Temper and Sharpness.—Above all things the chisels must be of the right temper, and sharp.[125] They may be tempered by a smith or tool-maker—if the craftsman can do it for himself, so much the [p399] better. They are sharpened on a piece of Grit-stone (hard York stone, for instance) with water. The Temper of a chisel may be seen by the colour (blue shows a soft or low-temper, straw colour a hard or high temper), and felt by the way it rubs on the Grit-stone (a hard tool will slide easily over the stone, while a soft one will seem to stick or cling).[126]
Mallets.—A wooden mallet or Mell, a Zinc mallet or Dummy, and an iron or steel hammer are required (fig. [213]).
The Mell is made wholly of wood, and should, for letter cutting, be about 512 inches in diameter.
The Dummy has a head of zinc and a wooden handle. It should be about 212 inches in diameter.
The hammer should be about the same size and weight as the Dummy.
A RIGHT USE OF THE CHISEL
The workman must find out, for himself, how best to use his tools. In the ordinary way, it is best to hold the chisel at an angle of about 45° with the surface of the stone—in the manner shown in fig. [214]—in cutting both straight stems and curves. The chisel is held firmly (usually in the left hand, with the little finger about an inch from the cutting end of the chisel) and tapped rather than banged, and lightly rather than heavily.
The best way to cut a letter is to start at the extreme left-hand point of the bottom Serif, and, working upwards, to cut the left side of the stroke first. Then start similarly at the extreme right-hand point of the bottom Serif, and cut the right side of the stroke. Then finish the Serifs. [p400]
When cutting a curve, cut the inside first (fig. [214]), and start as near the narrowest part of the curve as possible.