Printers (continued)  Book III, Chapter 20, Section 2c
 
[Several of the images from 98 onwards are very faint pencil drafts.]


Letter mould
  85. This is one halfe of the Letter Mold, by which the Letter Founder casts his letters, the other halfe is in a manner the same, answering it ioynt, except in these things, the vnder part of the Mold, hath a stool behind, with a Bow and a spring; with a roundish wyer between the body and the carriage in the vpper part of the Mold, where the vnder part hath a small round Groove made to receiue it: by which halfe wyer the nick is made in the shank of the letter.
These two parts of the Mold are so exactly fitted and Gaged into one an other by a Male and female Gage, by which they may be slided on vpon the other further or neerer togather, which sliding back or assunder, makes the shank of the letter thicker, and forwards makes the shank thinner.

Related text(s)   Description of mould

Founders matrice
 86. He beareth a Matrice, or Founders Matrice, with a K sunk or punched into it.
[E in the drawing, following Moxon, Plate 18E]
This is a long square peece of Brass or copper, in which on one of the sides neere the top is stamped or punched all the letters of the alphabet, signs, aspects and planet marks, with what other things are needfull in the art of printing: that is to say, one single letter, or Mark, on each peece of such square copper, which being thus completed I shall here explaine its parts.
The Matrice, when it is fitted and punched with its letter or marke.
The Bottom of the Matrice, the square top next the letter K. for in working that is downwards.
The top of the Matrice, the other square end next the riggett.
The right side, that to the left hand.
The left side, that to the right hand.
The Back side, or behind the Matrice, iust against the letter is filed athwart the back from the right to the left side and notch; which is to settle and hold the point of the spring, or wyer of the Mold in, that the Matrice start not back, when it is at work.
The Face, is the long side on which the letter is punched.
The Leather Groove of the Matrice, is the Notch or Riggett at the end of it.


Beard gauge
  On the sinister side the Matrice, is an Instrument used by Letter cutters, called a Beard Gage, its office is to examine the depth of the sinking of the punch into the Matrice, whether it be deep enough or not.
The Gage.
The shoulder, is that part as rests on the face of the Matrice.
The Point or Gage, that trieth the depth of the letter sunken.


Male gauge
  The other like a square, with a screw at the lower end of it, is termed a Male Gage or the Male Gage of the Letter Mold. It is a square Iron Shank with a Male Screw at the end of it, and the other end turned square from the square shank. This with the help of a Nut with a female screw doth draw down the body and carriage of the Mold to the bottom Plate, haue holes through them all.


Letter founders lining stick
 87. This is a Letter Founders Lining Stick; this is made all of Brass; its use is to lay the cast letters vpon, thereby with his plain to cut their notches, and by 2 or 3 rubs on a grinding ston, Justifies, that is take away, the irregularities come by casting from the bottom, and sides of the shanks of the letters.
The Lining stick is about 2 Inches long for small letters, but longer for Big bodyed letters, whose seueralls are as followeth.
The plaine, the exact flat bottom.
The side Ledge, that on the long side.
The Bottom ledge or end ledg.
The Stilt, a slender ledge set vnder the side, to tilt vp the fore edge, that letters lying on it may rest against the bottom ledge.


Matrice stay
 On the sinister side of the fore said Lining Stick, is an other thing in use by founders, which they call, the Matrice Stay or Holder, which is onely a thin peece of Leather cut into the forme of a triangle, which narrow end is tied to the Leather Groove of the Matrice, by whipping a thrid about it and fastning it with a knot, and then makes fast the broade end of the leather to the Wood of the Mold with hot Rossin. Some term this a Finger Leather.


Register of the casting mould
 88. This is termed, the Register of the Casting or Letter Mold: it is made of Iron plate, its vpper side straight, but the under is not, haueing a long square hole in the midle of it, by which it slids forwards and backwards as occasion requires; Its seuerall parts are named as followeth.
The Register.
The Shoulders, is the bottom part which projects either side from the neck.
The Neck, is made through the fileing in of two Notches.
The Cheek, is the return of the plate into a square at one of the sides.
The Screw hole, the long square hole in the midle.
[The central square hole is drawn very faintly in the manuscript but is clear on Moxon's Plate 19C.]


