Mechanick Exercises, or the Doctrine of Handy-Works

comes quite close to the bottom of your work. When it does, the sides of your work all around the hole will lift up from the face of the anvil, and your punch will make a bulging mark. At this point, place the work over the hole of a bolster original: "Bolster"; a thick iron tool with a hole in it, used to support the workpiece while a hole is being punched through it, and positioning your punch as before, strike it all the way through. But you must note that whenever you see your punch heat up or change color, you should take it out of the hole and plunge it into water to re-harden it. Otherwise, it will deform original: "batter" inside the hole you intend to strike, and it will not only ruin itself but also spoil the work by slipping to the side. Having punched it through on one side, turn the work over and flatten and straighten it with your hammer. Then, at a blood-red heat original: "Blood Heat"; a dull red glow visible in low light, indicating the metal is hot but not at its highest temperature, punch it through from the other side as well. This will make the hole ready for a file or a square drill bit original: "square bore", if the precision original: "curiosity" of your intended work requires filing. When your work is forged, do not quench it in water to cool it; instead, lay it down upon the floor or the hearth to cool on its own. Quenching it in water will harden the metal, as I shall soon show you when I discuss the tempering of steel.

Of Brazing and Soldering.

You may sometimes have occasion to braze or solder a piece of work, but blacksmiths only use these methods when their work is so thin or small that it cannot withstand welding. To do this, take small pieces of brass and lay them on the spot that must be brazed. Sprinkle a little powdered glass over it to make it melt original: "run" sooner, and heat it in the forge until you see the brass flow (checking this by occasionally drawing it a little way out of the fire). But if your work is so small or thin that you fear the iron will melt original: "run" as soon as the brass does, causing you to lose your work in the fire, then you must make a loam original: "Loam"; a paste used here as a protective coating or insulation of three parts clay and one part horse manure. After these are thoroughly kneaded and mixed together in your