to have to deal with a good lithographic
printer, who must necessarily be an intelligent
artist, in order to succeed in his line of bu
siness. (63.) We have seen in the preceding pages,
that in lithographic stones, chalk, drawing and
printing-ink, aquafortis, &c. were employed ;
but it must be remembered, the temperature of
the air has great power over these different ma
terials ; there exists an intimate connexion be
tween them, and they may be compared to a
system of powers in equilibrium. Now it is known
that if one of these powers is altered, in order to
maintain the equilibrium, the relative force of
the other powers must be also altered ; in litho
graphy it is the same : the different substances
must be modified according to the stones, the

71
strength of the acid, and the state of the atmo
sphere : thus, for example, if the weather is
warmer, the acid employed must be weaker and
the printing-ink thicker. It would be necessary,
even for a complete lithographer, to make nu
merous trials, if he finds himself in a foreign
country, with stones and materials he has not
before employed. Experiments must be repeat
edly made, but it is necessary to make them the
same day, in the same room, with the same inks
and stones ; otherwise one might be liable to
attribute any failure to a wrong cause. Lines
of different thickness and intensity and soften
ing into lighter shades at one extremity, must
be drawn on different stones, in order to find
out whether the delicate tints stand the print
ing, and also those stones which are most favour
able to the different styles. It will be neces
sary to make exact copies of these lines on
a sheet of paper, in order to compare them with
the impressions ; by these means, a person will
soon become acquainted with the difference
produced in the printing, the various de
grees of intensity the rollers can produce, and
guess, in short, at the first sight of a drawing,
the changes it will undergo, and modify it
accordingly, if defective in some parts.
It will be observed, that in the beginning of

72
the printing, the faint tints become lighter than
they were in the drawing, and the dark touci
more intense ; it is consequently necessa
before the stone undergoes any preparation, to
obviate this effect, by making the faint tints
darker. In ink drawings, it is necessary to
examine with care, whether any of the lines are
rotten, and whether in the dark parts, the thick
lines are sufficiently distant from each other, to
hinder them from uniting together; if they are
too close, they must be separated with the steel
scraper. This article will explain why we cannot give
precise rules for such or such a stone, and such
or such a chemical agent, as it is impossible
to know exactly the nature of those materials
which will be employed : luckily, however, the
general rules are always the same, so that after
a few trials, all these difficulties will disappear.
Of Etching the Drawing.
(64.) The stone must be placed in an in
clined situation in the trough (fig. 4), with the
drawing towards the person ; the small trough
must be filled with rain water, in which a few
drops of nitric acid must be poured, so as to
-give it the taste and strength of lemon-juice.

73
This etching water must vary in strength
according to the stone, the warmth of the room,
and the intensity of the drawing. A drop
must be put on the margin, and if a strong
effervescence, accompanied with noise, takes
place, the etching water is too strong : water
must be added until the effervescence dimi
nishes, and begins only a few seconds after the
acid is applied to the stone.
The small trough is then taken by its handle
and the contents emptied against the upper
part of the stone, so that its whole surface
might be wetted at once ; but as the stone is
placed so as to form an angle of forty-five
degrees, the water soon runs off" into the large
trough. It will now be observed, that while
the water was running off, a number of small
bubbles rose slowly from its surface, with a
slight trembling noise and a smell of car
bonic acid. If the bubbles formed themselves
too quickly and the noise was easily perceptible
to the ear, the etching water must be imme
diately weakened; if no effervescence took
place, more acid must be added.
When the etching water has done running
off, the stone is turned topsyturvy, and fresh
acid thrown on it. The drawing must then be
examined, by looking at it sideways, and if the

74
water recedes from some of the lines, as from
a greasy surface, more etching water must be
thrown on : this generally is sufficient.
As the etching water is thrown from the top
ofthe stone, and allowed to run to the bottom,
it is evident that an equal quantity passes over
its whole surface, which would make it appear
useless to reverse the stone ; but we must ob
serve, that the moment one has ceased pouring
the acid, a small quantity is retained on the
stone by attraction, and as this liquid always
tends to run to the bottom, while the upper
part dries, the acid is still acting on the lower
part of the drawing.
The stone being now etched and still kept in
the same position, a quantity of gummed water
(article 26) is thrown on the stone, and having
taken it out of the etching box, it is allowed to
dry in a horizontal position.
(65.) The operation we have just described
must be performed with quickness and pre
cision : it must not take up more than half a
minute. Its object is, first, to clean off the
dust which, in graining or polishing the stone,
may have filled up its pores ; secondly, by cor
roding shghtly the surface, to destroy those
small greasy particles which might by accident

75
have adhered to the stone, and might thereby
soil the impression ; thirdly, by increasing the
pores of the stone, to enable it to imbibe wet
with more facility ; fourthly, to render the chalk
or the ink insoluble in water by means of the
acid, which unites itself to the alkali contained
in them : in short, the gum water is poured on
the stone to fill up its pores and hinder it from
receiving the printing-ink where it ought not.
It is necessary to remark, that the acid must
be stronger for ink than for chalk drawings.
However simple this operation may appear,
it is extremely important for the success of the
impressions ; two risks are run in its execution,
and it is by practice alone that they can be
avoided. If the stone is not etched strong
enough, it is apt to run smutty; and if etched
too strong, the delicate tints disappear : the
difficulty is increased by this circumstance, that
the etching water which is proper for one stone
is not so for another.
In general it is better to etch weak than
strong (as this defect has its remedy), particu
larly for highly finished drawings ; when, how
ever, they are executed with spirit, or contain
very dark parts, they may be treated with less
precaution. This shows us that it would be
better to pour but little acid on the delicate

76
parts and more on the dark ones ; for it is easy
to understand that the acid must attack the
delicate places with much more strength than
those which contain a great deal of chalk ; be
sides, the faint tints, by their not being inclined
to run smutty, do not require sUch strong
etching as those parts which are covered with
chalk. As the stone may be considered as
a sort of cellulary tissue, easily penetrated
by liquids, the closer these cells are to each
other, the easier the communication ; con
sequently the best way to hinder a greasy
line from spreading is to interrupt the com
munication between these pores, and this is
obtained by the effect of the acid, which, by
slightly furrowing those parts of the stone
which are uncovered, insulate, as it were, the
lines of the drawing, and the water insinuating
itself in these cavities, makes it much more
difficult for the ink to spread.
(60.) Let us examine the manner in which
etchings are executed on copper : when the
etching is finished, and the first biting per
formed, those parts which are intended to be
delicate are covered with varnish, previously to
the second biting in : this may point out to us
a better mode of etching for lithography. The

77
stone might receive the first biting, as explained
above, and when dry, the delicate parts might
be covered with some substance, soluble in
water, but not so in acid, or until something
better is found : gum water may be laid on with
a soft brush, this coating allowed to dry, and
the acid thrown on a second time, by which
means the etching water wrould have had time
to act upon the stone, before it could dissolve
the gum water, which would thus preserve the
more delicate parts : this operation might be
performed as many times as necessary for the
intended effect.
Ofthe Precautions to be taken by the Printer.
(67.) It has been seen in the preceding-
pages, that lithographic ink and chalk are em
ployed as vehicles, to induce the printing-ink
to adhere to the stone, and that it is this
printing-ink which, by means of a strong pres
sure, is thrown off on a sheet of paper, and
thereby produces the impression.
We suppose that the stone, having been pre
viously etched, gummed, and dried, is placed
in the press ; we shall now detail the ensuing
operations. The printer spreads some printing-
ink No. 3, (art. 15), on the stone of the table,

78
(fig. 1), and seizing the roller (fig. 5), he works
it in all directions, until the ink is perfectly well
spread on its surface : he then takes a sponge,
and, having dipped it in rain-water, and squeezed
it well afterwards, passes it quickly over the
gum, so as to wet its whole surface : having
waited three or four seconds, to allow the sur
face of the gum to imbibe the wet, he gently
applies the roller to the stone, to try whether it
is sufficiently damp, and that it will not take the
ink. When once he has been able to pass the
roller over the stone without soiling it, he may
proceed more boldly, and roll it in all directions.
If the gum is too wet, the roller will slip
without turning. This, however, is immaterial :
he must go on with a slight pressure, and slowly ;
and, by aiding the rotation with a gentle motion
ofthe wrist, force the roller to turn. He will
still, for some seconds, find some difficulty in
doing this ; but by degrees the water will eva
porate, the gum will get thicker, and the roller
will easily turn. In a short time the gum, which
had hitherto preserved its transparency, will get
soiled ; and a dirty colour will spread itself over
the whole stone. There is no fear now ofthe
roller slipping : on the contrary, it will adhere
strongly, and make a noise similar to that of
two glutinous bodies separated from each other.

