¶. 13. Of the Bar marked B in Plate 8.
This Bar is Iron, containing in length about two Foot eight Inches and an half, from a to b, and its greatest thickness, except the Sholder, an Inch and a quarter; The end a hath a Male-Screw about an Inch Diameter and an Inch long, to which a Nut with a Female-Screw in it as at C is fitted. The Iron Nut in which this Female-Screw is made, must be very strong, viz. at least an Inch thick, and an Inch and three quarters in Diameter; in two opposite sides of it is made two Ears, which must also be very strong, because they must with heavy blows be knock’t upon to draw the Sholder of the square shank on the Bar, when the square Pin is in the Eye of the Spindle close and steddy up to the Cube on the Spindle. The square Pin of the Bar marked c is made to fit just into the Eye, through the middle of the Cube of the Spindle, on the hither end of this square Pin is made a Sholder or stop to this square Pin, as at d. This Sholder must be Filed exactly Flat on all its four insides, that they may be drawn close and tight up to any flat side of the Cube on the Spindle; It is two Inches square, that it may be drawn the firmer, and stop the steddyer against any of the flat sides of the said Cube, when it is hard drawn by the strength of the Female-Screw in the aforesaid Nut at C. The thickness from d to e of this Sholder is about three quarters of an Inch, and is Bevil’d off towards the Handle of the Bar with a small Molding.
The substance of this Bar, as aforesaid, is about an Inch and a quarter; but its Corners are all the way slatted down till within five Inches of the end: And from these five Inches to the end, it is taper’d away, that the Wooden-Handle may be the stronger forced and fastned upon it.
About four Inches off the Sholder, the Bar is bowed beyond a right Angle, yet not with an Angle, but a Bow, which therefore lies ready to the Press-man’s Hand, that he may Catch at it to draw the Wooden-Handle of the Bar within his reach.
This Wooden-Handle with long Working grows oft loose; but then it is with hard blows on the end of it forced on again, which oft splits the Wooden-Handle and loosens the square Pin at the other end of the Bar, in the Eye of the Spindle: To remedy which inconvenience, I used this Help, viz. To weld a piece of a Curtain-Rod as long as the Wooden-Handle of the Bar, to the end of the Iron Bar, and made a Male-screw at the other end with a Female-screw to fit it; Then I bored an hole quite through the Wooden-Handle, and Turn’d the very end of the Wooden-Handle with a small hollow in it flat at the bottom, and deep enough to bury the Iron-Nut on the end of the Curtain-Rod, and when this Curtain-Rod was put through the Hollow in the Wooden-Handle and Screwed fast to it at the end, it kept the Wooden-Handle, from flying off; Or if it loosened, by twisting the Nut once or twice more about, it was fastned again.
¶. 14. Of the Hose, Garter, and Hose-Hooks.
The Hose are the upright Irons in Plate 8. at a a, They are about three quarters of an Inch square, both their ends have Male-screws on them; The lower end is fitted into a square Hole made at the parting of the Hose-Hooks, which by a square Nut with a Female-screw in it, is Screwed tight up to them; Their upper ends are let into square Holes made at the ends of the Garter, and by Nuts with Female-Screws in them, and Ears to turn them about as at l l are drawn up higher, if the Plattin-Cords are too loose; or else let down lower if they are too tight: These upper Screws are called the Hose-Screws.
The Garter (but more properly the Coller) marked b b, is the round Hoop incompassing the flat Groove or Neck in the Shank of the Spindle at e e; This round Hoop is made of two half-round Hoops, having in a Diametrical-line without the Hoop square Irons of the same piece proceeding from them, and standing out as far as g g, These Irons are so let into each other, that they comply and run Range with the square Sholders at both ends, wherein square Holes are made at the ends of the Hose. They are Screwed together with two small Screws, as at h h.
The four Hose-Hooks are marked i i i i, They proceed from two Branches of an Iron Hoop at k encompassing the lower end of the Spindle, on either Corner of the Branch, and have notches filled in their outer-sides as in the Figure, which notches are to contain several Turns of Whip-cord in each notch, which Whip-cord being also fastned to the Hooks on the Plattin, holds the Plattin tight to the Hooks of the Hose.
¶. 15. Of the Ribs, and Cramp-Irons.