Letter founders furnace
 89. The Letter Founders Furnace, it is built of Brick vpright, with 4 square sides, and a ston on the top, with a round hole in for the pan: it hath seuerall denominations for the seuerall parts and members thereunto belonging, which in short are these.
The Furnace, with the ston on the top, haueing an Iron band about the edges of it.
The Top of the furnace Hole, with its round Iron plate, which is open behind to lett the smoak vent, break of the circularity of the stone.
The Funnell, the place where the smoak vents.
The stoke hole.
The Height of the Furnace, which is about 3 foote.
The breadth 2 foote and vpwards.
The Length 2 Foot 3 Inches.
The Aire hole, just vnder the Hearth to let in aire that the fire may burn the freer.
The Ash hole, where the Ashes that fall from the Hearth are taken away.
The Hearth, which lieth 7 inches below the top of the round Hole, and hath vnder it an other ring of the same dimensions with the first, on which straight Iron Barrs are fastned that the fire is laid on.
The Bench, a place to empty the letters out of the Mold vpon, as the Founder casts them
The Pan, which is either a plate Ladle, or a small cast Iron Kettle, that sinks into the hole, withing 2 Inches of the Brim.


Letter ladle
 On the sinister side of the furnace, as an appendage belonging to it, is the Letter Ladle: they are nothing different from other common Ladles, save in the size, and a little Lip coming out of the side, which they term the Geat of the Ladle, which is to poure the mettle directly into the mouth of the Mold.
The Bolling side, the outside or Round of the Ladle.
The Boll, the hollow or inside of it.
The Shanke.
The Handle.


Founder's bench(?)
 [A pencil drawing of a trestle table cannot be firmly identified but may be the founder's bench referred to by Moxon, p. 164 (but not drawn by him); alternatively it may be the 'bench on which dressing blocks are placed', Moxon Pl. 21g.]


Block grove
 90. The Block Grove, is the Groove in which the Blocks are laid, the same is 2 Inches deep and about 7 Inches wide, the cheeks of the said Groove is one side taper and the other Taper [sic] In which is put a wedge to hold the Blocks fast in the Groove, while the Irregularities about them at their casting, is plained with a Plaine, cleare away.


Kerning knife
No image located
91. He beareth a Letter founders Kerning Knife. This is a peece of a strong broken knife, set in a wooden handle, haueing the back towards the point broken off, either by rubbing or grindin on a Grindle ston: and a mettle Ferril about the handle of it. By this is the Kerned letters, that is such letters as haue part of their face hanging ouer one side, or both sides of the shank, as there are a many such amongst the Itallick letters; these cannot be rubed or plained, but must be scraped with this knife to take away all their Irregularities, which is termed Kerning of letters.


Dressing knife
 The Founder dressing knife, this is more properly, whose end is Basiled off from the Back to the point, and the Sprig or Pin of the handle is commonly set into the tip of an Harts Horn for its halve.


Wedge
 92. This is the wedge of the Block groove, it is taper about 7 inches long of which se more in numb.90.


Male dressing block
 93. The Founders dressing Blocks, they are made of hard wood, they are about 2 Inches square and 26 long: they are Male and female.
The Male Block hath through its whole length a Tongue, about halfe an Inch thick, and square; a little from each end is placed a knott of small square peeces of Box wood the one aboue the other below the tongue.


Female dressing block
No image located
94. This is called the female Block, which is such an other as the Male, onely instead of a Tongue, runeth through the length of it a Groove, made to receiue the tongue of the male Block; and the Knots in this block are made at the contrary ends, that when the face of a Dressing stick of letters is placed on the tongue, the knot keeps the letters from sliding, so that by a knock of a mallet the letters are forced between the blocks, where they are wedged close so that the plow doth its office in makeing euen and tight the foot of the letters.


Founders dressing hook
 95. This figure presents to your view, the Founders Dressing Hook, which is a long square rod of Iron about 2 foot long: with a small return peece of Iron made square to the vpper side of the rod, and a knott or riseing on the vpper side: whose office it is to be laid on a stick of letters, and by drawing it by the knott, the hook draws all the letters on the stick close and tight together, that they may the better be plained or scraped.


Founders racks
 96. This is the forme of the Founders Racks, which are made onely on deal Battens squared about 8 Inches long, and are at the ends set into two vpright stiles, standing about 16 Inches assunder, and the fore-ends of the Racks mounted a little, that when sticks of Letters is set by on any two parallel Racks, there may be noe danger that the letters shall slid off.


