In joining sheets of tracing paper, the joint should never be made more than 1⁄4 inch broad. The gum used for this purpose should be very thin, and a strip of drawing paper should be placed upon each side of the joint until it is quite dry. It is a good plan to roll the joined sheet upon a roller with the joint in a line with the roller and the strips infolded over the joint. When left to dry in this position, the joint will be perfectly smooth.
Drawings have frequently to be mounted on stretchers, and the operation of mounting is one requiring some care and practice. Generally it will be found more convenient to purchase the stretcher ready made complete; but when this is not done, care must be taken to have the frame made of sufficient strength to resist the tension of the paper when dry. The sides and the ends of a stretcher, 8 or 9 feet long, should be 4 inches broad and not less than 7⁄8 inch thick, and for any length above 18 inches there should be one or more bars across. A frame 6 feet long should have two cross-bars dividing the length into three equal parts, and they should be of such a thickness as not to come up flush with the sides and ends by about 1⁄8 inch. The inner edges on the face of the latter should be rounded down to the level of the cross-bars, and the same degree of rounding should be given to the edges of the cross-bars themselves. This is necessary to prevent the edges from showing a soiled mark on the paper. When the frame has been thus prepared, the linen or calico should be spread out on some flat surface and the frame laid upon it face downwards. The ends of the linen should then be pulled over and nailed to the back; next, the middle of the sides should be pulled over and fixed in the same way. The intermediate spaces are afterwards tacked down by placing a tack alternately on opposite sides, care being taken to pull the linen tight and smooth before inserting the tack. It is a good plan to fold the edge, as the double thickness will hold the tacking better than if single.
To mount the paper on the stretcher, it should be laid face downwards upon a clean flat surface, which will be all the better if covered with a clean cloth, and sponged with clean water. When the water has soaked in, apply with a flat brush some cold flour paste, and, if necessary, remove all knots or particles of gritty matter, as these would prevent the paper from lying close to the linen. The addition of a little alum to the paste improves its adhesive property, and also tends to make the drawing less stiff when dry. When a good coating of paste has been well distributed over the paper, place the stretcher upon the paper and rub the back of the linen well; then turn the stretcher over and rub down the edges of the paper. Air-bubbles between the linen and the paper may be got rid of by puncturing the spot with a fine needle and rubbing it down. Paper thus mounted may be drawn upon nearly as well as when stretched on a board. To give an edge for the T-square, a strip of wood with parallel edges may be temporarily nailed on.
Some drawings, such as large plans of estates, have frequently to be varnished. This operation requires some skill, and can be satisfactorily accomplished only by a practised hand. The process generally adopted is to stretch the drawing upon a frame, and to give it three or four coats of isinglass size with a flat broad brush, taking care to well cover it each time, and to allow it time to dry between each coat. The best varnish is Canada balsam, diluted in oil of turpentine. This requires to be put on evenly in a flowing coat with a fine flat brush, and to be left in a warm room free from dust until it is thoroughly dry. The drawing must be in a perfectly horizontal position while the size and the varnish are being applied. In drawings to be varnished, thick lines, such as shade lines, and chalky colours should never be put on before sizing, as they are apt to blot during the process.
Should a fir drawing-board get accidentally dented, an application of water to the part will, within certain limits, bring it up to its proper level.
Section II.—Geometrical Problems.
To bisect a given Straight Line.
—Let A B ([Fig. 1]) be the given line. From A and B, with any radius greater than 1⁄2 A B, draw arcs cutting each other in C and D; then the line joining C D will bisect the line A B as at E.
Fig. 1.