The Ribs are delineated in Plate 8. at E, they are made of four square Irons the length of the Wooden-Ribs and End-Rails, viz. four Foot five Inches long, and three quarters of an Inch square, only one end is batter’d to about a quarter of an Inch thick, and about two Inches and an half broad, in which battering four or five holes are Punch’t for the nailing it down to the Hind-Rail of the Wooden-Ribs. The Fore-end is also batter’d down as the Hind-end, but bound downwards to a square, that it may be nailed down on the outer-side of the Fore-Rail of the Wooden-Ribs.
Into the bottom of these Ribs, within nine Inches of the middle, on either side is made two Female-Duftails about three quarters of an Inch broad, and half a quarter of an Inch thick, which Female-Duftails have Male-Duftails as at a a a a fitted stiff into them, about an Inch and three quarters long; and these Male-Duftails have an hole punched at either end, that when they are fitted into the Female-Duftails in the Ribs, they may in these Holes be Nailed down the firmer to the Wooden-Ribs.
These Ribs are to be between the upper and the under-side exactly of an equal thickness, and both to lye exactly Horizontal in straight lines; For irregularities will both Mount and Sink the Cramp-Irons, and make them Run rumbling upon the Ribs.
The upper-sides of these Ribs must be purely Smooth-fil’d and Pollish’d, and the edges a little Bevil’d roundish away, that they may be somewhat Arching at the top; because then the Cramp-Irons Run more easily and ticklishly over them.
The Cramp-Irons are marked F in Plate 8. They are an Inch and an half long besides the Battering down at both ends as the Ribs were; They have three holes Punched in each Battering down, to Nail them to the Planck of the Coffin; They are about half an Inch deep, and one quarter and an half thick; their upper-sides are smoothed and rounded away as the Ribs.
¶. 16. Of the Spindle for the Rounce, described in Plate 9. at a.
The Axis or Spindle is a straight Bar of Iron about three quarters of an Inch square, and is about three Inches longer than the whole breadth of the Frame of the Ribs, viz. two Foot two Inches: The farther end of it is Filed to a round Pin (as at a) three quarters of an Inch long, and three quarters of an Inch in Diameter; the hither end is filed away to such another round Pin, but is two Inches and a quarter long (as at b); at an Inch and a quarter from this end is Filed a Square Pin three quarters of an Inch long, and within half an Inch of the end is Filed another round Pin, which hath another Male-Screw on it, to which is fitted a square Iron Nut with a Female-Screw in it.
On the Square Pin is fitted a Winch somewhat in form like a Jack-winch, but much stronger; the Eye of which is fitted upon the Square aforesaid, and Screwed up tight with a Female-Screw. On the straight Shank of this Winch is fitted the Rounce, marked e.
The round ends of this Axis are hung up in two Iron-Sockets (as at c c) fastned with Nails (but more properly with Screws) on the outside the Wooden Frame of the Ribs.
The Girt-Barrel marked d is Turned of a Piece of Maple or Alder-wood, of such a length, that it may play easily between the two Wooden Ribs; and of such a diameter, that in one revolution of it, such a length of Girt may wind about it as shall be equal to half the length contained between the fore-end Iron of the Tympan, and the inside of the Rail of the Inner-Tympan; because two Revolutions of this Barrel must move the Carriage this length of space.
This Barrel is fitted and fastned upon the Iron Axis, at such a distance from either end, that it may move round between the Wooden Ribs aforesaid.
¶. 17. Of the Press-Stone.
The Press-Stone should be Marble, though sometimes Master Printers make shift with Purbeck, either because they can buy them cheaper, or else because they can neither distinguish them by their appearance, or know their different worths.
Its thickness must be all the way throughout equal, and ought to be within one half quarter of an Inch the depth of the inside of the Coffin; because the matter it is Bedded in will raise it high enough. Its length and breadth must be about half an Inch less than the length and breadth of the inside of the Coffin: Because Justifiers of Wood, the length of every side, and almost the depth of the Stone, must be thrust between the insides of the Coffin and the outsides of the Stone, to Wedge it tight and steddy in its place, after the Press-man has Bedded it. Its upper-side, or Face must be exactly straight and smooth.
