land, but it cannot be employed in works of great magnitude, on account of the facility with which it is degraded in the fire, and the difficulty of welding it.

To conclude: British cast iron is excellent for all kinds of castings; our wrought iron also of late has been much improved in the manufacture, and by many persons is thought not to be inferior to that of Sweden, which till lately had a decided preference, and is to be attributed to the use of charcoal in the process of smelting, which cannot be procured in sufficient quantity in Eng. land, where pit coal has of necessity been substituted. The Navy Board and East India Company, however, now contract for British iron only.

PLATE XXXIII.

Perspective View of a Smith's Work Shop, shewing a double Forge with its Apparatus, and some Tools in general Use.

A back of the forge.

B the hood.

C Bradley's patent back, showing the nozel or the iron of the bellows.

D end of the forge.

E bellows with the rock staff.

F troughs for coals and water.

G anvil, shewing the beak iron, and a hole for holding the tools on the top. The anvil being supported upon a wooden block. Ha strong stool for supporting the chasing tool I.

I the chasing tool for rounding bolts, and punching holes in iron; the holes are called bolsters, and those upon the sides are called rounding tools; the whole is called generally a bolster. K a sledge hammer.

Near D is a horse to hold up long pieces of iron at the end of the forge, when found necessary.

The square hole near A is used for discharging the ashes, which slide down a hollow, and come out at the bottom of the front.

The coal trough is placed next to the forge, and the water trough next to the front. The tongs are shewn in the water trough, and a pair of lip and straight tongs are shewn on it.

In smiths' shops, where heavy articles are manufactured, cranes are employed for taking the work out of the fire.

PLATE XXXIV.

View of another Part of a Smith's Work Shop, shewing the Work Benches with the Vices, the Drill in the act of Boring, and a Turning Machine, as wrought by a Winch and Wheel, as also by the Foot.

A, A work benches.

B, B, B vices.

C the bench anvil.

D, E, F, G various parts of a drill machine.

D the drill block.

E the drill and brace.

F the drill beam, shewing the lever to pull it up.

G a rod to hang a larger or smaller weight, for giving more or less power to the drill, as may be required in boring a greater or less hole.

H, I, K, L parts of the turning lathe.

H handle to turn the large wheel.

I the large wheel.

Pulleys for the cord.

L puppets, rest, collar, and mandril.

N wheel and crank for revolving the mandril by the foot, &c.

INDEX

AND

EXPLANATION OF TERMS

USED IN

SMITHING.

N. B. This Mark & refers to the preceding Sections, according to
the Number.

A.

ABOUT SLEDGE, the largest hammer used by smiths; it is slung
round near the extremity of the handle, generally used by under
workmen, § 4.

ANVIL, a large block or mass of iron with a very hard smooth
horizontal surface on the top, and a hole at one end of the
surface, for the purpose of inserting various tools, and a strong
steel chisel, on which a piece of iron may be laid and cut into
two. Anvils are sometimes made of cast iron, but the best are
those which are forged, with the upper face made of steel.
Small anvils are also used in more delicate parts of the business,
§ 2. See Plate 33. Fig. G. Plate 34. Fig. C.

B.

BAR IRON, long prismatic pieces of iron, being rectangular paral-
lopipeds, prepared from pig iron, so as to be malleable for the
use of blacksmiths. For the method of joining bars, see § 13