EC Lyons : Square Scorper : # 37

Wood Engravers Use Square Scorpers To Create Incisions On The Surface Of Woodblocks. As Woodblocks Are Inked With A Roller, These Incisions Do Not Receive Ink, And Therefore Show Up White In The Final Print. This Is A Fine Square Scorper (#37). It Has Strait Sides, Which Means That It Will Cut A Line Of A Constant Width. Because The Tip Of The Cutting Face Is Completely Flat, Lines Cut With This Tool Will Begin And End Abruptly, With A Square Edge. They Will Not Swell Or Taper, Like Lines Made With A Spitsticker Or A Graver Might; Nor Will They Be Rounded At The Ends, Like Cuts Made With A Round Scorper. Scorpers Are Often Used To Lighten Areas Of A Print By Stippling: Repeatedly Pecking At The Woodblock With The Tip Of The Tool, So That The Surface Bears A Carpet Of Tiny Incisions. This Tool Will Create Angular, Squarish Dots; For Rounded Dots, You Will Need A Round Scorper. This Tool Is Made From High Carbon Tool Steel In The United States By E.C. Lyons. It Is Supplied Factory-sharp, But It Has Not Been Honed To A Fine Edge. Please Note, Engraving Tools Are Known By Different Names In The UK And The United States. Square Scorpers Are Known As 'Flat Gravers' In The USA.