I have given you this description of the Press-Stone, because they are thus generally used in all Printing-Houses: But I have had so much trouble, charge and vexation with the often breaking of Stones, either through the carelesness or unskilfulness (or both) of Press-men, that necessity compell’d me to consider how I might leave them off; and now by long experience I have found, that a piece of Lignum-vitæ of the same size, and truly wrought, performs the office of a Stone in all respects as well as a Stone, and eases my mind, of the trouble, charge and vexation aforesaid, though the first cost of it be greater.
¶. 18. Of the Plattin marked d in Plate 9.
The Plattin is commonly made of Beechen-Planck, two Inches and an half thick, its length about fourteen Inches, and its breadth about nine Inches. Its sides are Tryed Square, and the Face or under-side of the Plattin Plained exactly straight and smooth. Near the four Corners on the upper-side, it hath four Iron Hooks as at a a a a, whose Shanks are Wormed in.
In the middle of the upper-side is let in and fastned an Iron Plate called the Plattin-Plate, as b b b b, a quarter of an Inch thick, six Inches long, and four Inches broad; in the middle of this Plate is made a square Iron Frame about half an Inch high, and half an Inch broad, as at c. Into this square Frame is fitted the Stud of the Plattin Pan, so as it may stand steddy, and yet to be taken out and put in as occasion may require.
The Stud marked d, is about an Inch thick, and then spreads wider and wider to the top (at e e e e) of it, till it becomes about two Inches and an half wide; and the sides of this spreading being but about half a quarter of an Inch thick makes the Pan. In the middle of the bottom of this Pan is a small Center hole Punch’d for the Toe of the Spindle to work in.
¶. 19. Of the Points and Point-Screws.
The Points are made of Iron Plates about the thickness of a Queen Elizabeth Shilling: It is delineated at e in Plate 9. which is sufficient to shew the shape of it, at the end of this Plate, as at a, stands upright the Point. This Point is made of a piece of small Wyer about a quarter and half quarter of an Inch high, and hath its lower end Filed away to a small Shank about twice the length of the thickness of the Plate; so that a Sholder may remain. This small Shank is fitted into a small Hole made near the end of the Plate, and Revetted on the other side, as was taught Numb. 2. Fol. 24. At the other end of the Plate is filed a long square notch in the Plate as at b c quarter and half quarter Inch wide, to receive the square shank of the Point-Screws.
The Point-Screw marked f is made of Iron; It hath a thin Head about an Inch square, And a square Shank just under the Head, an Inch deep, and almost quarter and half quarter Inch square, that the square Notch in the hinder end of the Plate may slide on it from end to end of the Notch; Under this square Shank is a round Pin filed with a Male-Screw upon it, to which is fitted a Nut with a Female-Screw in it, and Ears on its outside to twist about, and draw the Head of the Shank close down to the Tympan, and so hold the Point-Plate fast in its Place.
¶. 20. Of the Hammer, described at h, and Sheeps-Foot described at i in Plate 9.
The Hammer is a common Hammer about a quarter of a Pound weight; It hath no Claws but a Pen, which stands the Press-man instead when the Chase proves so big, that he is forced to use small Quoins.
The Figure of the Sheeps-Foot is description sufficient. Its use is to nail and un-nail the Balls.
The Sheeps-Foot is all made of Iron, with an Hammer-head at one end, to drive the Ball-Nails into the Ball-Stocks, and a Claw at the other end, to draw the Ball-Nails out of the Ball-Stocks.
¶. 21. Of the Foot-step, Girts, Stay of the
Carriage, Stay of the Frisket, Ball-Stocks,
Paper-Bench, Lye-Trough, Lye-Brush,
Lye-Kettle, Tray to wet Paper
in, Weights to Press Paper, Pelts, or
Leather, Wool or Hair, Ball-Nails or
Pumping-Nails.
The Foot-Step is an Inch-Board about a Foot broad, and sixteen Inches long. This Board is nailed upon a piece of Timber about seven or eight Inches high, and is Bevil’d away on its upper-side, as is also the Board on its under-side at its hither end, that the Board may stand aslope upon the Floor. It is placed fast on the Floor under the Carriage of the Press. Its Office shall be shewed when we come to treat of Exercise of the Press-man.
