Yeah, Peter, I know how it is! I took a printmaking class last semester, only in these modern times, wax has been replaced by asphaltum, and copper plates with zinc for the intaglio process. The acid's still the same...6:1 nitric acid/water bath. And VERY hard to fix. Of course we also had to do aquatinting....and PLEEEEZE don't say "scratching"--most printmakers will kill you for that! It's "needling"! But I can appreciate how hard making intaglio is! Rembrandt was a true master. None of mine ever got higher than a B grade. The detail REAL masters can put into them is mind bogglin, as you pointed out!

--Mbo