Care of Wood-cuts.
Care should be taken that wood-cuts are thoroughly dry before being sent to the foundry, as the intense heat to which they are subjected frequently causes them to warp and split, especially if pierced.
Remedy for Type that Sticks in Distributing.
Great difficulty is sometimes experienced in distributing type which has been allowed to remain in form for any length of time. Prevention, of course, is better than cure; but where the remedy is required, the following may be tried with advantage:—Pour boiling water over the type, and allow it to stand for about half an hour. Repeat, if necessary, until the desired effect has been obtained.
Laying Type.
The page as received from the founder, should be carefully unwrapped, and, after having been placed on a galley, soaked thoroughly with thin soap water, to prevent adhesion after the types have been used a short time; then, with a firm rule or reglet, as many lines should be lifted as will make about an inch in thickness, and, placing the rule close upon one side of the bottom of the proper box, slide off the lines gently, taking care not to rub the face against the side of the box. Proceed then with successive lines till the box is filled. Careless compositors are prone to huddle new type together, and grasping them by handfulls plunge them pell-mell into the box, rudely shaking them down to crowd in more. This should never be allowed, as shaking does more injury to type than press wear. The type left over should be kept standing on galleys in regular order till the cases need to be again filled or sorted.
To Fix Bronze Colors on Glass.
Bronze colors can be fixed upon glass or porcelain by painting the articles with a concentrated solution of potash water glass of 30° B., and dusting them with the bronze powder. The latter adheres so firmly that it will not be affected by water, and may be polished with steel or agate.