The process of electrotyping is one of the most interesting steps in
the making of a book, and authors will find it well worth while to
brave the grime of the black-lead in order to become familiar with the
detail. In brief, the type form is pressed down into a tablet made of
wax or similar substance, in which it leaves an impression. This wax
tablet is then allowed to remain in a galvanic bath, through which it
becomes covered with a coating of copper. When separated from the wax,
the thin, copper replica of the composed type is backed up by an alloy,
and, after passing through various stages in finishing, finally becomes
an electrotype plate.[39]