March 25. 1899.] ^---FORES'T AND STREAM. 
ing it as clean as possible, free from needless tliumb- 
tack holes, knots and erasure^, and when the drawing is 
completed with title and number for filing, to trim the 
edges straight. The practice of making innumerable holes 
in the course of the work leads the beginner to treat his 
paper carelessly at all times ; but to some it will be the 
best and most convenient way, saving the expense of 
weights and avoiding the difficulty of handling them neai^" 
the edges of so small a board. 
Useful as it is, the compass, for sweeping circular arcs, 
is not indispensable in this class of work, and it may be 
omitted at the start, the set curves partly taking its place. 
While a fairly serviceable set, coinpass with pen, pencil 
and needle points, can be had for two to three dollars, a 
really good set will cost two or three times as much. A 
pair of spring bows, for pen and pencil, will be much 
more useful for the numerous small circles than the 
large compasses. These can be had in the cheapest grades 
for about a dollar each. 
There is one tool in which it is not possible to econo- 
mize, only the best is admissible. This is the dividers, the 
5 to 6in. sizes. As already stated, this should be of the 
best make, of light and graceful design, cut from the 
rolled plate of German silver, not cast, with a joint that 
works smoothly and evenly at all degrees of opening, the 
tool balancing well- in the hand. One of the nice points 
in drafting is the proper handling of the dividers, by 
which the draftsman takes off quickly and accurately a 
distance and transfers it to another part of the drawing. 
This can only be acquired by constant practice with a 
good tool, and the attempt to work with a poor tool is 
worse than a waste of time. It is possible to make a 
drawing without the dividers, by taking off all distances 
on strips of paper with a pencil, and this plan may be fol- 
lowed at the start until a good instrument can be pro- 
cured. 
The hairspring dividers are useful, but not indispens- 
able, as the same work, of numerous accurate sub-divi- 
sions can be done with the dividers with some extra care 
and patience. The small bow spring dividers, which may 
be had as low as a dollar, are really more useful than the 
larger ones, as there will be many very small distances, 
such as the thickness of planking, widths of deck plank,- 
etc, to be set off with them or the bow pencil. 
Where cost is an object, the paper scales have much to 
recommend them, in spite of the error due to shrinkage 
of the cardboard, the divisions are even and easily read 
and the scales are convenient to handle. A set of half a 
dozen, %m., J4in., ^in., lin., ij4in. and 3in. can be had 
for a dollar. A 5 or 6in. paper protractor, costing about 
10 cents, will measure with sufficient accuracy all the 
angles of a design or sail plan. 
A complete outfit of Say four of the very best drafts- 
men's pencils, HHH, HHHH, HHHHH andHHHHHH, 
may be had for half a dollar, and will probably last for 
a yfear, so that the saving by purchasing a poorer grade is 
too trifling to be counted. , . . 
A drafting pen capable of doing good work may be had 
for about half a dollar, the better grades costing two to 
three times as much; as the pen is a difficult instrument 
for the beginner, it will be well to pay at least oiie dollar, 
if not a little more, for the certainty of getting a reliable 
tool. A few fine writing pens, Crowquill, are necessary 
for lettering and shading. The prepared inks can be had 
in all colors, the smallest sizes of bottles costing 15 cents, 
the colors required are black, blue, red and green. This 
list may be detailed as follows : 
Drawing board .$2.00 
Paper, i quire of Royal x . 00 
T square, 24in. blade .75 
Triangles, three ................................. .75 
Set curves, pearwood 2.00 > 
Splines, three .75 
Dividers, sin. 2.00 
Scales, half-dozen paper i . 00 
Pencils, four ..................................... .50 
Pen, 5in. i.oo 
Inks, liquid, four colors '. .60 
Thumb tacks, paper protractor, pencil and ink rub- 
bers, writing pens, etc. . ........ ....... i.oo 
$13-35 
Bow spring set, dividers, pen and pencil 3.00 
Spline weights ???? 
These prices are closely approximate and represent 
about the least possible outlay with which it is worth 
while to begin the practice of marine drafting. The arti- 
cles enumerated are all standard, such as may be had of 
any reliable dealers in the larger cities. Most of these 
firms issue illustrated catalogues describing minutely the 
various grades of goods, a great help to the intending 
purchaser. The amateur who possesses sufficient me- 
chanical skill to make his own drawing board, T square, 
weight and possibly splines, as many do who are inter- 
ested in yachting, can provide himself with a good work- 
ing outfit at a small expense. If good work is not ac- 
complished, even with this unpretentious outfit, it will 
be from lack of skill and care or from over-haste on the- 
part of the draftsman. 
If the work is to be carried on on a more extensive 
scale, as in the case of the amateur who proposes to de- 