Girts are Thongs of Leather, cut out of the Back of an Horse-hide, or a Bulls hide, sometimes an Hogs-hide. They are about an Inch and an half, or an Inch and three quarters broad. Two of them are used to carry the Carriage out and in. These two have each of them one of their ends nailed to the Barrel on the Spindle of the Rounce, and the other ends nailed to the Barrel behind the Carriage in the Planck of the Coffin, and to the Barrel on the fore-end of the Frame of the Coffin.
The Stay of the Carriage is sometimes a piece of the same Girt fastned to the outside of the further Cheek, and to the further hinder side of the Frame of the Carriage. It is fastned at such a length by the Press-man, that the Carriage may ride so far out, as that the Irons of the Tympan may just rise free and clear off the fore-side of the Plattin.
Another way to stay the Carriage is to let an Iron Pin into the upper-side of the further Rail of the Frame of the Ribs, just in the place where the further hinder Rail of the Carriage stands projecting over the Rib-Rail, when the Iron of the Tympan may just rise free from the Fore-side of the Plattin; for then that projecting will stop against the Iron Pin.
The Stay of the Frisket is made by fastning a Batten upon the middle of the Top-side of the Cap, and by fastning a Batten to the former Batten perpendicularly downwards, just at such a distance, that the upper-side of the Frisket may stop against it when it is turned up just a little beyond a Perpendicular. When a Press stands at a convenient distance from a Wall, that Wall performs the office of the aforesaid Stay.
Ball-Stocks are Turn’d of Alder or Maple. Their Shape is delineated in Plate 9. at g: They are about seven Inches in Diameter, and have their under-side Turned hollow, to contain the greater quantity of Wool or Hair, to keep the Ball-Leathers plump the longer.
The Lye-Trough (delineated in Plate 9. at k) is a Square Trough made of Inch-Boards, about four Inches deep, two Foot four Inches long, and one Foot nine Inches broad, and flat in the Bottom. Its inside is Leaded with Sheet-Lead, which reaches up over the upper Edges of the Trough. In the middle of the two ends (for so I call the shortest sides) on the outer-sides as a a, is fastned a round Iron Pin, which moves in a round hole made in an Iron Stud with a square Sprig under it, to be drove and fastned into a Wooden Horse, which Horse I need not describe, because in Plate aforesaid I have given you the Figure of it.
The Paper-Bench is only a common Bench about three Foot eight Inches long, one Foot eight Inches broad, and three Foot four Inches high.
The Lye-Brush is made of Hogs-Bristles fastned into a Board with Brass-Wyer, for durance sake: Its Board is commonly about nine Inches long, and four and an half Inches broad; and the length of the Bristles about three Inches.
To perform the Office of a Lye-Kettle (which commonly holds about three Gallons) the old-fashion’d Chafers are most commodious, as well because they are more handy and manageable than Kettles with Bails, as also because they keep Lye longer hot.
The Tray to Wet Paper in is only a common Butchers Tray, large enough to Wet the largest Paper in.
The Weight to Press Paper with, is either Mettal, or Stone, flat on the Bottom, to ly steddy on the Paper-Board: It must be about 50 or 60 pound weight.
For Pelts or Leather, Ball-Nails or Pumping-Nails, Wool or Hair, Vellom or Parchment or Forrel, the Press-man generally eases the Master-Printer of the trouble of choosing, though not the charge of paying for them: And for Paste, Sallad Oyl, and such accidental Requisites as the Press-man in his work may want, the Devil commonly fetches for him.
¶. 22. Of Racks to Hang Paper on, and of the Peel.
Our Master-Printer must provide Racks to hang Paper on to Dry. They are made of Deal-board Battens, square, an Inch thick, and an Inch and an half deep, and the length the whole length of the Deal, which is commonly about ten or eleven Foot long, or else so long as the convenience of the Room will allow: The two upper corners of these Rails are rounded off that they may not mark the Paper.
These Racks are Hung over Head, either in the Printing-House, or Ware-house, or both, or any other Room that is most convenient to Dry Paper in; they are hung athwart two Rails an Inch thick, and about three or four Inches deep, which Rails are fastned to some Joysts or other Timber in the Ceiling by Stiles perpendicular to the Ceiling; These Rails stand so wide assunder, that each end of the Racks may hang beyond them about the distance of two Foot, and have on their upper edge at ten Inches distance from one another, so many square Notches cut into them as the whole length of the Rail will bear; Into these square notches the Racks are laid parallel to each other with the flat side downwards, and the Rounded off side upwards.