79
It now becomes necessary to wet the stone to
be able to proceed : the sponge must be just
wet enough to leave still a thin coating of gum
during the operation, which must last altogether
about a quarter of an hour. When it is found
that all the lines of the drawing have been
brought in contact with the ink, and that the
coating of gum is extremely thin, the stone
may be washed with great care, in order to
clean off the grey colour which is spread on
it; by which means the drawing will now
be quite pure and clean : if a few black specks
remain, they are occasioned by some lumps in
the gum, and may easily be taken off with a
steel point. A thin coating of gum must now
be laid on with a brush, and the stone laid by
for a day or two.
By what has been said above, it may easily
be seen that the chief object in this operation
is not to wash away all the gum, but, on the
contrary, that it should preserve a sufficient
degree of thickness, so that a coating might
remain during the whole process. By thus
preserving a coating of gum, all the lines of
the drawing are, as it were, inclosed during
this first application of the printing-ink to
the stone ; and, by this means, preserved in all
their original sharpness. It is for this reason

80
that it is very important that the gum should
merely be damp ; for, were it washed off, the
drawing might be completely spoiled. The
stone is allowed to rest a day or two, in order
to fix the ink in its pores; and this so com
pletely takes place, that the drawing will not
suffer, even if violently rubbed. It sometimes
happens in this operation, that some parts are
pulled up by the roller : if this takes place with
chalk, it is difficult to make these places take
the ink again ; but with an ink drawing it is a
very immaterial accident.
If it were desired to obtain impressions im
mediately after the stone is etched, the gum
must be dabbed off very gently, while it is wet,
with a soft rag, the drawing charged with print
ing-ink, and the impressions taken. This mode
of proceeding may succeed with ink drawings,
because, from being employed liquid, it sinks
at once in the stone ; but a chalk drawing being
entirely superficial, several parts of it may dis
appear : it would always be far preferable to
allow the coating of gum to dry after the etch
ing. There is no inconvenience in printing ink
drawings immediately after they are etched.
(68.) The thickness of printing-ink, for the
above operation, varies according to the style

81
ofthe drawing: for ink drawings it is necessary
to employ the stiffest ink (art. 15), and mix
with it a sixth part of the varnish (No. 4.)
This ink is so very stiff, that it pulls up the
lines of the drawing: however, they shortly
after take the ink again, and lines are obtained
of the greatest sharpness.
, If some parts of the drawing appear rotten,
so that it might be feared that they would
disappear, a thinner ink must be employed :
however, it must never be forgotten, that the
sharpness of the lines depends on the thickness
of the ink.
For preparing chalk drawings, inks must be
employed made with Nos. 3 and 4 : the ink
No. 4 must be taken for bold and sketchy draw
ings, the ink No. 3 for those which are more
delicate ; and, if the tints were extremely fine,
it would be necessary to weaken it with the
varnish No. 2 : excess, however, in this respect,
must be avoided with great care.
(69.) It has been seen that it was difficult to
hinder the dark parts from getting still more
so;' and for this reason the use of thin inks
must be avoided, particularly if the varnishes
No. 1 and 2 enter in their composition. In
preparing a stone for printing, a person may
very often be much embarrassed ; for, if he

82
makes use of an ink that is too stiff, the delicate
tints are apt to disappear ; and if the ink is too
thin, it is true that the light tints remain, but
then the stone soon wants keeping, and becomes
monotonous: however, of the two evils, the
former is most certainly the greatest. The
safest mode of proceeding, in order to ascertain
the proper thickness of the ink, is to trace on
a separate stone some lines of the same tint as
those in the drawing, to etch and prepare thi&
stone in the same way as the other. If this one
succeeds, one may safely charge the drawing
with the same ink : lay on but a small quantity,
and allow it to rest till the next day, when a
stiffer ink may be employed to finish the opera
tion. By this process one may be sure of pre
serving the delicate tints, without harming the
general effect ofthe drawing.
When the ink is very thick, there is no fear
of applying too much on the roller ; but, if it is
thin, the size of a hazel-nut will be sufficient.
(70.) The motion of the hands, when the
roller is applied to the stone, must be nearly
similar to the oscillations of a pendulum. The
motion ofthe hands must also be the same in
wetting the stone : and it must be remembered,
that, the more delicate the parts, the slower
the roller must be moved. Let us now suppose

83
the printer charging the stone with ink, and
examine the different accidents that may occur.
1. The stone has been wetted, and, notwithstand
ing, the ink soils it.
Perhaps the stone has not been equally
wetted; in which case a few drops of water
must be sprinkled on, and spread with care.
If, although the stone is rubbed with a sponge,
the ink still adheres, the roller must be changed,
and thicker ink employed ; for, were one to
proceed with an ink which produces this effect,
the drawing would soon be spoiled.
2. The roller slips on the stone, and it is impossi
ble to make it turn.
The stone is too wet : wring the sponge in
a clean towel, or else go on rolling slowly, and
squeeze slightly the handles, as if to impede its
rotation, until the excess of water is evaporated.
If the roller itself has too much gum and water
on its surface, work it well on the small table.
3. When the stone was prepared the gum-water
was too weak.
The coating of gum which covers the drawing
must always be nearly ofthe thickness of a sheet
of paper. If it is thinner, when the printing
g 2

84
begins, gum-water must be first used instead of
pure water.
4. The coating of gum which was on the stone
has disappeared, and the surface ofthe stone is
quite uncovered.
Too much water has been used, or the stone
has been rubbed too hard with the sponge : an
accident like this would most certainly spoil the
drawing : some gum-water must be immediately
laid on, so that, during the whole operation, if
the finger is applied to the stone, its surface
might always feel sticky.
5. 1st Case. The roller turns easily, notwithstand
ing the stone is covered with gum. 2d Case.
The roller is quite besmeared with gum-water.
3d Case. The colour of the gum changes : the
whole drawing is covered with a greyish tint.
1st Case. This is the most favourable instant
for charging the stone with ink : the roller must
be pressed down hard, and passed with a quick
motion all over the drawing.
2d Case. The ink and the gum, which are
mixed together on the roller, act on the stone
in the same manner as the mixture of gum and
water (art. 17.) The roller is now in so. fa
vourable a state, that it would be totallv im-

85
possible to soil the stone. We recommend the
use of gum and ink thus mixed together to
beginners : care must be taken, however, not
to make too frequent use of it, as it would at
last spoil the stone, from the ease with which
this mixture unites itself with the ink.
3d Case. This tint must not be allowed to
get too dark, as it might at length soil the
stone : as soon as it appears, a few drops of
water must be thrown on, and gently spread
with a sponge.
6. The printing-ink sticks to the edges ofthe
stone. ¦ \
Several things contribute towards this acci
dent: the aqua fortis acts less on those parts,
and the gum adheres less to them also : when
the stone is wetted, the edges always dry first.
It is clear, then, that these parts must easily
get soiled : they are, however, soon cleaned,
'by washing them with strong etching water,
and afterwards with a little gum.
7. Some portions of gum which are on the stone
print as black as the darkest parts of the
drawing. The gum has been badly strained, or some
foreign substance has fallen on the stone : they

86
must be picked out with the sponge or the steel
point. 8. The dark parts ofthe drawing (if it is executed
in ink) are taken up by the roller.
This is of no consequence, as the lithographic
ink always penetrates deeply into the stone,
and this accident is only external : it may pro
ceed, 1st, from the etching having been per
formed too slowly, by which a portion of the
ink is decomposed ; 2d, the gum is entirely
washed off, by having employed too much
water ; 3d, the printing-ink is too thick ;
4th, the roller has been rolled too quick.
It is always possible to make these lines again
receive the ink, by passing the roller slowly over
the stone, and leaning hard, or by raising the
roller four or five inches from the stone, and
letting it fall heavily on the parts which refuse
to take the ink.
9. The same accident takes place with a chalk
drawing.
This is a great misfortune; for, the chalk
being entirely superficial, it is evident that, if
it is taken lip, nothing is left on the stone.
This accident may proceed from the gum
having been laid on too thick, so that in drying

87
it scaled and pulled up some of the lines. It
rarely happens that the roller takes up a dark
chalk line, unless there was dust on the stone,
or the chalk was bad, or the room too cold.
No other remedy is left, if there is any, but to
charge the stone with the inks Nos. 1 and 2
(art. 15.)
10. The delicate tints disappear.
This may proceed, 1st, from the artist (art.
47) ; 2d, from the etching water being too
strong (art. 65) ; 3d, from the ink being too
strong (art. 68) : in the first case, where one
fears that these parts will not hold, either from
the artist's not having sufficiently observed the
rules given in the art. 47, or from the room's
being too cold, so that there is no affinity be
tween the chalk and the stone, it must be put for
a short time in some luke-warm water : for the
second case there is no remedy * : in the third
case, it is sufficient to employ thinner ink.
11. In passing the sponge over the stone, a
part of the ink spreads and comes off without
* Chalk containing a much greater proportion of soap
than usual, may in this case be often employed with success.
— {Translator's note.)

