216 General Notes. [February, 
slightly to prevent the vessel from sticking. Next with a sharp 
knife cut the material with the object imbedded in it, so that all its 
opposite sides are parallel, This is extremely important. Replace 
the top plate and fix the razor in the holder provided for the pur- 
pose. The clamp is so made that if a little care is taken the 
plate holding the razor should then be moved so that the edge of 
the razor is close to and quite parallel with the mass of material 
to be cut? (Fig. 3). The plate should then be clamped by the 
screws at each side of it. A few turns of the fly-wheel will now 
bring the razor in contact with the object to be cut. The band 
of black ribbon (Figs. 1 and 3 @) is now to be placed so that the 
end of it should be just above the razor and clamped in that posi- 
tion. When the handle is turned the sections should come off 
the razor in the form of a ribbon. 
The ribbon of sections will not find its way. to the continuous 
black band without assistance. With a needle in a handle or 
with the point of a scalpel pick up the end of the ribbon, when a 
sufficient length of it has been cut, and place it on the black con- 
tinuous band, up which it will travel. When it reaches the top 
of the band suitable lengths may be cut off with a pair of scis- 
sors. It may be found that the black band travels either too- 
slowly or too fast. Its speed may be varied by moving the ring 
(Fig. I é) up or down upon the vertical brass arm—upwards if it 
is moving too fast, downwards if too slow. A frequent cause of 
failure in the proper movement of the band is, that the ebonite 
roller at the bottom of it is allowed to press against the razor; 
this must be avoi : 
= The makers of the instrument have nearly completed an automatic machine for 
_ — razors, since it has occurred to them that this is an operation which may 
performed with much greater accuracy by mechanical means than by hand. 
The di 
lowering the arm (Figs. 1 
surface of the imbedding mass 
_ stance from either end 
the speed with which the black band travels 
Fo: little care is used in adjusting the rin 
- g (Fig. 1 ¢), see below, 
each turn of the ot oe through a mes ge equal to the breadth of the surface 
<4) : , on the other hand, the object swings far beyond the razor, 
band will travel too quickly and probably break the string of “oy 
