FOUNDERY. 
both. The mould being finished, and in- 
closed as described, whether under ground 
or above it, a moderate fire is lighted in 
the furnace under it, and the whole covered 
with planks, that the wax may melt gently 
down, and run out at pipes contrived for 
that purpose, at the foot of the mould, 
which are afterwards exactly closed with 
earth, so soon as the wax is carried oft. 
This done, the hole is filled up with bricks 
thrown in at random, and the fire in the 
furnace augmented, till such time as both 
the bricks and mould become red hot. 
After this, the fire being extinguished and 
every thing cold again, they take out the 
bricks and fill up their place with earth, 
moistened and a little beaten, to the top of 
the mould, in order to make it the more 
firm and steady. These preparatory mea- 
sures being duly taken, there remains no- 
thing but to melt the metal, and run it into 
the mould. This is the office of the fur- 
nace above described, which is commonly 
made in the form of an oven with three 
apertures, one to put in the wood, another 
for a vent, and a third to run the metal out 
at. From this last aperture, which is kept 
very close while the metal is in fusion, a 
small tube is laid, whereby the melted 
metal is conveyed into a large earthen 
bason over the mould, into the bottom of 
which all the big branches of the jets or 
casts, which are to convey the metal into 
all the parts of the mould, are inserted. 
These casts or jets are all terminated 
vyith a kind of plugs, which are kept close, 
that upon opening the furnace the brass, 
which gushes out with violence, may not 
enter any of them, till the bason be full 
enough of matter to run into them all at 
once. Upon which occasion they pull out 
the plugs, which are long iron rods with a 
head at one end capable of filling the whole 
diameter of each tube. The whole of the 
furnace is opened with a long piece of iron 
fitted at the end of each pole, and the mould 
filled in an instant. This completes the 
work in relation to the casting part; the 
rest being the sculptor’s or carver’s busi- 
ness, who, taking the figure out of the mould 
and earth wherewith it is encompassed, 
saws off the jets with which it appears co- 
vered over, and- repairs it with chissels, 
gravers, puncheons, &c. 
Foundery of bells. The metal for bells 
has already been described. See Bell. 
The dimensions of the core, and the wax, 
for bells, if a ring of bells especially, are not 
left to chance, but must be measured on a 
scale, or diapason, which gives the height, 
aperture, and thickness necessary for the 
several tones required. It is on the wax 
that the several mouldings and other orna- 
ments are formed to be represented in re- 
lievo on the outside of the bell. 
The business of bell-foundery is reducible 
to three particulars : the proportion of a 
bell ; the forming of the mould ; and, the 
melting of the metal. 
The proportions of our bells differ much 
from those of the Chinese : in ours the mo- 
dern proportions are to make the diameter 
fifteen times the thickness of the brim, and 
tw'elve times the height. 
. There are two kinds of preparations, viz. 
the simple and the relative : the former are 
those proportions only that are between the 
several parts of a bell, to render it sonorous ; 
the relative proportions establish a requisite 
harmony between several bells. 
The particulars necessary for making the 
mould of a bell, are, 1. The earth ; the 
most cohesive is the best : it must be well 
ground and sifted, to prevent any chinks. 
2. Brick-stone ; which must be used for 
the mine, mould, or core, and for the fur- 
nace. 3. Horse-dung, hair, and hemp, 
mixed with the earth, to render the cement 
more binding. 4. The wax for inscriptions, 
coats of anus, &c. 5. The tallow equally- 
mixed with the wax, in order to put a slight 
lay of it upon the outer mould, before any 
letters are applied to it. 6. The coals to 
dry the mould. 
For making the mould, they have a scaf- 
fold consisting of four boards, ranged upon 
tressels. Upon this they carry the earth, 
grossly diluted, to mix it with horse-dung, 
beating the whole with a large spatula. 
The compasses of construction is the chief 
instrument for making the mould, -which 
consist of two different legs, joined by a 
third piece. And last of all, the founder’s 
shelves, on which are the engravings of the 
letters, cartridges, coats of arms, &c. 
They first dig a hole of a sufficient depth 
to contain the mould of the bell, together 
with the case, or cannon, under ground ; and 
about six inches lower than the terrepleine, 
where the work is performed. The hole 
must be wide enough for a free passage be- 
tween the mould and walls of the hole ; or 
between one mould and another, when se- 
veral bells are to be cast. At the centre of 
the hole is a stake erected, that is strongly 
fastened in the ground. This supports an 
iron peg, on which the pivot of the second 
branch of the compasses turns. The stake 
is encompassed with a solid brick-work, 
perfectly round, about half a foot high, and 