88
soiling it, or spoiling the appearance of the
drawing. The ink is made with too thin an oil ; a thicker
ink must be immediately taken ; for if in this
case too much water were put on the stone, and
the gum washed off, the thin oil of the ink
would soon spread, and spoil the drawing. It
is indispensable to remember, that in art. 26,
the varnishes were classed under four num
bers. If the accident we have just mentioned
had taken place with the varnish No. 4, it
would be evident that we had not been well
understood, when we explained the method
of burning the oil ; and that the No. 4 of the
printer would hardly be what we meant by
No. 2 ; it would be consequently necessary to
burn the varnishes again, until No. 4 applied,
without black, to the stone, could not be washed
off with the sponge.
12. Notwithstanding every precaution, some parts
ofthe drawing still refuse to take ink.
These parts must be charged with a dabber*,
* These dabbers are made with long slips of linen about
five inches broad ; they must be rolled very tight, so that a
small cylinder, five inches in length and of any given thick
ness, is formed; it must be tied round with thread,, and

89
and if the ink will not take, it may be dipped
in a little varnish, No. 4 ; some varnish may
even be gently spread on the weak part with
the finger, and allowed to remain a few instants ;
and as a last remedy, the mixture (art. 17)
may be used, as, from the oil it contains, it may
sometimes restore the part.
Precautions to be taken before the printing
begins.
(71.) It is necessary, before the printing be
gins, to examine every part of the press, to see
that the skin ofthe box (A B) be well stretched;
to have ready a bason of clean rain water, an
old sponge to clean the edges of the stone,
another sponge to wet the drawing, a steel
scraper, and a dabber.
The slab of the small table must be cleaned,
pots kept ready, filled with ink of different
thickness, made since some days ; the rollers
squared at one end with a razor: this extremity must be
well rubbed in printing ink. This dabber is . raised about
three inches from the stone, and struck on it with some
strength ; if the drawings still refuse to take the ink, it must
be gently rubbed on the part with a circular motion. When
one has thus succeeded to make the ink adhere, the dabber
must no longer be struck on the stone, as ir would take up
the ink again: it is necessary to wait some' 'minutesj and
sometimes even some hours, until the ink is perfectly settled-

90
must be soft and well stretched ; some etching
water, a clean rag to wipe the gum off the stone,
must also be at hand; in short, every thing must
be kept perfectly clean, for without the greatest
neatness nothing good can be done in litho
graphy. OF THE PRINTING.
Mode of wetting the stone.
(72.) Three different cases occur, in which
the stone is to be wetted: — 1. when it has never
been printed, and has undergone the prepara
tion (art. 26) — 2. when impressions have al
ready been taken, and the coating of gum is
dry — 3. wetting the stone during the printing.
In the first case, a few drops of water are
sprinkled on the stone, the gum is allowed to
dissolve, and partly washed off with a sponge* ;
the roller is passed over the drawing, and an
impression taken. When the paper is pulled up
from the stone, it often sticks to it, and adheres
so strongly as sometimes to tear ; nevertheless,
* The sponges that are made use of may be coarse, pro
vided they be soft ; they must be free from sand or shells ;
they must not be of too close a texture, as these retain the
ink too much. When dirty, they must be cleaned by boiling
them in soap and water, and must be well washed afterwards.

91
the printing must go on, and the stone but
little wetted, so as to leave some gum still ad-r
hering : this must be done until the paper no
longer sticks, and the latter takes up every por
tion of printing-ink which is on the stone.
When the drawing was first charged with ink
(art. 67) the nature of the lines was changed,
as each became a compound of printing-ink and
of chalk or ink (art. 67) ; by allowing the stone
to stand for a few days, the printing-ink has
acquired a certain degree of consistency, and an
inclination to adhere to any thing which is ap
plied to it; but this thick ink will gradually
Unite with that which is applied by the roller,
until it comes clean off at every impression:
in this state, the lines of the drawing appear
transparent, and the stone is seen through them,
which is not the case when the drawing is
charged with ink. It is very important for the
printer to be well acquainted with these two
different states of the stone, in order to be able
to judge whether it has received a sufficient
quantity of ink or not, and whether any parts
ofthe drawing have been forgotten.
Some lithographers, in order to clean the
stone, instead of taking off a few bad impres
sions (as above recommended) wash the draw
ing with the mixture (art. 17) : we are per-

92
suaded, however, by experience, that our me
thod is by far the best.
In the second case, that is, when one has to
wet a stone that has already been printed from,
it must be allowed to soak for an hour or two
in a tub of water. This gives time to the water
to penetrate the stone in every part, and to dis
solve completely the coating of gum. After
this it must be carried to the press, and dabbed
softly with a rag: a little gum-water must then
be thrown on with a brush, gently spread with
the hand, and again wiped with a rag, after
which the stone is quite ready for printing.
The stone was placed in water that it might
get completely damp ; some fresh gum added,
in order to fill its pores, and the gum wiped off"
afterwards, that it might not unite with the
printing-ink, as we have already seen that this
union would give a grey tint that would spoil
the impressions.
In the third case, the stone is in the situa
tion in which we have placed it in the pre
ceding lines : it is now absolutely necessary that
the gum should remain in all the pores of the
stone, to hinder it from soiling, consequently
it must be very little wetted, for the less it is
wetted, the easier it is printed. The sponge
must be squeezed .in a dry towel, and a little

93
water sprinkled on the stone with the fingers,
and spread equally on the stone with the sponge :
by this means the stone will be damp, without
showing any trace of water ; and as it is often
necessary to pass the roller at least thirty times
over those drawings which are to have a great
deal of effect, the wetting must be repeated
whenever it is requisite, otherwise the ink
would soil the drawing. If the roller makes a
noise, and the edges take the ink, it is a proof
,that the stone is too dry.
If a great deal of water has been put on the
roller, it imbibes too much, and refuses to re
ceive any ink; in which case it must be dried.
Of the Lithographic Printer.
(73.) The preceding pages evidently show,
that the art of lithography is a most difficult
one ; it is consequently earnestly recommended
to those who wish to set up a lithographic
establishment to select intelligent and clever
printers ; they must have some notions of draw
ing, and of what constitutes a good print ; they
must be able to distinguish the different plans
of a drawing, so as to give it more effect in the
printing. A lithographic printer is a real artist, and all
the impressions he produces bear the stamp of

94
his degree of talent ; when he has wetted his
stone, and has got his roller in his hands, he
may be compared to an artist who is giving the
last finishing touch to an Indian ink, or a Seppia
drawing ; like the painter, the printer must
study the effect of his drawings, and distribute
his ink accordingly. If the light and delicate
parts have taken too much ink, he must barely
touch them with his roller, while the darker
parts must be passed over several times ; in
short, he must come with the whole weight of
his roller over the foregrounds and the darkest
parts ; and when he judges by their appearance
that these places have too much ink, by a par*
ticular motion of the roller he must be able to
take off a part of it. (From art. 78 to 83.)
Mode of employing the different sorts of Printing-
Ink.
(74.) This is the most important study of
any for a lithographer. We have seen that
these inks are composed of varnishes of four
different degrees of intensity, and lamp-black.
If a sufficient quantity of black only is put to
the varnish No. 4, to give it a colour, its den
sity will be increased, and it will print better ;
if a sufficient quantity of black is added to the

