Wood engravers use Round 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 medium Round Scorper (#56), used to draw very thick, bold lines. Because the tip of a Scorper is flat, rather than pointed (as Spitstickers and Gravers are), scorpers of larger sizes are used to clear large areas of woodblocks (often round the edge of the design, or at the corners of a block) so that they will not print.
Above a certain point, Round Scorpers have strait sides, which means that they will cut a line of a constant width if fully engaged in the wood. However, because the tip of the tool is shaped like a capital U, lines cut with it will have rounded ends.
Scorpers are also useful when lightening 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. Because of the U-shaped tip of this tool, it is perfect for creating large round dots.
This tool was 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 U.K. and the United States. Round Scorpers are known as 'Round Gravers' in the U.S.A.
