Drypoint etching needle tool Inox - Renesans - 17,8 cm

Double-sided steel needle for Inox drypoint.

Steel needles are used for etching zinc, copper or brass plates. These tools are ideal for dry needle and etching techniques. Due to their ability to accurately reproduce details, dry needles are widely used for engraving, creating embossing, decorating ceramics and carving.

Scratching the metal, the tip of the tool creates a special groove and raises the metal fibers, which retain the paint on themselves. The form obtained with the needle and metal is then coated with printing ink and cleaned as in copperplate, and then reflected on moistened paper using a light press pressure. The drawing created using the drypoint technique produces an effect similar to a pencil sketch.

Dry needle is a technique that complements other graphic techniques such as etching, aquatint and soft varnish. Drawing with a needle on a copper plate is also a preliminary stage in the creation of copperplate.