95
varnishes No. 1, 2, and 3, so as to give them the
same consistency as the ink No. 4, four inks
will be obtained, in appearance the same, but
very different in their effects. The analysis we
are going to give of them is the most im
portant secret of all lithography ; it will explain
to those who have already practised this art
why one stone only out of ten succeeds ; why
nine stones which have cost infinite trouble
have given nothing but spoiled impressions,
while the printing of the tenth has proceeded
with the greatest facility, and excellent prints
obtained. If in this last case some persons
are looking on, they will conclude that no
thing is easier than lithography, and that it
merely consists in passing the roller over the
drawing, which receives, of itself, the ink in
the necessary proportions, according to the
quantity of chalk ; to increase their admiration,
they may themselves take the roller and obtain
several good impressions : thus they depart
under the firm persuasion that they understand
the art, little suspecting that perhaps two hours
afterwards, and without any visible change in
the manipulation, the lithographer himself will
be completely puzzled, and at a loss how to
proceed. The key of these extraordinary accidents,

96
which are the despair even of the cleverest
lithographers, is to be found in the theory of
the inks. It is necessary, consequently, to
examine the nature of these inks, all of equal
thickness, but made with varnish of different
consistency, and containing different propor
tions of black, vf
(75.) The ink, No. 4, has all the qualities
of the varnish it is made with: when rubbed
between the fingers, it is unctuous ; when the
fingers are separated, it draws in threads like
birdlime ; in short, the cohesion between its
component parts is such, that it never im
parts its oil to the stone, and preserves the
proper intensity of each line ; consequently,
whenever it is feared that the drawing is in
clined to become dark and monotonous, it must
be employed in preference to any other, and
even sometimes for ink-drawings; it is, how
ever, rarely to be used in this style, as this ink
is so glutinous, that it is apt to charge the lines
as if they were in relief and round, and the
pressure flattening them, it is difficult to obtain
pure impressions.
The ink No. 1, being made with thin oil and
a great deal of lamp-black, is rough to the
touch, its component parts do not bind together

97
and separate with facility ; it easily imparts its
oil to the stone, and must never be employed
for chalk drawings, except in certain cases
(article 67), when the faint tints are inclined to
disappear. (76.) Let us suppose that a new quantity of
black is added to the inks No. 1, 2, 3, and 4, so
as to make them all as thick as possible, and
yet of equal density.
The ink, No. 4, will still preserve its nature;
it will still be unctuous and glutinous, but the
cohesion of its parts will be so strong, that
when spread on the roller, it will pull up the
lines of the drawing, as bread crum or Indian
rubber clean lead pencil on paper, and if the
stone is not sufficiently wet, and the ink ad
heres to it, it is sufficient to wet again and pass
the roller over that part to clean it up : it
must never be forgotten that good impressions
depend entirely on this quality of strong var
nish ; for those inks which do not clean up of
themselves the stains they have formed cannot
serve for lithography, and this property may
always be given to any ink, by the addition of
black and of strong varnish.
These strong inks are proper for drawings
which are inclined to become black or smutty ;
11

98
but for common use, the chief talent of the
lithographer consists in composing an ink, by
the mixture of the different sorts of varnish
and black, which may adhere with facility to
every part of the drawing, and yet stiff enough
to keep the stone clean ; he must also be care
ful to stop the printing as soon as the ink
ceases to produce the above-mentioned effect.
Art. 105.
When the ink, No. 1, is fresh made, and has
not been well ground, it dissolves in gum water
and spreads a black tint on the stone; and
although thick, it may still impart some of its
oil ; its component parts adhere but little to
gether, and as the drawing by degrees acquires
the property of the ink it is charged with, it
takes it at last unequally and in spots.
(77.) This ink, No. 1, is much better when well
ground and made some days before ; it can
not, however, be employed for chalk drawings,
as it fixes itself mechanically upon the stone
(article 8) ; but a slight change makes it pre
ferable to any other for ink drawings ; this is
effected by mixing with it a little of the varnish
No. 3, which gives it more consistency, or if
the ink is made with varnish-black (article 15),
impressions will be obtained superior to the

99
finest copper-plate etchings in point of vigour
and sharpness. This perfection of the impres
sion proceeds-
First, From the thinness of the varnish, so
that the ink is not raised on the stone, and con
sequently cannot spread under the pressure.
Secondly, From the ink containing a great
deal of black, so that however thin it lays, it
always prints dark.
Thirdly, From the great divisibility of the
essence-black, which enables it to spread
equally, however fine and delicate the lines
may be.
From what has been said of the inks No. 1
and 4, we may easily understand the property
ofthe inks Nos. 2 and 3.
The ink, No. 2, being less liquid than No. 1,
does not impart its oil so easily to the stone,
and is good for ink drawings.
No. 3 being less strong than No. 4, charges
better the lines, and is very good for chalk
drawings ; mixed with No. 2 it may be em
ployed both for ink and chalk. When stiff ink
is used, it often accumulates on the roller to
the thickness of the eighth of an inch ; in which
case a considerable quantity is consumed, and
it appears to be composed of two distinct parts,
h 2

100
the one thick and liquid, the other quite hard ;
the liquid part charging the stone, and the
other becoming hard and solid, which obliges
you to change the ink the moment the lines
receive it unequally and are no longer pure:
when this happens, it must be cleaned up and
fresh ground, either with some new ink or
some varnish.
When liquid inks are employed, a very small
quantity must be put on the slab, and the
roller must never have more on its surface than
the thickness of a sheet of paper, so that as
much ink as would hold in a walnut-shell is
sufficient to print five hundred large drawings.
In general the longer ink has been made, the
less inclined it is to soil the stone, and indeed
to such a degree, that it would be difficult to
make an ink, some months old, adhere to
the drawing. The lithographic printer has
consequently three means of giving consist
ency to his inks : first, by employing strong
varnish ; secondly, by putting more black ;
thirdly, by keeping the ink some time. The
talent of the printer consists in properly em
ploying these inks according to circumstances.

101

Of the Mode of managing the Roller for Chalk
Drawings.
(78.) There are two modes of pressing on
the stone with the roller, vertically and hori
zontally. By the first method the roller is allowed
to run freely in its handles, the chief power
of the printer acting perpendicularly on the
stone : it might be charged by striking on its
surface with a printer's ball ; in both ways the
ink is applied with equal force on the summits
and the hollows of the grain, and we shall see
in article 79, how bad this practice is for chalk
drawings ; it tends to grease the stone and to
produce a number of small dots which did not
exist in the drawing, and give it a totally dif
ferent appearance ; and indeed a printer who
understands his business never employs this
mode of rolling.
According to the second method the leathern
handles are strongly squeezed, as if it were in
tended to impede the rotatory motion of the
roller ; when the printer passes his roller on
the stone, he employs his whole strength in a
direction parallel to the stone, as if he wanted
to make it slip on its surface : it is evident that
if, at this moment, he were to hinder the roller

102
from turning, the summits of the grain would
scratch off the ink which is on the roller, and
by this mechanical action the drawing would re
ceive too much black ; consequently the printer
must not squeeze the handles so as to hinder
the roller from turning, but by practice learn to
slacken or squeeze according as he feels the
roller inclined to stop or to turn ; he must thus
bring it to the extremity of the stone, take it up,
and roll again.
(79.) It will easily be seen by the above me
thod, that by not using a vertical motion, the
ink cannot enter the hollows of the stone, but
must adhere strongly to the summits, which
naturally resist any horizontal pressure, and it
must be remarked that those faces of the sum
mits which are opposed to the roller will offer
the most resistance.
This leads us to a most important reflection ;
but it is necessary first to refer to the art. 47,
in which we have observed that the draftsman,
in making his drawing, generally brings his
pencil from right to left, and that consequently
the chalk adheres to the summit ofthe grain, in
the same way as we have just shown that the
printing-ink does ; that is to say, that the sum
mits take the chalk on those faces which are

103
opposed to it : from this we conclude that in
charging a drawing with ink, the roller must
always be worked in the same direction as the
chalk, so that the horizontal pressure of the
roller might act on the right side of the little
cones which form the grain ; otherwise, if
the roller is pushed in an opposite direction,
the ink is applied to the left side of the cones,
which, as we have just seen, are covered with
little or no chalk ; so that all the talent of the
printer cannot hinder that side from receiving
a portion of ink, and by working the roller
backwards and forwards, the greasy spot, which
at first existed only on the right-hand face of
the cone, will at last cover it completely ; this
must of course cause every dot which composes
the drawing to spread, and must materially s
alter the impression. It is true that this ac
cident does not destroy the drawing, but it cer
tainly must change its harmony and keeping.
This explanation will appear still more im
portant, when one considers that printers are
naturally inclined to work the roller in that
manner which appears to charge the stone the
most, little suspecting how dangerous this prac
tice must be; they obtain, it is true, strong
impressions, but these soon get so dark that
they are obliged to leave off printing : the only

