[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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