The Peel is described in Plate 9. at l, which Figure sufficiently shews what it is; And therefore I shall need say no more to it, only its Handle may be longer or shorter according as the height of the Room it is to be used in may require.
¶. 23. Of Inck.
The providing of good Inck, or rather good Varnish for Inck, is none of the least incumbent cares upon our Master-Printer, though Custom has almost made it so here in England; for the process of making Inck being as well laborious to the Body, as noysom and ungrateful to the Sence, and by several odd accidents dangerous of Firing the Place it is made in, Our English Master-Printers do generally discharge themselves of that trouble; and instead of having good Inck, content themselves that they pay an Inck-maker for good Inck, which may yet be better or worse according to the Conscience of the Inck-maker.
That our Neighbours the Hollanders who exhibit Patterns of good Printing to all the World, are careful and industrious in all the circumstances of good Printing, is very notorious to all Book-men; yet should they content themselves with such Inck as we do, their Work would appear notwithstanding the other circumstances they observe, far less graceful than it does, as well as ours would appear more beautiful if we used such Inck as they do: for there is many Reasons, considering how the Inck is made with us and with them, why their Inck must needs be better than ours. As First, They make theirs all of good old Linseed-Oyl alone, and perhaps a little Rosin in it sometimes, when as our Inck-makers to save charges mingle many times Trane-Oyl among theirs, and a great deal of Rosin; which Trane-Oyl by its grossness, Furs and Choaks up a Form, and by its fatness hinders the Inck from drying; so that when the Work comes to the Binders, it Sets off; and besides is dull, smeary and unpleasant to the Eye. And the Rosin if too great a quantity be put in, and the Form be not very Lean Beaten, makes the Inck turn yellow: And the same does New Linseed-Oyl.
Secondly, They seldom Boyl or Burn it to that consistence the Hollanders do, because they not only save labour and Fewel, but have a greater weight of Inck out of the same quantity of Oyl when less Burnt away than when more Burnt away; which want of Burning makes the Inck also, though made of good old Linseed-Oyl Fat and Smeary, and hinders its Drying; so that when it comes to the Binders it also Sets off.
Thirdly, They do not use that way of clearing their Inck the Hollanders do, or indeed any other way than meer Burning it, whereby the Inck remains more Oyly and Greasie than if it were well clarified.
Fourthly, They to save the Press-man the labour of Rubbing the Blacking into Varnish on the Inck-Block, Boyl the Blacking in the Varnish, or at least put the Blacking in whilst the Varnish is yet Boyling-hot, which so Burns and Rubifies the Blacking, that it loses much of its brisk and vivid black complexion.
Fifthly, Because Blacking is dear, and adds little to the weight of Inck, they stint themselves to a quantity which they exceed not; so that sometimes the Inck proves so unsufferable Pale, that the Press-man is forc’d to Rub in more Blacking upon the Block; yet this he is often so loth to do, that he will rather hazard the content the Colour shall give, than take the pains to amend it: satisfying himself that he can lay the blame upon the Inck-maker.
Having thus hinted at the difference between the Dutch and English Inck, I shall now give you the Receipt and manner of making the Dutch-Varnish.
They provide a Kettle or a Caldron, but a Caldron is more proper, such an one as is described in Plate 9. at m. This Vessel should hold twice so much Oyl as they intend to Boyl, that the Scum may be some considerable time a Rising from the top of the Oyl to the top of the Vessel to prevent danger. This Caldron hath a Copper Cover to fit the Mouth of it, and this Cover hath an Handle at the top of it to take it off and put it on by. This Caldron is set upon a good strong Iron Trevet, and fill’d half full of old Linseed-Oyl, the older the better, and hath a good Fire made under it of solid matter, either Sea Coal, Charcoal or pretty big Chumps of Wood that will burn well without much Flame; for should the Flame rise too high, and the Oyl be very hot at the taking off the Cover of the Caldron, the fume of the Oyl might be apt to take Fire at the Flame, and endanger the loss of the Oyl and Firing the House: Thus they let Oyl heat in the Caldron till they think it is Boyling-hot; which to know, they peel the outer Films of an Oynion off it, and prick the Oynion fast upon the end of a small long Stick, and so put it into the heating Oyl: If it be Boyling-hot, or almost Boyling-hot, the Oynion will put the Oyl into a Fermentation, so that a Scum will gather on the top of the Oyl, and rise by degrees, and that more or less according as it is more or less Hot: But if it be so very Hot that the Scum rises apace, they quickly take the Oynion out, and by degrees the Scum will fall. But if the Oyl be Hot enough, and they intend to put any Rosin in, the quantity is to every Gallon of Oyl half a Pound, or rarely a whole Pound. The Rosin they beat small in a Mortar, and with an Iron Ladle, or else by an Handful at a time strew it in gently into the Oyl lest it make the Scum rise too fast; but every Ladle-full or Handful they put in so leasurely after one another, that the first must be wholly dissolv’d before they put any more in; for else the Scum will Rise too fast, as aforesaid: So that you may perceive a great care is to keep the Scum down: For if it Boyl over into the Fire never so little, the whole Body of Oyl will take Fire immediately.