104
remedy in this case is to allow the stone to rest
some days (art. 101.)
(80.) From what has been said, it is clear
that as the stone is placed in the press in the
same manner as it was before the draftsman, it
is necessary that the printer should always work
his roller from right to left: it is true that this
mode of pulling it towards him is not so con
venient as to push it from him ; but we have
just seen how important it is to roll in this
manner, and this receives more weight from the
consideration that the wooden scraper of the
press acts also from right to left.
(81.) The coarser the grain ofthe stone, and
the bolder the drawing, the more important
the above rules become ; in which case it is
absolutely necessary to work the roller in the
manner we have just explained : but if the grain
is fine and the drawing delicate, the summits
only of the grain have received the chalk, in
which case it becomes unimportant whether
the roller is pushed from or pulled towards the
printer (art. 103.)
(82.) Four methods are employed to make
the ink adhere to the drawing, which we will
designate by the following terms : first, by al-

105
lowing the stone to dry ; second, by dividing
the ink ; third, by touching with the roller ;
fourth, by jerks.
1. The stone must be very little wetted:
the roller is passed over the drawing and worked
until the stone is so dry, that it is just on the
point of soiling itself with the ink.
2. The roller is violently worked on the slab
with a strong pressure : when this is done, if the
roller is examined, the ink on its surface will
appear very much subdivided, and, as it were,
pulled up; when the ink is composed of strong
varnish, this will become still more striking.
This state of the roller is highly favourable
to make the ink adhere to the drawing, and is
the only mode of well inking in the dark parts.
When the roller has been worked five or six
times on the drawing, it becomes smooth, and
no longer communicates any ink, so that if it is
intended to roll in still more, the roller must
be again worked on the slab.
3. Drawings that are to be charged with
spirit must be done so with touches ; that is to
say, in the same way as a person ironing with
an iron that is too hot: the roller must just
graze the stone, and in touching it must de
scribe a curve similar to the motion of an
artist who draws a bold and free line. If the
drawing refuses to take the ink, it must be

106
divided (No. 2.), and rolled on slowly with the
handles held tight.
4. The roller is pushed by jerks on those parts
which refuse to take the ink : if these parts are
to be charged still more, the handles must be
held quite tight, and the roller pressed both
horizontally and vertically : after an instant's
rest the roller is brought forward about half an
inch, with a jerk; a few seconds after another
jerk is given, and so on until those parts which
are intended to receive a great deal of ink have
taken it. One may also strike on the stone with
the roller, but this mode is dangerous : at any
rate the ink must be well divided first.
(83.) We have seen that a strong ink easily
cleans up a stone ; but there are other methods
of doing it with a roller.
1. Taking up by rolling. 2. By touching.
The first is done by allowing the roller to turn
freely in its handles, with a quick and slight
motion both backwards and forwards. The
second, by slightly and quickly touching the
stone, and also allowing the roller to turn
freely. In both these cases great care must be
taken that the ink be not divided (art. 82.
No. 2.) : it must look shining and polished on
the roller.

107

Management of the Roller for Ink Drawings.
(84.) Chalk and ink drawings are treated in
a very different way; we have seen that the
former were charged by impeding the rotation
of the roller, while the latter must be charged
by giving it a perfectly free motion : as the
surface of the stone is polished, it is necessary
to employ wooden handles; and the vertical
pressure, which, as we have seen, must never be
employed in chalk drawings, is the only proper
one for ink : this proceeds from the surface of
the stone being polished, which consequently
renders a horizontal pressure dangerous, and
would tend to spread the ink.
When it is desired to make the ink adhere
strongly, it must be divided (art. 82. No. 2.),
and the roller passed slowly backwards and
forwards over the stone: in performing this
operation no stiffness must be employed, and
the handles so held as always to see the upper
part of the hands, and yet the elbows must be
lower than the wrists.
Similarly to chalk drawings, one may also touch,
roll by jerks, strike on the stone, or take up the
ink by touching; all is right, provided the roller
be allowed to turn freely in the handles.

108

Of retouching Chalk Drawings.
(85.) If, during the printing, any part of the
drawing disappears, the stone must be placed in
water for five or six hours, and rubbed now and
then with a sponge in order to dissolve all the
gum : the stone is then allowed to dry during
the rest of the day ; and the next morning,
the parts corrected, as if one were executing a
new drawing. It must be remembered, however,
that the faint parts must be drawn darker than
they were at first. If the part that is to be re
touched allows it, a little fine sand must be
rubbed on with a glass muller, and when the
part is drawn in, it must be allowed to stand
for a day ; after which, the stone is slightly
etched and gummed : this coating must be
allowed to dry, or if it is rolled in while the
gum is still wet, it must be very gently dabbed
with a damp rag, and charged with ink No. 1
or 2. When it is certain that the part re
touched has taken the ink, a coating of gum is
given to the stone, and it is allowed to rest
another day before the printing is definitively
carried on : re-touching is always a very dif
ficult and doubtful operation.

109
Of retouching Ink Drawings.
(86.) Nothing is so easy to retouch as ink
drawings ; it is sufficient to scrape smooth the
part which is to be retouched, without however
going deep into the stone, after which the
part is drawn in, slightly etched, gummed, and
allowed to dry : if the parts retouched are slow
in taking the ink, they must be charged with
the dabber, (art. 70. No. 12.)
Of printing Chalk Drawings.
(87.) We suppose the stone to have been etched
(art. 64.) ; that the printer has well examined.
all his implements (art. 71-) > that he has pre
pared the stone for printing (art. 72.) ; in short,
that the stone is completely ready. The printer
begins by welting the stone and well working
the roller on the slab, until the ink is per
fectly divided; after which he begins by rolling
in at the upper angle of the stone towards his
right, and holding the handles tight, works the
roller horizontally until it has reached the lower
corner to his left ; he must then take up the
roller and repeat the operation again.
(88.) The drawing is now uniformly inked
in, and the operation is over for a common
drawing; but for one which requires effect,

110
it is only prepared. The printer must examine
the stone with the greatest care, and begin to
act the part of an artist : if the delicate tints
are not equally charged with ink, he corrects
them by touching: he increases the pressure
and the rolling in according to the darkness of
the parts : in short, for the fore-grounds, which
must be very dark, he often divides his ink,
slowly guiding his roller over those parts, and,
if necessary, employing the jerk ; but as those
parts which are dark are often close to those
which must be faint, it is extremely difficult to
succeed ; and hardly one out of ten under
stands perfectly this process. He is obliged to
turn his roller in every direction, to touch
slightly the parts, and even to employ the angles
of the roller : if this is not well done, the im
pression will be uneven, and the different work
ings of the roller will be seen.
During this process the stone is often wetted:
if, notwithstanding this precaution, it were to
take the ink in some parts, the roller must be
immediately changed, and a stiffer ink taken to
clean it up.
If, in the course of the printing, some of the
dark touches appear inclined to run together,
they must be picked out with the steel point
(art. SO, No. 3); after which that part must

Ill
be washed with a small brush, dipped in etch
ing water, and gummed.
The wooden scrapers ofthe press must always
be made of a soft wood for chalk drawings,
otherwise they would destroy the grain.
The box must be drawn out with a slow and
even motion : if this were not done, the impres
sion would be unequal.
The printer must be very careful to employ
that degree of pressure only which is necessary
to take up all the ink from the stone : any su
perfluous pressure is useless, and destroys the
grain. When the impression is taken, the paper must
be slowly taken up, otherwise it might tear.
The prints, when dry, must be put in a press,
or may even be sent to the hot-presser's.
Of Printing Ink Drawings.
(89.) The printing of ink drawings is per
formed in the same way as chalk: the chief
difference consists in the mode of managing the
roller. In printing ink drawings, as we have already
seen, wooden handles are employed; and we
refer the reader to art. 76 and art. 74 for the
management of the roller.
By examining all that has been hitherto said,
it will be seen that, although the same means

