CUTLERY. 



coated with leather, having from time to 

 time its surface covered with crocus mar- 

 tis. Tlie surface of the polisher, when in 

 motion, moves at the rate of 75 feet in a 

 second. This is slow, when compared 

 with the velocity of the stone and the 

 glazor; the surface of the former mov- 

 ing at the rate of 576 feet in a second, 

 and the latter with about twice that velo- 

 city. The handles of high priced razors 

 are made of ivory and tortoise-shell, but 

 in general they are of polished horn, 

 which are preferred on account of their 

 cheapness and durability. The horn is 

 cut into pieces and placed between two 

 corresponding dies, having a recess of the 

 shape of the handle. The dies are pre- 

 viously heated to about 500 of Fahren- 

 heit, and placed with the horn in a pro- 

 cess of such power, that allowing the 

 man's strength to be 200/6. it wiH be 

 equal to 43000/6. By this process the 

 horn admits of considerable extension ; 

 if the horn is not previously black, the 

 handles are dyed black by means of a 

 bathe of logwood and green vitriol. 

 They afterwards require to be dressed, 

 first with sand ana water, and lastly 

 upon a buff, which is a species of glazor, 

 covered upon the face with buff leather, 

 and smeared over with rotten-stone and 

 oil. 



The clear horn handles are sometimes 

 stained so as to imitate the tortoise- 

 shell ; this is effected by laying upon 

 the handle a composition of three parts 

 of potash, one of minium, ten of quick- 

 lime, and as much water as will make the 

 whole into a pulpy mass. Those parts 

 of the handle requiring darker shades 

 are covered thicker than the other. Af- 

 ter this substance is laid upon the handles, 

 they are placed before the fire for a few 

 hours, the time requisite for giving the 

 proper effect. 



Penknives. The manufacture of pen- 

 knives is divided into three departments; 

 the first is the forging of the blades, the 

 spring, and the iron scales; the second, 

 the grinding and polishing of the blades ; 

 and the third, the handling, which con- 

 sists in fitting up all the parts and finish- 

 ing the knife. The blades are made of 

 the best cast steel, and hardened and 

 tempered to about the same degree with 

 that of razors. In grinding they are made 

 a little more concave, on one side than 

 the other ; in other respects they are 

 treated in a similar way to razors. The 

 handles are covered with horn, ivory, 

 and sometimes wood, hut the most dura- 

 ble are those of stag-horn. The most 



general fault in penknives is that of being 

 too soft. The temper ought to be not 

 higher than a straw colour, as it seldom 

 happens that a penknife is so hard as to 

 snap on the edge. 



Scissurg. The beauty and elegance of 

 polished steel is not displayed to more 

 advantage than in the manufacture of 

 the finer kinds of scissars. The steel 

 employed for the more valuable scissars 

 should be cast steel of the choicest qua- 

 lities ; it must possess hardness and uni- 

 formity of texture, for the sake of assum- 

 ing a fine polish ; great tenacity when hot, 

 for the purpose of forming the bow or 

 ring of the scissur, which requires to be 

 extended from a solid piece, having a 

 hole previously punched through it. It 

 ought also to be very tenacious when 

 c old, to allow that delicacy of form ob- 

 served in those scissars termed ladies 

 scissars. After the scissars are forged as 

 near to the sum. size as the eye of the 

 workmen can ascertain, they are paired, 

 and the two sides fitted together. The 

 bows and some other parts are filed to 

 their intended form, the blades are also 

 roughly ground, and the two sides pro- 

 perly adjusted to each other, after being 

 bound together with wire and hardened 

 up to the bows. They are afterwards 

 heated till they become of a purple co- 

 lour, which indicates their proper temper. 

 Almost all the remaining part of the work 

 is performed at the grinding mill, with 

 the stone, the lap, the polisher, and ttie 

 brush. The latter consists of a circular 

 piece of wood, fitted upon an axis, and 

 set upon the face with very strong bris- 

 tles. It is used to polish those parts 

 which have been filed, and which the lap 

 and the polisher cannot touch. Previous 

 to screwing the scissars together for the 

 last time, they are rubbed over with the 

 powder of quick-lime, and afterwards 

 wiped clean with a skin of soft sheep 

 leather. The quick-lime absorbs the 

 moisture from the surface to whiih'he 

 rusting of steel is justly attributed. Scis- 

 sars are frequently beautifully ornament- 

 ed by blueing and gilding, an.! also with 

 studs of gulu or polished steel. T'ley are 

 H( prise ul most elrganily criumenttd by 

 the gold being inlaid on a level with the 

 surface of the steel, the gold siirtare 

 being afterwards increased. The very 

 large scissurs are partly of iron an-.l rnir'ly 

 of steel, the shanks und bows being of 

 the former. These, as well as thote all 

 of steel which are not hardened all over, 

 cannot be polished ; an inferior su;t of Ks- 

 tre, however, is given to them by means of 



