(1) Both parts of the arm must be so fastened to each other that they
may be bent like a knee, but once they are straight in line, they must
stay in that position. It is well, therefore, so to adjust the parts
that they will not be directly over each other, but rather exceed a
straight line under pressure, and bend a little inward. The position of
the scraper must be considered also. On the whole the following rule
holds good: the point where both parts are united with a nail or a screw
must not be in a perfectly straight line between the point where the
scraper rests and the point where the arm is fastened above, but should
be at least two and a half inches forward of that point. Otherwise the
arm may spring outwards toward the workman and injure him severely. The
third illustration shows the construction of the scraper arm and the
scraper.
(2) The arm must be grasped as low as possible when being drawn toward
one's self, in order to diminish the danger of springing outward.
(3) The workman must press his body tightly to the table of the press to
get proper leverage. Standing free, a man of moderate strength could not
move the scraper at all when the pressure is on, but a man standing in
correct position can do it without difficulty.
(4) Under very heavy pressure the inker-in, who stands on the other side
of the press, can help by pushing.
The scraper is a piece of pear wood as long as the size of the plate
demands. Its height is about four inches, its thickness one inch. The
end that rests on the leather is trimmed down so that it has a thickness
of only one line. This end must be especially true and planed to fit the
stone, also neatly rounded off. It should be so fastened to the arm that
it may be adjusted to the position of the stone. The stone does not
always lie truly horizontal in the press, sometimes because it is not
uniformly thick, sometimes because the underlay is not quite even, and
sometimes because the press itself has been a little strained. If the
scraper has been made properly, it will adjust itself to the stone, even
if the scraper arm is not quite plumb on the stone, a condition that
often occurs with small work, such as titles and other things that are
at the end of a stone.
(5) For every press a number of scrapers of different dimensions must be
in stock. Generally a lever press is so made that the printing-frame can
be raised or lowered according to the thickness of the stone. Then the
scraper must be changed accordingly.
(6) The connection of the upper board with the tread is made by a thin
stick that is fastened to a lever below, by means of a small iron piece
which contains several holes that serve to adjust the height of the
tread according to need.
(7) The leather in the printing-frame is strong calfskin. It must be
stretched very evenly and tensely and must be smeared from time to time
very thoroughly with tallow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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