Plough
 The Plow, it is almost a common plaine, which you may se cha:9 numb. 20. only with this distinction, that through the length of the sole runs such a tongue as doth through the Male Block to slide tight and easie through the Groove made on the top of the Male Block: its blade mak a small angle with the sole of it, in the foot of each letter, so I shall say noe more of.


Letter founders liner
He beareth a Letter founders Liner.
This is an Instrument made of thin plate of Iron or Brass, whose draft is sufficient to express its shape. The use of it is on the bottom or under edge, which is about 3 Inches long, and is made true straight and pretty sharp and fine; that being applyed to the face of a Punch: or other piece of work, it may shew whether it be straight or noe.
[Pencil image e on H2027 f.409, too faint to reproduce; from Moxon, Plate 10E.]


Founders flat gauge
 98. He beareth a Founders Flat Gage. This is made of a flat peece of Box or other hard wood, it is 2 Inch and halfe broad, 3 and halfe long, and 1 and halfe thick, one corner being rounded off; and the other corner cut into through the thickness an exact square. It is used to hold a Rod of steel, or body of a Mold, or the like, to the flat of the useing file, that soe the same may be filed exactly square.


Face gauge
 99. This figure presents you with an Instrument termed a Face Gage. It is a plate of Steel, Iron, or Brass, the thicknesse of common Latin, or Latton cut into square notchs some wider by a degree then an other, and the other side of the Gage cut into with Bevile Notches of seuerall breadths, Some call this a Beard Gage.


Face gauge
100. This is an other kind of a Face Gage cut into one square and the rest all Bevile Notches; by these Gages the letters are cut on one body, each notch haueing its proportion to the body they are cut to. This because of it sloping Notches is termed the Italick Standing Gage: because the same is to measure the slope of the Italick stems, by applying the top and bottom of the Gage to the top and bottom lines of the letters, and the other side of the Gage to the stem, which if they comply, that letter hath its true slope.
[Pencil image d on H2027 f.409, too faint to reproduce; from Moxon, Plate 10D.]


Letter punch
101. He beareth a Punch, or Letter Punch. These are steele on the end whereof the letters are cut so that they are punched into the Matrice, as I shewed before. The parts of this Toole are
The Face, is the top square on which the letter is filed and cut.
The Shank, is the length of it, which is downwards taper.
The Hamer end, the small end, which is beat with the Hamer, to drive the other letter end into the copper matrice.

Counter-Punches are of the same forme, but larger for great letters.
[No image, but see no. 105]


Letter cutters flat table
102. He beareth a Letter cutters Flat-Table.
This is termed a stand-table; all the use of it to the cutter, is the Table, which is not aboue an Inch and halfe square and on its superficies exactly straight and flat. It is made of Iron or Brass, and is onely to trie if the shank of a Punch be exactly perpendicular to its face, when the face is set on the table.
[Pencil image f on H2027 f.409, too faint to reproduce; from Moxon, Plate 10F.]


Sliding gauge
 103. Here is presented to your view, that Instrument which they call a steel Gage or a sliding Gage. It is a Tool also commonly used by Mathematicall Instrument-Makers, as well as in letter cutting and makeing of Molds. Its use is to measure and set of distances between place and place and to mark it of from the end of your work. It hath these parts or members all made of Brass.
The Beam, the long square Rod. The Tooth, the steel pin, that goes through the end of the Beam.
The Face of the Sliding Sockett, is the square which is made fast to an hind peece.
The Sliding Sockett, that Bar and thick peece, which slids on the Beam.
The Screw which holds the sockett close to the beam, that it stir not.


Joint flat gauge
 104. He beareth a Joynt Flat Gage the joynt erect.
This Instrument consists of two cheeks, about 8 or 9 Inches long, and are fastned together at one end, as the legs of a Joyners Joynt rule are in the centre, and are as thick or deep as the shanks of the letter cutters Punch is long. And the end of the Leg or shank is let in an Iron pin, with an head at the further end, and a male screw at this end, on which is a nutt with 2 eares which hath a female screw in it, that draws and holds the legs together, with the Punch in its proper hole: this is to hold punches in, while the face of the letters are pollished, and the hardning scurfe taken of the face of them.


Letter punches
 105. Are the formes of Punches made with the Letters a. and b. cut on the face or end of them. And here I shall conclude the Art of Printing and letter casting, wishing those that desire to pry further into the Mistery to peruse those volumes of Mechanick exercises set forth by Joseph Moxon Vol.2, sec.1. 2. 3. etc. where there is the whole Art discouered.


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