Engraving Burin: Square Steel Graver in a Mushroom Handle

The burin cuts a V-shaped groove in copper and other soft metals: a tempered steel shaft, usually square or lozenge in section, ending in a sharp cutting face, set in a mushroom-shaped handle cradled in the palm and held at about 30° to the plate. Forge and harden a square shaft, turn a handle, and grind the face. The picture: an old engraver's burin with a mushroom handle.