In Fig. 16 four ideas for imprints are shown. In B and C the initials are combined, while A and D are arrangements of scrolls and lines which will be understood as belonging to a certain person, just as trade-marks are the known marks of certain manufacturers.
In order to cut a wood-stamp, it will be necessary to have some fine carving-chisels, a vise, and sand-paper. Maple, boxwood, or other close-grained wood can be used, and it is best to cut the die on the end rather than on the side of the wood. Cut your block the size required; then draw the reverse of the design, as shown at Fig. 15. Cut this as deep as you need it, so that ink or marking-paste will not clog the low parts; then, when the face is properly finished, the die will stamp an impression as shown at Fig. 14. For large dies it will be necessary to use the wood on the side, as otherwise the blocks would be heavy and hard to handle. Souvenir books or engrossed memorials may be embellished with corner ornaments, as well as with capital letters and borders in red, blue, or gold. Any boy who is interested in this branch of craftsmanship can get ideas and designs from gift books, calendars, show-cards, circulars, and the host of illuminated and embellished printed matter that is in circulation. When making these selections, however, avoid the commonplace printing-house patterns, and favor those to be found in the best magazines, art books, and hand-books of ornament such as are shown in Fig. 17, the several parts of which are a miscellaneous lot of ornaments and letters that can be easily copied by the young die-cutter.
Fig. 13. Fig. 14. Fig. 15. Fig. 16. Fig. 17. Fig. 18.
Diluted printers’ ink is excellent for stamping, and when used it should be spread on a cloth stretched over several thicknesses of flannel and cotton cloth and made in the form of a pad, as shown at Fig. 18. This is a block of wood over which the thicknesses of fabric are laid, the top layer being drawn over the edge and tacked underneath. This block is then placed in a flat box of wood with a hinged cover, so that the pad may be kept enclosed when not in use, and so prevent the ink from drying out. After using the pad a cloth wet with benzine should be laid over the pad; then the lid should be closed and hooked down.
Embossing
In embossing the ornament is raised in low relief, and so lends a rich effect to paper, card, leather, or other ductile material. Embossing is generally done under heavy pressure, and with moisture or heat to facilitate the work. Papers, thin leathers, and some fabrics can be treated in this manner by the boy craftsman after he has mastered the art of making dies. The mode of making bas-reliefs was fully explained in Chapter XI, and for embossing a very low relief is necessary, since otherwise the paper would split or break away on the raised parts. After a well-modelled ornament is obtained, it will be necessary to make a hard casting from it in plaster, and then a casting from this, so that for the work you will have a sharp, clear bas-relief and an intaglio—one the expressed design and the other impressed. Make these of hard plaster, and give their surfaces a coat or two of shellac.
To press a piece of paper or leather, dampen it on both sides with a sponge or wet cloth, and heat the dies in an oven. Place the paper over the bas-relief, cover with the intaglio, and apply pressure. Or place some weight on top of the dies and leave them there for half an hour. On removing the paper you will find a perfect bas-relief which, when thoroughly dry, will hold its shape. Book, card, and mounted leather-work is treated in a hot press, but only for a second or two—just enough to drive the dies together, heat the material, and cause it to hold its shape.