BOOK IX 



377 



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A — Furnace. B — Ladder. C — Board fixed to it. D — Hoe. E — Five- 

 toothed RAKE. F — Wooden spatula. G — Broom. H — Rammer. I — Rammer, same 

 diameter. K — Two wooden spatulas. L — Curved blade. M — Bronze rammer. 

 • N — Another bronze rammer. O — Wide spatula. P — Rod. Q — Wicker basket. 

 R — Two buckets of leather in which water is carried for putting out a con- 

 flagration, should the officina catch fire. S — Brass pump with which the water 



IS SQUIRTED out. T — TwO HOOKS. V — RAKE. X — WORKMAN BEATING THE CLAY WITH 



AN IRON IMPLEMENT. 



two and a half digits thick ; the upper part of the rammer, where the handle 

 is inserted, is bound with an iron band two digits wide. There are some who, 

 instead, use two rounded rammers three and a half digits in diameter, the 

 same at the bottom as at the top. Some people prefer two wooden 

 spatulas, or a rammer spatula. 



In a similar manner, mixed and moistened powder is thrown and pounded 

 with a rammer in the forehearth pit, which is outside the furnace. When 

 this is nearly completed, powder is again put in, and pushed with the rammer 

 up toward the protruding copper pipe, so that from a point a digit under the 

 mouth of the copper pipe the hearth slopes down into the crucible of the fore- 

 hearth.ii and the metal can run down. The same is repeated until the 



"What are known in English as " crucible," " furnace well," " forehearth," " dipping- 

 pot," "tapping-pot," "receiving-pot," etc., are in the text all catinus, i.e., crucible. For 

 easier reading, however, we have assigned the names indicated in the context. 



