Moxon's mechanick exercises, volume 1 (of 2) : $b The doctrine of handy-works applied to the art of printingMoxon, Joseph
History
Moxon's mechanick exercises, volume 1 (of 2) : $b The doctrine of handy-works applied to the art of printing
Moxon, Joseph
Printing -- Early works to 1800
4. He must have two _Dressing-Knives_, one to lie before the _Blocks_
to _Scrape_ and _Beard_ the _Letter_ in the _Sticks_, and the other
behind the _Dressing-blocks_ to use when occasion serves to _Scrape_
off a small _Bur_, the _Tooth_ of the _Plow_ may have left upon the
_Feet_ of the _Letter_. And though one _Dressing-Knife_ may serve to
both these uses: Yet when Work-men are in a Train of Work they begrutch
the very turning the Body about, or stepping one step forward or
backward; accounting that it puts them out of their Train, and hinders
their riddance of Work.
5. For every _Body_ of _Letter_ he is to have a particular _Plow_, and
the _Tooth_ of the _Iron_ of each _Plow_ is to be made exactly to a
set bigness, the measure of which bigness is to be taken from the size
of the _Break_ that is to be _Plowed_ away. For Example, If it be a
_Pearl Body_ to be _Plowed_, the breadth of the _Tooth_ ought not to
be above a thin _Scaboard_: Because the _Break_ of that _Body_ cannot
be bigger, for Reasons I have given before; But the _Tooth_ must be
full broad enough, and rather broader than the _Break_, lest any of
the irregularity of the _Break_ should be left upon the _Foot_ of the
_Letter_. And so for every _Body_ he fits the _Tooth_ of the _Iron_,
full broad enough and a little broader than the size of the _Break_.
This is one reason why for every particular _Body_ he ought to have a
particular _Plow_. Another reason is.
The _Tooth_ of this _Plow_ must be exactly set to a punctual distance
from the _Tongue_ of the _Plow_: For if they should often shift _Irons_
to the several _Stocks_ of the _Plow_, they would create themselves by
shifting more trouble than the price of a _Stock_ would compensate.
A _Fount_ of _Letter_ being new _Cast_ and _Drest_, the Boy _Papers_ up
each sort in a _Cartridge_ by it self, and puts about an hundred Pounds
weight, _viz._ a Porters Burthen into a _Basket_ to be sent to the
_Master-Printers_.
The _Steel-Punches_ being now _Cut_, the _Molds_ made, the _Matrices
Sunk_, the _Letters Cast_, and _Drest_, the application of these
_Letters_ falls now to the task of the _Compositer_; whose _Trade_
shall be (God willing) the Subject of the next _Exercises_.
_FINIS._
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES.
1. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.
2. Silently corrected typographical errors.
3. Page 70. “§. 19.” changed to “¶. 19.”.
4. The paragraph symbol “¶” has been standardised as “¶.”.
5. The section symbol “§” has been standardised as “§.”.
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