112
may be employed, very different effects may be
produced, and consequently that it is very dif
ficult to obtain perfect impressions.
Thus, the stone must be wetted; but if, by
the warmth of the atmosphere (which renders
the evaporation too active), the stone must be
too much wetted, the roller will imbibe water,
and the ink will no longer take.
If the ink is too stiff, the drawing will not
take it: if too thin, the impression, it is true,
will be dark, but the stone runs the risk of being
soiled. A chalk drawing is composed of dark and
faint lines : the first would require a stiff ink;
but then this ink causes the faint tints to disap
pear : the latter would require a thin ink ; but
then the dark lines will run smutty. The deli
cate tints must not be rolled more than two or
three times, for they would otherwise soon dis
appear ; while the dark ones, if effect is required,
must be charged several times : the former re
quire but a slight pressure of the roller, while
the latter must be rolled in with a great degree
of strength.
By this it is seen that the printer meets with
a series of oppositions, and that both long prac
tice and a great deal of skill are requisite to
overcome them. A clever lithographer is usually
successful in printing a stone, but not for a length

113
of time, for, as he must naturally be anxious to
preserve the delicate tints, the dark parts will
at length become thick and smutty ; and it re
quires no small degree of talent to obtain a
thousand impressions from a chalk drawing.
As for ink drawings, any number may be ob
tained : this proceeds from the smooth surface
which is given to the stone, whereas chalk
drawings are spoiled the instant the grain is
destroyed. This consideration has always led
us to believe that it will be extremely difficult,
nay, even impossible, to find any substitute to
stone for chalk drawings, compositions never
possessing the same degree of hardness : we
think, however, that they might do for ink
drawings. We have hinted (art. 66) at a mode of etch
ing the dark parts of a drawing without touch
ing the delicate ones. We believe that some
thin substance might be found to lay on the
light parts, while the fore-grounds are rolled
in, and which would act, with regard to the
ink, as the gum would with regard to the etch-
ing water. Thin sheets of copper, cut out ac
cording to the different parts, might be applied
to the stone, so as to cover the light tints.
Another method would be to draw all the
dark parts on one stone, and all the faint ones
i

114
on another : this, however, would be attended
with a great deal of trouble, both on the part
of the printer and of the artist.
Wooden scrapers of hard wood, such as box,
may be employed for ink drawings. Metal
ones must never be made use of, as they can
never be perfectly adapted to the stone, and
would either tear the leather or spoil the draw
ing, if any foreign substance should intervene
between the leather and the stone.
The pressure for ink drawings must be greater
than for chalk : the box must also be drawn out
quicker.

OF THE ACCIDENTS WHICH OCCUR DURING
THE PRINTING.
(90.) The impression is pale, although the drawing
looks dark on the stone.
Increase the pressure of the scraper, until it
takes up all the ink.
(9L) The impression is uneven and spotty.
The first care of a printer, as soon as an im
pression is taken, must be to examine attentively
the stone : if the ink has been entirely taken
up, it is a proof that the drawing has been badly
rolled in ; but, if the faint parts of the impres-

115
sion are dark on the stone, and vice versa, the
unevenness of the impression is no longer to be
attributed to the mode of rolling in, but may
proceed from the following causes :
(92.) The impression is incomplete: an entire
part of it is wanting.
The stone, or the scraper, are not level : if
this accident proceeds from the stone, some
paper must be pasted on the leather of the box
(ab : see fig. 13.)
(93.) Some parts of the impression are quite
pale.
Some hollows must have been formed in the
leather by foreign substances : paper must be
pasted in them.
(94.) The impression is marked in its whole
length by light streaks.
The scraper is certainly notched : it must be
made straight with a plane.
(95.) A number of dark and faint lines mark the
impressions in different directions.
This can only proceed from bad management
of the roller ; it may also be caused by its being
too hard, in which case more flannel must be
laid on it.

116
(96.) When the drawing has been charged, the
lines look quite pure on the stone, and yet in the
impression they appear ragged.
The printing-ink is too liquid ; it spreads
beyond the lines by the pressure : by passing
the sponge on the stone the lines will recover
their original sharpness, but a stiffer ink must
be immediately taken, or the stone would be
spoiled. If the lines are of some breadth, and it were
impossible to employ a stiffer ink (art. 105), it
is possible to hinder the ink from spreading by
drawing out the box quicker ; this is even the
only method of obtaining clear impressions
when there are parts which are very much
covered with ink, as is the case in imitations of
wood cuts.
(97.) The lines ofthe impression are ragged, and
appear to have spread all in one direction.
This defect may proceed from four different
causes : First, from the ink being too thin : this
may sometimes be remedied by passing the
sponge over the drawing, after it is inked in,
and before the impression is taken ; secondly,
from the stone not being well fixed in the
box; thirdly, from the leather not being well
stretched, whereby the paper shifts on the

117
stone ; fourthly, from the paper not having been
sufficiently struck with the hand (art. 28), so
that it stretches under the scraper ; if it pro
ceeds from this cause the lines will be most
ragged in that part of the impression on which
the scraper acts last.
It is often difficult in ink drawings to hinder
the paper from slipping on the stone, particu
larly when the sheet is large, in which case it
must not be laid on, but fixed in the upper
frame, which last (by means of the hinges) must
be placed at about a quarter of an inch from the
stone, so that the scraper might act gradually
on the paper.
(98.) The stone seems inclined to run smutty.
Roll in with the ink No. 4, and if the drawing
already appears much soiled, the following
remedies may be used :
First, Take a little etching water or vinegar
in the hollow of your hand, and rub gently on
the smutty part.
Secondly, Put a few drops of acid in the water
with which the stone is wetted.
Thirdly, Etch it again, as explained in article
64. Fourthly, Pick out the dirty parts with the
steel scraper, article 50, No. 3.

118
(99.) The stone imbibes water with avidity ; it
becomes dry an instant after it is wetted.
Immerse the stone in a tub of water for some
time, and in printing make frequent use of
gum water.
(100.) The stone having been laid by for a fort
night, the lines refuse to take the ink.
The drawing had been rolled in with com
mon printing ink, instead of using the ink
mentioned in article 16: this may sometimes
be remedied by washing off the old ink with
the mixture, article 17.
(101.) Very fine impressions are often obtained
during one or two days, when, all of a sudden,
the drawing changes, the lines get thick, and
the whole drawing dark, so that the printer is
forced to leave off; and yet when the stone has
been allowed to rest a few days, it prints as
well as before.
We have already seen that the printing-
ink always tends to dry, so that if too long a
space of time is allowed, it will not take any
fresh ink, and the thinner the coating of ink is,
the sooner, of course, it will dry ; now, as this
spreading of the lines is entirely superficial,

119
these parts after a few days will lose their power
of receiving ink.
(102.) When the stone is inked in, the roller looks
shining and polished, in which state it inks
badly, and can hardly be worked on the slab.
The stone has been too much wetted, so that
the roller has imbibed too much water : it must
be allowed to dry.
(103.) The stone is perfectly clean and only
damp; after the roller is passed over it, it
appears damper than it was, and is covered
with a grey tint.
First, The roller is wet.
Secondly, The printing ink is not sufficiently
ground, or the varnish is too thin ; a thicker
one must be employed.
(104.) Having made use of a thin ink, and wishing
to take a thicker one, this last will not adliere
to the roller, although it has been well cleaned.
The roller must be allowed to rest a few days
and another taken.
(105.) It often happens that during the printing,
without any apparent cause, the drawing refuses

120

to take the ink, so that the printer cannot pro
ceed. Put the stone in water for a few hours, after
which allow it to rest some days.
The lines of a drawing, and the ink with
which it is charged, may be considered as two
glutinous substances applied on each other ;
when these are separated, the one which has
the most consistency will retain a part of the
other, if their consistency is the same, and that
which is in greatest quantity will attach itself
to the other, which is in a smaller proportion ;
thus the greasy lines of a drawing will not
receive printing-ink, unless the former have
more consistency than the latter, or if their
consistency is the same, the roller must be
charged with more ink ; but if by some cause
or other the consistency of the lines of the
drawing is not so great as that of the printing-
ink, the roller, on the contrary, will take up the
grease of the drawing.
Thus the whole question appears reduced to
this : to give to the printing-ink a consistency
equal to that ofthe drawing ; but here another
difficulty arises, for we have seen (article 72),
that the stone must not be much wetted, so that
a liquid ink might attach itself to the stone ;
there exists, consequently, a degree of density

