Inscriptions
in Stone

SETTING OUT

The stone being ready for the setting out, i.e.
smoothed and cleaned, lines are ruled on it for
the lines of lettering and margins with a pencil or
point.

The carver should rule and set out one line and
carve that before ruling another, as pencil marks are
liable to be rubbed off by the hand in carving.1

In “Setting Out," the spacing of the letters is
thought of rather than their forms. And though
the beginner may find careful drawing helpful, the
forms which may best be produced with the
chisel are found only by practice and experience

(P- Збз)-

TOOLS

The chisels needed for simple work are flat chisels
of the following sizes:—

xg- inch, J inch, f inch, | inch, 1 inch.

The shanks should be about 7 inches long.

It will be found useful to keep a few “Bull¬
nosed” chisels (see 7, fig. 212) for use in cutting
curves, and a few “skewed” chisels (8, fig. 212) for
use in cutting the background of Raised letters,
as a chisel of that shape is more easily used in a
corner.

The chisels are either Hammer-headed or Mallet¬
headed, or they may have wooden handles (see fig.

1 Whenever it is possible the carver should not be bound
to follow a drawing strictly, but should do his work in the
straightforward manner described above. Unfortunately he
is often obliged to set out the whole Inscription exactly before
carving it, and in such a case it is usual to carve the bottom
line of letters first and to work upwards cutting the first line
last.

360

212, and pp. 365-6). The Hammer-headed are the
most used, and a good number should be procured.

1 Wooden-handled.

2 Section of No. I.

3 Straight
Hammer-headed.

4 Enlarged section
of No. 3.

5 Section of Ham¬
mer head enlarged
to show cup.

6 Mallet-head.

7 “Bull-nosed.”

8 “Skewed.”

Fig. 212.

The best are made with cupped ends, to prevent them
from slipping on the hammer (see 5, fig. 212).

361

Inscriptions
in Stone