SLATING.

§ 1. SLATING is the operation of covering the top or other inclined parts of a building with slate.

SLATERS' TOOLS

Are a scantle, a trowel, a hammer, a zax, a small hand pick, a hod, a board for mortar. See the following explanation of

terms.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS

IN

SLATING.

B.

Back of a SLATE, is the uppor side of it.

BACKER, is a narrow slate put on the back of a broad square

headed slate, when the slates begin to get narrow.

BED OF A SLATE, is the lower side.

BOND OR LAP OF A SLATE, is the distance between the nail of the under slate, and the lower end of the upper slate.

C.

COURSE, is any row of slating, the lower ends of which are hori. zontally posited.

E.

EAVE, the skirt or lower part of the slating hanging over the naked of the wall.

H.

HOLINO, the piercing of the slates for nails.

L.

LAP. See Bond.

M.

MARGIN OF A COURSE, those parts of the backs of the slates exposed to the weather.

N.

NAILS, painted iron or copper of a pyramidal form for fastening the slates to the lath or boarding.

P.

PATENT SLATING, large slates used without boarding, and screwed to the rafters with slips of slates bedded in putty to cover the joints.

S.

SCANTLE, is a gauge by which slates are regulated to their proper length.

SLATES used in London are of several kinds, as Westmoreland,

rags, imperial, dutchess, countess, ladies, doubles. The Westmoreland are the best; they are from three feet six inches, to one foot in length, and from two feet six inches to one foot broad. Rags are the second best, and run nearly of the same size. The third in order, of inferior quality, are the imperials, they run from two feet six inches long, to one foot long. The other kinds will be understood by the order under which they are named, being inferior in size accordingly.

SORTING is the regulating of slates to their proper length by means of the scantle.

SQUARING, the cutting of the sides and bottom of the slates.

T.

TAIL, the bottom or lower end of the slate.

TRIMMING, the cutting or paring of the side and bottom edges, the head of the slate never being cut.

Z.

Zax, the tool for cutting the slate.

PLASTERING.

§ 1. PLASTERING is the art of covering walls or ceilings with one, two, or three layers of any plastic or tenacious paste, so as to admit of a smooth and hard surface when the material is dry, and also of ornamenting walls and ceilings, either by being run or cast into moulds.

§ 2. PLASTERERS' TOOLS.

Tools used by the plasterer, are plastering trowels of several descriptions, joint trowels, and jointing rules, a hawke, a hand float, a quirk float, and a derby. A scratcher, and wooden skreeds for running mouldings.

§3. MATERIALS

Generally employed are lime, hair, sand, plaster of Paris; and these are variously compounded, as the following alphabetical arrangement of terms will show, which also explains the tools and their uses.

Walls consisting of brick or stone in the best houses, are always lathed by the plasterer, previous to the operation of plastering,