121
of the ink which cannot be exceeded ; thus if
the ink has the necessary degree of thickness
not to soil the stone, and yet has so much den
sity that it takes up the lines of the drawing,
the printing cannot proceed.
If we call a an ink just liquid enough to soil
the stone, so that by the least addition of a
stronger ink the printing might be carried on ;
and we call b an ink just stronger than the
lines ofthe drawing, so that by a small addition
of thin ink an impression might be obtained,
we will have in the two inks a and b the ex
tremes of thickness and thinness ofthe printing-
inks ; consequently it becomes evident,
First, That any ink more liquid than the
ink a, and thicker than the ink b, cannot be
used for printing.
Secondly, That the inks of which the thick
ness is not so great as b and not so liquid as a,
are the only ones that can be employed.
Thirdly, That the ink which would be a
medium between a and b would be the best of
all. This being well understood, let us now sup
pose that the temperature ofthe room increases ;
the heat will in a manner liquefy the greasy
lines ofthe drawing, and diminish also the con
sistency of the printing-ink b ; but as the rela-

122
tive consistency of these two bodies will always
be the same, their reciprocal affinity will not
change with the temperature of the room : this
would not be the case however with the ink
a, for as the increase of heat would increase
its thinness, and at the same time the water
would evaporate more quickly, the ink would
attach itself much more easily to the stone,
and its affinity with the lines of the drawing
would be greater, so that if a is to be the limit
of the thin ink, its density must be increased.
If the temperature increases still more, the
consistency of the ink b will still diminish with
that of the greasy lines of the stone, while the
ink a, from the necessity of thickening it, will
increase in consistency ; thus the more the
difference betwixt a and b diminishes, the
more difficult the printing will become ; and at
last, if the temperature rises still more, so that
a and b become the same, it is evident that it
will be impossible to print any longer ; that is
to say, that an ink, that would be so thin that
it would soil the stone, would notwithstanding
be stronger than the lines ofthe drawing.,
It must not be concluded, however, from
what has been stated above, that it is impos
sible to print in very hot weather, for it must
be remembered that the printing only becomes

123
impossible when the lines of the drawing are
as thin as the ink a ; so that if a drawing is
taken which has more consistency, either be
cause it has been charged with a strong ink,
or that, by having stood some days, the lines
have acquired more density, the printing can
be carried on. Thus in summer both the inks
and chalks must be harder, and the varnishes
thicker. The accident we have just described will
happen chiefly when the printing is begun in a
cold room, of which the temperature is gra
dually rising. It is very important to understand
well this phenomenon, and we are more per
suaded of this than any other person, as we
shall never forget that it was only after four
months' continual failures and laborious re
searches, that we found out that a stove placed
too near the press was the cause of all our mis
fortunes. Consequently, it is desirable, if pos
sible, always to print in a cool place, and if the
stone gets too warm, it must either be put in a
cellar, or allowed to stand for a few days.
The above article serves as a key to several
accidents which we had not hitherto explained :
for example — 1. Why, when the stones are pre
pared for printing (art. 67) it is necessary to

124
allow the stone to stand for a few days after,
particularly when a thin ink has been employed,
in order to preserve the delicate tints.
2. Why, in the above-mentioned preparation,
the varnishes Nos. 3 and 4 are preferable to
Nos. 1 and 2, particularly when one is desirous
of printing directly, without allowing the stone
to stand.
3. Why, when the lithographer has began
printing with too thin an ink, which soils the
stone and makes the dark parts run smutty, he
finds it so difficult to make a thicker ink ad
here to the stone.
4. Why the same ink which is proper for one
stone is not so for another ; in short, why those
stones that do not print well one day, succeed
perfectly well another, which makes the printers
say that the stones are capricious.
Of making Transfers.
' (106.) The stone is prepared according to
the style of drawing which is to be transferred,
and some spirits of turpentine passed over its
surface, after which it is heated to about 130,
Fahrenheit. When the stone is sufficiently warm,
the back part of the transfer paper, on which

125
the drawing has been made, must be slightly
wetted and placed between some sheets of soft
paper for a few minutes ; the drawing is then
placed on the stone, with the face towards it, and
it is drawn out, slowly two or three times (with
a slight pressure at first) and increasing the
pressure each time. When the stone is cold,
some weak etching water, and afterwards plenty
of pure water, must be thrown on the paper ;
as soon as it is well soaked, it must be gently
taken up, and if the operation has been success
ful, the ink or the chalk will have left the paper,
and be fixed on the stone : this latter must be
then treated as if the drawing had been made
on the stone.
It has been seen (art. 18) that a mucous sub
stance is laid on the transfer paper, which hin
ders the ink from penetrating it ; this latter is
slightly wetted, in order that the paper should
apply better to the stone; the stone is heated, in
order to open its pores and incline it to receive
the ink ; in short, when the stone is cold, water
is thrown on to destroy all connexion between
the ink and the paper, by which means the ink
remains firmly attached to the stone.
We have now completed the treatise on litho
graphy, but must beg leave to observe, that

126
having been ourselves bewildered by the nu
merous lithographic compositions which were
given to us, we are persuaded that we have done
a real service to the reader by giving but few
recipes, and those only which we have found by
experience to be the best.

MEMOIR ON LITHOGRAPHY.
PART IV.

When a person wishes to speculate on a new
art, it is necessary that he should be thoroughly
acquainted with the whole process, compare
this art with those which are analagous to it, to
be able to judge of its utility, and compare the
expense of the process, that he might judge
whether it has any advantage in point of eco
nomy. We have consequently thought that it
might interest many persons to have a compa
rison laid before them of lithography with cop
per-plate engraving.*
* As lithography has hardly yet been used in this country
by booksellers and printsellers, it is impossible to state the
expenses in English prices 5 however, as when this new art
will be thoroughly established in England, the relative ex
pense of copper-plate engraving and of lithography will
bear pretty nearly the same proportion as in France, a com
parison may easily be made. — Translator's note.

128
Comparison of Lithography with Engraving.
(107.) The extreme facility with which draw
ings are made upon stone, and their being in
fact original, give a great advantage to litho
graphy over engraving : but, on the other hand,
it must be confessed that, in point of beauty
and perfection, nothing has been hitherto pro
duced to be compared with fine line engraving.
Good engravers are extremely rare ; it often
requires many years labour to finish a fine plate;
and it is on this account that we see but few
fine prints, and that so many ordinary engravings
are to be met with. It is this class of prints
that lithography will most certainly supersede ;
and when we compare the stiffness of prints to
the ease and freedom of lithographic drawings,
there is not the least doubt that lithography
will become a most valuable substitute to the
secondary class of copper-plate engravings.
When expense is a consideration, it will be
seen that lithography is by far preferable to
every style of engraving. Hitherto the greatest
part of the lithographic productions are chalk
drawings : the reason of this is, that artists have
not sufficient patience to attend to all the mi
nutiae of an ink drawing ; and as engravers
(who by profession would be the most success-

129
ful in this style) are naturally the last to encou
rage lithography, no superior specimens in ink
drawings have hitherto been laid before the
public. The collection of lithographic prints of
the School of the Roads and Bridges, in Paris,
may be compared with the best copper-plate
engraving, in point of sharpness and high finish.
The drawings and plans of the public works
executed in France had hitherto, from the great
expense of engraving, remained buried in port
folios : thus a number of ingenious and useful
inventions were lost. It was proposed to form
an association amongst all the engineers, by the
rules of which the drawings were to be exe
cuted on stone, instead of being done on paper ;
and a mutual exchange to take place. This
plan has succeeded beyond all expectation; and
as this society is at present composed of 150
engineers, and consequently 150 impressions of
each drawing are required, we will make this
the basis of our comparison ; every drawing
being one foot five, by ten inches and a quarter.
(108.)* The price of a copper plate, large
enough for a drawing of the above-mentioned
* For the convenience of the reader, the French prices have
been converted into English money. K

130
dimensions, is from three and ninepence to four
and twopence a pound. They are sold again,
when worn out, at one and eightpence.
A plate of copper, twenty inches by twelve,
costs one pound five shillings : it may be scraped
twice ; this will cost about twelve and sixpence ;
and when old, may be sold for twelve and six
pence : consequently, as the same plate may
serve for three drawings, each will come to
eight and fourpence.
A letter engraver charges two and eleven
pence for a hundred words in,small Italics, and
five shillings, if small Roman type.
Capital letters are charged as for a word ;
thus the letters necessary for the explanation
of one of the drawings of the collection would
cost, on an average, eight and fourpence ; and
a clever engraver would ask at least two pounds
two shillings for the simple etching.
A German stone, two inches thick, and large
enough for one of the drawings, costs twelve
and sixpence ;* a stone loses about the fiftieth
* Thanks to the excessive liberality of our government,
the prices of stones can bear no proportion in the scale with
those mentioned in the French text. In other countries,
but particularly in France, the government has stepped for
ward, and endeavoured to encourage, botli by protection and
money, the introduction of this useful art : here, on the con-

131
part of an inch every time a drawing is rubbed
off, so that one stone may serve for about thirty
drawings. The expense of executing one of the draw
ings of the collection is five shillings ; and for
writing the explanation and words, half-a-crown ;
thus we may form the following table : —

Copper-Plate. £ s.
Price of Copper . 0 8

d. 4.

