Wood engravers use Spitstickers to create incisions on the surface of woodblocks. As woodblocks are inked with a roller, these incisions do not receive ink. They therefore show up white in the final print.
This is a medium Spitsticker (#5). The tip of the tool is pointed, but the sides are curved. This makes it possible to draw long, fluid lines which twist and curve gracefully, and which taper away rather than terminating in a flat or round edge (like lines drawn with a scorper). Used lightly, a spitsticker will score a thin line; the line will swell if the tool is engaged further into the wood.
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 UK and the United States. Spitstickers are known as 'Elliptic Tints' or 'Elliptic Tint Tools' in the US.
