Surface plates were traditionally made by scraping.[1] Three raw (plates that have been `seasoned` or residual stress relieved and received suitable surface treatments, but unfinished) cast surface plates, a flat scraper (as pictured at the top of the image) and a quantity of bearing blue (or red lead) were all that was required in the way of tools.[2]

The scraper in the center of the image is a three corner scraper and is typically used to deburr holes or the internal surface of bush type bearings. Bushes are typically made from bronze or a white metal.

The scraper pictured at the bottom is a curved scraper. It has a slight curve in its profile and is also suitable for bush bearings, typically the longer ones.

One advantage of scraping is the ability to take the tool to the workpiece, this can be useful when the workpiece weighs several tons and is difficult to move.

It is done by using a precision surface such as a surface plate or a straight edge as a standard (a straight edge in this context is not a ruler; it is a miniature surface plate of extreme accuracy). The standard is coated with a very thin coating of a material such as Prussian blue. The work piece and standard are touched together by gravity alone and the high spots on the work piece will be colored by the dye on the standard. These high spots are scraped off and the process repeated until there is an even spread of high spots which total about 60%[citation needed] or more of the surface area. Coarse scraping gives a resulting surface with 5-10 points per square inch while fine scraping yields 24-36 points per square inch. If desired the surface can then be “Frosted”. A surface prepared in this way is superior in overall accuracy to any prepared by machining or grinding operations, although lapping can equal or exceed it over small distances