THE CIRCLE OF THE MECHANICAL ARTS; CONTAINING PRACTICAL TREATISES ON THE VARIOUS MANUAL ARTS, TRADES, AND MANUFACTURES. BY THOMAS MARTIN, CIVIL ENGINEer, ASSISTED BY EMINENT PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS AND MANUFACTURERS. Jllustrated by numerous Engravings. LONDON: PRINTED FOR RICHARD REES, 62, PALL MALL; GALE, CURTIS, AND FENNER; AND SHERWOOD, NEELEY, AND JONES, PATERNOSTER-ROW; AND W. CURTIS, PLYMOUTH. 1813. PREFACE. THE work now presented to the public, in its complete form, will, it is presumed, recommend itself to general attention, as well from its novelty as from the importance of the subjects of which it treats. Of all the numerous Dictionaries of Arts and Sciences published in this country, there is no one that bears any resemblance to " the Circle of the Mechanical Arts." In France, indeed, there have been works of the same kind, but they are all executed on too large a scale to become generally useful; and, by their price, they are necessarily confined to the libraries of the rich, or to the repositories of the learned, which have been founded and maintained at the public expense. Those for whom such works are chiefly adapted, can rarely obtain even a sight of them, and they are thus almost entirely destitute of that utility in improving the arts and manufactures, for which they were naturally designed. Hence has arisen the difficulty and those obstacles which the editor of this volume has met with in seeking information on the various topics that have come under discussion. In almost all instances he has found persons engaged in trade extremely unwilling to communicate the processes and manipulations which distinguish their several arts; and, in the course of his inquiries, he had frequently to regret, that those who were most disposed to afford him assistance were, from want of all literary habits and practice, utterly incapable of rendering him that aid which he could have hoped for by the communication of their ideas in writing. Many persons refused him help lest they should be thought to betray the secrets of their trade, and others were equally reluctant to enter into the nature of their profession, fearing that a free communication of their own thoughts would expose their ignorance of its principles, or would prove that its excellence did not depend upon any thing secret, or that could be concealed. Without, however, troubling the reader with a further enumeration of the difficulties which have beset the editor in his pursuits, and impeded his progress in the attainment of practical knowledge, he will proceed briefly to state some peculiar features of the work which he has, notwithstanding the hinderances thrown in his way, at length, accomplished. The "Mechanical Exercises," published by Moxon, more than a century ago, have become exceedingly scarce: in some respects, it has been the wish of the editor of the "Circle" to follow the example set him by his precursor, yet he has been ambitious of surpassing him in the extent and variety of information contained in his book. Mr. Moxon treated almost exclusively of the arts and trades connected with building; the editor of the Circle, disdaining so limited a plan, has taken a much more extensive range, and included, in his work, practical treatises on a great variety of other manual arts, trades, and manufactures. The attention of the reader is particularly directed to the long and elaborate article on CARPENTRY, which forms so large a proportion of the volume, and which, it is presumed, will be found the most complete treatise ever published on the subject. No expense has been spared to illustrate this article by numerous engravings. The other articles connected with building, viz., SAWING and PLANING, BRICK-making and BRICK-laying, SLATING, PLASTERING, PLUMBING, PAINTING and GLAZING; and TURNING, which is common to many branches of trade, will be found under their respective heads; as well as the more general treatises of ARCHITECTURE, and MASONRY. Among the useful and important manipulations common to every individual, as well as to people in distinct trades, will be found, in the alphabetical order, BAKING and BREWING, with such rules and recipes as will shew that the convenience of private families have been consulted equally with the interests of those who manufacture on a large scale for the public. In the arts connected with, or depending upon, or, at least, which are materially benefited by the principles of modern Chemistry, may be mentioned, DYEING, and HAT-making; GLASS-making; POTTERY, including the manufacture of PORCELAIN; SOAP-making; STARCH-making, and TANNING; also RECTIFICATION and DISTILLATION, both included under the former term. Of the manufactures carried on to a vast extent in several of the large towns in the northern parts of England, as Manchester, Sheffield, and Birmingham, the reader may be referred to COTTON COTTON-manufacture and WEAVING; BUTTON-making, and CUTLERY; to the manufacture of FILES and NAILS, and to WIRE-drawing. To these may be added, the manufacture of GUNS and SHOT, which trades are carried on upon an extensive scale at Birmingham, though the best warranted guns are said to be the production of London workmen, to one of whom, eminent in his profession, the editor, as has been acknowledged in the article, is indebted for the facts contained in his account of the business. Ship-building was reckoned too extensive an article for a work to be comprised in a single volume, and has been omitted: nevertheless, the manufacture of BLOCKS and ROPES, connected with it, has been rather fully treated of The trades, on which the literature of the country depends, will be found in their respective places, as PAPER-making; PRINTING, by moveable letters, and on the stereotype plan; and Boox-binding: to these may be added another branch of business, not indeed connected with books, but of which paper is the staple commodity, viz., STAINING of Paper, chiefly used in the decoration of our apartments. Hence we have been led to treat of other branches of business not absolutely necessary to the convenience of life, but which are found in every stage of improved society, such are COACH-making, with which is allied the Wheelwright; ENAMELLING; CARVING,* and GILDING; GOLD-beating; JAPANNING; ENGRAVING, and the STAINING of Glass, found under the articles Glass and Glazing. To the public it was a matter of importance that a full article should be given on WATCH and CLOCK-making; this has been done, including a description of all the tools used in the art, and of the facts which led to the invention, and of the principles on which these useful instruments depend. The COOPER, the COMB-maker, the CURRIER, and the BASKET-maker, will perceive that considerable pains have been taken to collect and diffuse information respecting the trades which they practise, and which are exceedingly useful in domestic life; some, indeed, not only on their own account, but for the aid which they afford to other manufacturers. By mistake, a figure is referred to in this article, which was not intended to be engraved; and in the article BRIDGES, page 41, references are erroneously made to Plate II, which was not necessary to illustrate the subject. To |