If the Oyl be Hot enough to Burn, they Burn it, and that so often till it be Hard enough, which sometimes is six, seven, eight times, or more.
To Burn it they take a long small Stick, or double up half a Sheet of Paper, and light one end to set Fire to the Oyl; It will presently Take if the Oyl be Hot enough, if not, they Boyl it longer, till it be.
To try if it be Hard enough, they put the end of a Stick into the Oyl, which will lick up about three or four drops, which they put upon an Oyster-shell, or some such thing, and set it by to cool, and when it is cold they touch it with their Fore or Middle-Finger and Thumb, and try its consistence by sticking together of their Finger and Thumb; for if it draw stiff like strong Turpentine it is Hard enough, if not, they Boyl it longer, or Burn it again till it be so consolidated.
When it is well Boyled they throw in an Ounce of Letharge of Silver to every four Gallons of Oyl to Clarifie it, and Boyl it gently once again, and then take it off the Fire to stand and cool, and when it is cool enough to put their Hand in, they Strain it through a Linnen Cloath, and with their Hands wring all the Varnish out into a Leaded Stone Pot or Pan, and keeping it covered, set it by for their use; The longer it stands by the better, because it is less subject to turn Yellow on the Paper that is Printed with it.
This is the Dutch way of making Varnish, and the way the English Inck-makers ought to use.
Note, First, That the Varnish may be made without Burning the Oyl, viz. only with well and long Boyling it; for Burning is but a violent way of Boyling, to consolidate it the sooner.
Secondly, That an Apple or a Crust of Bread, &c. stuck upon the end of a Stick instead of an Oynion will also make the Scum of the Oyl rise: For it is only the Air contained in the Pores of the Apple, Crust or Oynion, &c. pressed or forced out by the violent heat of the Oyl, that raises the many Bubbles on the top of the Oyl: And the connection of those Bubbles are vulgarly called Scum.
Thirdly, The English Inck-makers that often make Inck, and that in great quantities, because one Man may serve all England, instead of setting a Caldron on a Trevet, build a Furnace under a great Caldron, and Trim it about so with Brick, that it Boyls far sooner and more securely than on a Trevet; because if the Oyl should chance to Boyl over, yet can it not run into the Fire, being Fenced round about with Brick as aforesaid, and the Stoking-hole lying far under the Caldron.
Fourthly, When for want of a Caldron the Master-Printer makes Varnish in a Kettle, He provides a great piece of thick Canvass, big enough when three or four double to cover the Kettle, and also to hang half round the sides of the Kettle: This Canvass (to make it more soluble) is wet in Water, and the Water well wrung out again, so that the Canvass remains only moist: Its use is to throw flat over the Mouth of the Kettle when the Oyl is Burning, to keep the smoak in, that it may stifle the Flame when they see cause to put it out. But the Water as was said before, must be very well wrung out of the Canvass, for should but a drop or two fall from the sides of it into the Oyl when it is Burning, it will so enrage the Oyl, and raise the Scum, that it might endanger the working over
Having shewn you the Master-Printers Office, I account it suitable to proper Method, to let you know how the Letter-Founder Cuts the Punches, how the Molds are made, the Matrices Sunck, and the Letter Cast and Drest, for all these Operations precede the Compositers Trade, as the Compositers does the Press-mans; wherefore the next Exercises shall be (God willing) upon Cutting of the Steel-Punches.