Lithography. £
Cost of the stone

s.

d.

Etching the draw
ing .... 2 2

0

for one drawing 0
For making the

0

3

For engraving the
letters ... 0 8
2 18

48

drawing ... 0
For writing the
words ... 0

52

0 0

0 7 9

trary, it was immediately looked upon as an object of revenue,
and the enormous duty of twenty shillings a hundred weight
laid on lithographic stones ; thus nipping lithography in the
bud, by raising the stones to an exorbitant price. Nor can
it be alleged that this is done to encourage the working of our
own quarries, for no good lithographic stones have hitherto
been found in England, and were there any to be procured,
the quantity of stones required for lithography is always
trifling in comparison with what is required for building,
paving, &c. Lithography in France is already become a
considerable branch of commerce with other countries, and
the immense sums of money which the sale of English prints
have brought into this country might give us full room to
hope that lithography would become equally productive;
K 2

132

The above expenses are the same, whatever
may be the number of impressions.

£ s. d.

Printing 150

im-

pressions,

at

5s.1d. per hun
dred . .
.
0
8
H
Paper . .
• •
0
5
10
0 14. 2f
£ s. d.
Printing, at 3s. 4i.
per hundred .050
Paper .... 0 5 10
0 10 10
According to the first part of the above state
ment, lithography is about seven times cheaper
than copper-plate engraving ; and even then a
great part of the expense may be saved, if the
person executes his drawing himself.
To make the comparison still more striking,
let us suppose that any number of impressions
are to be taken, to which we shall add the first
expense of engraving the copper, and mak
ing the drawing on stone ; this expense being
the same, whatever the number of impressions
may be.
however, at present, the high price of stones here must
give a decided superiority to our neighbours. A German
stone, of the dimensions mentioned in the text, would cost
(all expenses included) only nine shillings ; in London, with
the duty, it comes to 1/. 7*. — Translator's note.
133

Number of Copies.

Engraving.

Lith

ogra

phj

£ s.

d.

£

s.

d.

150 ... .

3 12

I Of

0

18

7

300 ... .

4 7

1

l

9

5

600 ... .

5 15

6

2

11

1

1,200 ....

8 12

4

4

14

5

2,400 ....

14 6

o

9

1

1

We have stopped at 2,400, because an etch
ing on copper is generally worn out after having
given that number of impressions ; whereas an
ink drawing on stone can give any number of
impressions : * but if more than 2,400 impres
sions are wanted, the plate must be engraved,
which adds £2 18s. 8d. more in the balance
against engraving.
The above comparison clearly shows the im
mense advantage of lithography over engraving,
in point of economy ; there is no doubt that
when clever artists and engravers will try to
execute highly-finished ink drawings or etch
ings on stone, specimens will be produced that
will rival the best copper-plate engravings, and

* Etchings on stone, from the facility with which they are
done, the fineness and purity of the lines, and the expedition
xn printing, are likely to prove far more useful still than
drawings in lithographic ink. — Translator's note.

134
these will have the advantage of being executed
with much more ease and rapidity.
The facility with which lithographic draw
ings are executed, as this does not require a
long and previous study, like engraving, enables
any person, who can handle a pencil, to produce
any number of impressions. This renders
lithography of inappreciable advantage to seve
ral branches of manufactures, such as coach-
makers, upholsterers, clock and lamp makers,
goldsmiths, &c. : it will also be highly useful for
copies of writing, for music, models of machi
nery, &c.
(109.) A wonderful property of lithography
is the possibility of multiplying fine engravings,
ad infinitum, by means of transfer.
The process we are going to describe was in
vented by Mr. Le Gros, of Anesy, well known
in France by several important discoveries.
An impression of a lithographic drawing, or
of any copper-plate, is taken on a sheet of thin,
but well-sized vellum paper : the instant the
impression is taken it is thrown in a bason of
clean water, so as to swim on its surface : a
stone must previously have been prepared (ei
ther grained or polished, according to the style
of drawing) washed with spirits of turpentine,

135
and heated, as for a transfer. When the im
pression is well soaked, one of the extremities
of the paper is placed on the stone, and it is
gradually and gently pressed down with the
roller (fig. 6) until the whole print is applied
to its surface : the paper is taken up, and the
print will have left the paper, and fixed itself
to the stone ; this transfer must undergo the
preparation of a common drawing.
It is difficult for those who have not witnessed
the operation to imagine the perfection with
which it can be executed. Mr. Le Gros has trans
ferred before us an impression from a highly-
finished copper-plate, and so perfect were the
impressions from the stone, that it was quite
impossible for any of the by-standers to distin
guish the copy from the original. This expe
riment evidently shows that a clever engraver is
only wanting, in order to produce lithographic
drawings, or etchings, equal to copper-plate
engraving. By this process, any indefinite nnmber of im
pressions may be obtained, for it is only .neces
sary to make transfers on several stones, to ob
tain hundreds of thousands of impressions. —
Several transfers of small prints may be made
on the same stone, by which means an immense
saving in the expense of printing will be oh-

136
tained ; or if a great number of impressions of
any important paper were suddenly wanted,
several impressions might be thrown off in a
few moments on several stones, and given to be
printed in different presses.
(110.) We have seen, in art. 58, how wood
cuts could be imitated ; by a similar process,
flat and coloured tints may be applied to litho
graphic prints. Take of
Wax, two parts,
Soap, one part,
A little vermillion :
Melt these in a saucepan, and when dissolved,
cast in sticks. This must be worked in a sau
cer till it acquires the consistency of cream : a
coating of this is applied to a stone, and when
dry, a transfer, frpm a fresh impression, must
be made on this coating : if lights are wanted,
the coating must be scraped away where the
lights are intended : the stone must now be
etched with acid, in the proportion of one part
of acid to twenty of water ; after which the
whole must be washed off with turpentine, and
printed as an ink drawing. Care must be taken,
when the drawing is executed, to make two
small dots in the margin, which must be printed
in every impression, and these dots be printed

137
also on the coating in the transfer, and care
fully preserved. These dots are absolutely ne
cessary, to bring the prints to correspond in
the second application on the tint plate.
By employing several stones, very fine co
loured prints may be produced.
(111.) It might, perhaps, be possible, by em
ploying chemical ' affinities, to print in colours
with one stone alone. A red chalk might be
made, for example, which would have an affi
nity with a certain ink, a blue chalk with
another ink, and so on. Another method
might be employed, which would be to use
gummed silk, stretched out on frames ; to cut
out holes in these according to the different
colours, and, by applying them to the stone, to
leave uncovered those parts only which are to
be charged with a certain ink : we have not the
least doubt that beautiful specimens might be
produced by this process.
(1 1$ ) We have seen that very fine etchings
were executed on stone : Mr. Duplat has em
ployed a similar process to produce admirable
imitations of wood cuts, which have been em
ployed by Mr. Renouard, in his edition of the
Fables of La Fontaine.

138
He covers the stone with a greasy varnish,
scraping away those parts which are to be white,
and, executing with a brush the lines which
are to be very fine, he etches with a strong
acid, until the lines of the drawing are much in
relief. When this is done he casts on the stone
some metal, and beats it with a hammer, in
order that it might enter the cavities of the
stone still more accurately : this matrix serves
as a mould for casting forms which are employed
by the printers, like wood cuts.
We have now communicated to the public all
that we have known of lithography, and doubt
not that any intelligent person, by following the
rules that are given in this book, will be almost
certain of being successful.
There is every reason to hope that France,
the country which has always cultivated the
fine arts with the greatest success, will also be
the one in which lithography will attain the
summit of perfection ; and that this highly use
ful art will increase the produce of our indus
try, multiply the masterpieces of our artists,
and render the rest of the world our tributary.*
* Our decided superiority in engraving, and the undoubted
talent of our artists, give every reason to expect that Mr.
Raucourt's prediction will not be fulfilled. — Translator's note.
THE END.

LONDON:
PRINTED UT THOMAS DAVISON, WH1TEKRIARS.

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