These two parts are so exactly fitted and gaged into one another, (viz. the Male Gage, marked C in Plate 19, into the Female-Gage marked g, in Plate 18.) that when the upper part of the Mold is properly placed on, and in the under part of the Mold both together, makes the entire Mold, and may be slid backwards for Use so far, till the Edge of either of the Bodies on the middle of either Carriage comes just to the Edge of the Female-Gages, cut in each Carriage: And they may be slid forwards so far, till the Bodies on either Carriage touch each other. And the sliding of these two parts of the Mold backwards, makes the Shank of the Letter thicker, because the Bodies in each part stand wider asunder; and the sliding them forwards makes the Shank of the Letter thinner, because the Bodies on each part of the Mold stand closer together.
Plate 18.
The Under half of the Mold
This is a general Description of the Mold; I come now to a more particular Description of its parts.
- a The Carriage.
- b The Body.
- c The Male-Gage.
- d e The Mouth-Piece.
- f i The Register.
- g The Female-Gage.
- h The Hag.
- a a a a The Bottom-Plate.
- b b b The Wood the Bottom-Plate lies on.
- c c e The Mouth.
- d d The Throat.
- e d d The Pallat.
- f The Nick.
- g g The Stool.
- h h g The Spring or Bow.
I have here given you only the Names of the parts of the Mold, because at present I purpose no other Use of it, than what relates to the sinking the Punches into the Matrices: And when I come to the casting of Letters, You will find the Use and Necessity of all these Parts.
¶. 2. Of the Bottom-Plate.
The Bottom-Plate is made of Iron, about two Inches and three quarters long, and about the same breadth; its thickness about a Brevier: It is planisht exactly flat and straight: It hath two of its Fore-Angles, as a a cut off either straight or rounding, according to the pleasure of the Workman.
About the place where the middle of the Carriage lies, is made a Hole about a Great-Primmer square, into which is rivetted on the upper-side a Pin with a Sholder to it, which reaches about half an Inch through the under-side of the Bottom-Plate. This Pin on the under-side the Bottom-Plate is round, and hath a Male-Screw on its end. This Pin is let through a Hole made in the Wood of the Mold to fit it; so that when a square Nut, with a Female-Screw in it, is turned on the Male-Screw, it may draw and fasten the Half Mold firm to the Wood.
The Hind-side of the Carriage lies on this Bottom-Plate, parallel to the Hind-side of it, and about a Two-Lin’d-English within the Hind Edge of it; and so much of this Bottom-Plate as is between the Register and the left-hand end of the Carriage (as it is posited in the Figure) is called the Stool, as g g in the under half of the Mold, because on it the lower end of the Matrice rests; but on the upper half of the Mold is made a square Notch behind in the Bottom-Plate, rather within than without the Edge of the Carriage, to reach from the Register, and half an Inch towards the left-hand (as it is posited in the Figure) that the upper part of the fore-side of the Matrice may stand close to the Carriage and Body.