But though the Punch be Hardned and Temper’d, yet it is not quite finished: for, in the Hardning, the Punch has contracted a Scurf upon it; which Scurf must be taken off the Face, and so much of the sides of the Shank as is to be Sunk into Copper. Some Letter-Cutters take this Scurf off with small smooth Files, and afterwards with fine Powder of Emerick. The Emerick they use thus. They provide a Stick of Wood about two Handful long, and about a Great-Primer, or Double-Pica thick: Then in an Oyster-shell, or any sleight Concave thing, they powr a little Sallad-Oyl, and put Powder of Emerick to it, till it become of the Consistence of Batter made for Pan-cakes. And stirring this Oyl and Emerick together, spread or smear the aforesaid Stick with the Oyl and Emerick, and so rub hard upon the Face of the Punch, and also upon part of the Shank, till they have taken the Scurf clean off.
Mr. Walberger of Oxford uses another way. He makes such an Instrument as is described in Plate 10. at H, which we will, for distinction sake, call the Joynt-Flat-Gage. This Instrument consists of two Cheeks about nine Inches long, as at b, and are fastned together at one end, as the Legs of a Carpenter’s Joynt-Rule are in the Centre, as at c, but with a very strong Joynt; upon which Centre, or Joynt, the Legs move wider, or closer together, as occasion requires. Each Leg is about an Inch and a quarter broad, and an Inch and three quarters deep; viz. so deep as the Shank of the Punch is long. At the farther end of the Shank b (as at d) is let in an Iron Pin, with an Head at the farther end, and a square Shank, to reach almost through a square Hole in the Shank b, that it twists not about; and at the end of that Square, a round Pin, with a Male-Screw made on it, long enough to reach through the Shank a, and about two Inches longer, as at e; upon which Male-Screw is fitted a Nut with two Ears, which hath a Female-Screw in it, that draws and holds the Legs together, as occasion requires a bigger or less Punch to be held in a proper Hole. Through each of the adjoyning Insides of the Legs are made, from the Upper to the Lower Side, six, seven, or eight Semi-Circular Holes (or more or less, according to discretion) exactly Perpendicular to the upper and under-sides of each Leg, marked a a a a, b b b b. Each of these Semicircular Holes is, when joyned to its Match, on the other Leg to make a Circular Hole; and therefore must be made on each Leg, at an equal distance from the Centre. These Holes are not all of an equal Size, but different Sizes: Those towards the Centre smallest, viz. so small, that the Punch for the smallest Bodied Letters may be pinched fast in them; and the biggest Holes big enough to contain, pinch and hold fast the Punches for the great Bodied Letters. The upper and under-sides of this Joynt-Flat-Gage is Faced with an Iron Plate, about the thickness of an Half Crown, whose outer Superficies are both made exactly Flat and Smooth.
When he uses it, he chuses an Hole to fit the Size of the Punch; and putting the Shank of the Punch into that Hole, Sinks it down so low, till the Face of the Punch, stands just Level, or rather, above the Face of the Joynt-Flat-Gage: Then with a piece of an Hone, wet in Water, rubs upon the Face of the Punch, till he have wrought off the Scurf. At last, with a Stick and Dry Putty, Polishes it.
I like my own way better than either of the former: For, to take off the Scurf with Small Files spoils the Files; the Face of the Punch being Hard, and the Scurf yet Harder: And besides, endangers the wronging the Face of the Punch.
The Joynt-Flat-Gage is very troublesome to use, because it is difficult to fit the Face of the Punch, to lie in the Plain of the Face of the Gage; especially, if, in making the Letter, the Shank be Filed Tapering, as it most times is. For then the Hammer-end of the Punch being bigger than the Face-end, it will indeed Pinch at the Hammer-end, whilst the Face-end stands unsteady to Work on. But when the Punch is fitted in, it is no way more advantagious for Use, than the Chaps of the _Hand-Vice_ I mentioned in ¶. 3. of this §.
Wherefore, I fit the Punch into the Chaps of the Hand-Vice, as I shewed in the aforesaid ¶. and with a fine smooth Whet-stone and Water, take the Scurf lightly off the Face of the Punch; and afterwards, with a fine smooth Hone and Water, work down to the bare bright Steel. At last, drying the Punch and Chaps of the Hand-Vice with a dry Rag, I pollish the Face of the Punch with Powder of Dry Brick and a Stick, as with Putty.
¶. 5. Some Rules he considers in using the Gravers, Sculptors, Small Files, &c.
1. When he is Graving on the Inside of the Stroak, either to make it Finer or Smoother, he takes an especial care that he place his Graver or Sculptor so, as that neither of its Edges may wrong another Stroak of the Letter, if they chance (as they often do) to slip over, or off an extuberant part of the Stroak he is Graving upon. And therefore, I say, he well considers how he is to manage the edges of his Graver. For there is no great danger of the point of his Graver after the inside Stroaks are form’d, and the Hollows of the Letter somewhat deepned; but in the edges there is: For the point in working lies always below the Face of the Letter, and therefore can, at most, but slip below the Face, against the side of the next Stroak; but the edges lying above the Face of the Letter, may, in a slip, touch upon the Side and Face of the next Stroak, and wrong that more or less, according as the force of the Slip was greater or smaller. And if that Stroak it jobs against were before wholly finished, by that job the whole Letter is in danger to be spoiled; at the best, it cannot, without Filing the Letter lower, be wrought out; which sometimes is a great part of doing the Letter anew: For he takes special care that neither any dawk, or the least extuberant bunching out be upon the inside of the Face of the Stroak, but that the inside of the Stroak (whether it be Fat or Lean) have its proper Shape and Proportion, and be purely smooth and clean all the way.
If on the inside of the Stroak the Graver or Sculptor have not run straight and smooth on the Stroak, but that an Extuberance lies on the Side, that Extuberance cannot easily be taken off, by beginning to Cut with the Edge of the Graver or Sculptor just where the Extuberance begins: Therefore he fixes the Point of his Graver or Sculptor in the Bottom of the Hollow, just under the Stroak where the Extuberance is, and leans the Edge of his Graver or Sculptor upwards; so as in forcing the Point of the Graver or Sculptor forwards, at the Bottom of the Hollow, the Edge of the Graver or Sculptor may slide tenderly along, and take along with it a very small, nay, invisible Chip of the most Prominent Part of the Extuberance; and so, by this Process reitterated often, he, by small Degrees, Cuts away the Extuberant part of the Stroak.
2. He is careful to keep his Gravers and Sculptors always Sharp, by often Sharpning them on the Oyl-Stone, which for that purpose he keeps ready at hand, standing on the Bench: For if a Graver or Sculptor be not sharp, it will neither make riddance, or Cut smooth; but instead of Cutting off a small Extuberancy, it will rather stick at it, and dig into the Side of the Stroak.