Our Master-Printer is also to provide Galleys of different sizes, That the Compositer may be suited with small ones when he Composes small Pages, and with great ones for great Pages.
The Galley is marked A in Plate 2.
- a b c The Sides or Frame of the Galley.
- d The Slice.
These Galleys are commonly made of two flat Wainscot Boards, each about a quarter and half quarter of an Inch thick, the uppermost to slide in Grooves of the Frame, close down to the undermost, though for small Pages a single Board with two sides for the Frame may serve well enough: Those Wainscot Boards are an Oblong Square, having its length longer than its breadth, even as the form of a Page hath. The three Sides of the Frame are fixed fast and square down on the upper Plain of the undermost Board, to stand about three fifth parts of the height of the Letter above the superficies of the Slice. The Sides of the Frame must be broad enough to admit of a pretty many good strong Oaken Pins along the Sides, to be drove hard into the Bottom Board, and almost quite through the Sides of the Frame, that the Frame may be firmly fixed to it: But by no means must they be Glewed on to the Bottom Board, because the Compositer may sometimes have occasion to wet the Page in the Galley, and then (the Galley standing aslope upon the Case) the Water will soak between the sides of the Frame, and under Board, and quickly loosen it.
§. 6. Of the Correcting-stone.
The Correcting-Stone marked B in Plate 2. is made of Marble, Purbeck, or any other Stone that may be made flat and smooth: But yet the harder the Stone is the better; wherefore Marble is more preferable than Purbeck. First, Because it is a more compact Stone, having fewer and smaller Pores in it than Purbeck. And Secondly, because it is harder, and therefore less subject to be prick’d with the corners of a Chase, if through carelessness (as it sometimes happens) it be pitch’d on the Face of the Stone.
It is necessary to have it capacious, viz. large enough to hold two Chases and more, that the Compositer may sometimes for his convenience, set some Pages by on it ready to Impose, though two Chases lye on the Stone: Therefore a Stone of about Four Foot and an half long, and Two Foot broad is a convenient size for the generality of Work.
This Stone is to be laid upon a strong Oaken-wood Frame, made like the Frame of a common Table, so high, that the Face of the Stone may lye about three Foot and an Inch above the Floor: And under the upper Rail of the Frame may be fitted a Row or two of Draw-Boxes, as at a a a a a a and b b b on each of its longest Sides to hold Flowers, Brass-Rules, Braces, Quotations, small Scabbords, &c.
§. 7. Of Letter-Boards, and Paper-Boards.
Letter-Boards are Oblong Squares, about two Foot long, eighteen Inches broad, and an Inch and a quarter thick. They ought to be made of clean and well-season’d Stuff, and all of one piece: Their upper-side is to be Plained very flat and smooth, and their under-side is Clamped with pieces about two Inches square, and within about four Inches of either end, as well to keep them from Warping, as to bear them off the Ground or any other Flat they stand on, that the Fingers of the Compositer may come at the bottom of the Board to remove it whither he will: They are commonly made of Fir, though not so thick as I have mentioned, or all of one Piece: Deal-Boards of this breadth may serve to make them of; but Joyners commonly put Master-Printers off with ordinary Deal-Boards, which not being broad enough, they joyn two together; for which cause they frequently shrink, so as the joynt comes assunder, and the Board becomes useless, unless it be to serve for a Paper-Board afterwards: For small and thin Letters will, when the Form is open, drop through, so as the Compositer cannot use the Board.