Burin (engraving)

[3] The term burin refers to a tool used by engravers that has a thin, pointed blade and is used to etch or cut.

[4] The burin consists of a rounded handle shaped like a mushroom, and a tempered steel shaft coming from the handle at an angle and ending in a very sharp cutting face, creating a "V"-shaped groove in a printing plate of soft metal, classically copper.

A tint burin has a square face with teeth, to create many fine, closely spaced lines.

[6] A flat burin has a rectangular face, and is used for cutting away large portions of material at a time.

The 16th-century Dutch engraver Hendrik Goltzius found his unusually malformed hand was well suited for cradling and guiding a burin.

A burin diagram, showing the handle, shaft, cutting tip, and face. [ 1 ] The bend in the shaft is especially associated with wood engraving . [ 2 ]
Different blade tips
The malformed hand of Hendrik Goltzius , which was especially suited to the use of a burin