¶. 10. Of Furnishing the Work-Bench.
The Workman hath all his great Files placed in Leather Nooses, with their Handles upwards, that he may readily distinguish the File he wants from another File. These Nooses are nailed on a Board that Cases the Wall on his Right Hand, and as near his Vice as Convenience will admit, that he may the readier take any File he wants.
He hath also on his Right Hand a Tin Pot, of about a Pint, with small Files standing in it, with their Handles downwards, that their Blades may be the readier seen. These small Files are called Watch-makers Files, and the Letter-Cutter hath occasion to use these of all Shapes, viz. Flat, Pillar, Square, Triangular, Round, Half-Round, Knife-Files, &c.
He also provides a shallow square Box, of about five Inches long, and three Inches broad, to lay his small Instruments in; as, his Gages, his Liner, some common Punches, &c. This Box he places before him, at the further side of the Work-Bench.
He also provides a good Oyl-Stone, to sharpen his Gravers and Sculpters on. This he places at some distance from the Vice, on his left hand.
§. 13. ¶. 1. Of Letter-Cutting.
The Letter-Cutter does either Forge his Steel-Punches, or procures them to be forged; as I shewed, Numb. 1. Fol. 8, 9, 10. in Vol. I. &c. But great care must be taken, that the Steel be sound, and free from Veins of Iron, Cracks and Flaws, which may be discerned; as I shewed in Numb. 3. Vol. I. For if there be any Veins of Iron in the Steel, when the Letter is Cut and Temper’d, and you would Sink the Punch into the Copper, it will batter there: Or it will Crack or Break if there be Flaws.
If there be Iron in it, it must with the Chissel be split upon a good Blood-Red-Heat in that place, and the Iron taken or wrought out; and then with another, or more Welding Heat, or Heats, well doubled up, and laboured together, till the Steel become a sound entire piece. This Operation Smiths call Well Currying of the Steel.
If there be Flaws in it, you must also take good Welding Heats, so hot, that the contiguous sides of the Flaws may almost Run: for then, snatching it quickly out of the Fire, you may labour it together till it become close and sound.
Mr. Robinson, a Black-Smith of Oxford, told me a way he uses that is ingenious, and seems rational: For if he doubts the Steel may have some small Flaws that he can scarce discern, he takes a good high Blood-Red Heat of it, and then twists the Rod or Bar (as I shewed, Numb. 3. Vol. I.) which Twisting winds the Flaws about the Body of the Rod, and being thus equally disposed, more or less, into the Out-sides of the Rod, according as the Position of the Flaw may be, allows an equal Heat on all sides to be taken, because the Out-sides heat faster than the Inside and therefore the Out-sides of the Steel are not thus so subject to Burn, or Run, as if it should be kept in the Fire till the Middle, or Inside of it should be ready to Run. And when the Steel is thus well welded, and soundly laboured and wrought together with proper Heats, he afterwards reduces it to Form.