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INCISED LeTTERING

the centre chan dcsired. The sides of the tool may need co be ground thin so chat the metal does not $queeze against the sides of the cut. On inward-facing cur\^res the skew chisel digs in or chattcrs’. The bull-nosed nearly fiat gougc works well cithcr chasing or stabbing (Fig 15-12). If you do have appropriately shaped gouges you will find that a slighdy flatter or larger gouge than the one that stabbed che centre linÄ™ can siab in the sloping sides of inside curves. It will pick up the outside linÄ™ as ic goes in (Fig 15-13). Ali that is needed then is for ic to be rocked to each side to meet the bottom of the trough. The outward-facing curvcs can be chascd with the round-ended shallow gougc, which can also be used co stab them (Fig 15.14).

Acute Angles

When stabbing the centre lines of che obliÄ…ue strokes of A, K, M, N, V, W, X and Y inco a crumbly wood, great care must be caken not to cut right up to the inside of the angle as the wedge accion of the chisel can dislodge the inner apex point when the second centre linÄ™ is stabbed in (Fig 15.15). It is best to use a chisel which cuts from the top of the bottom scrifs (in the A and M) but is only widc cnough to reach the lcvel of the inside apex (see Figs 15-8, 15.9). When the sides have been stabbed or chased for this distance the chisel can be stabbed in lightly to make the two centre-line cuts meet in the middle of che point. A third stab mark is madÄ™ from this point to the outside tip of the letter, pressing the corner in where they meet and resting the edge up to the surface ai the outside point. If a littlc is then pared off the sides from rhe inside of the apex towards the outside cnough wood will havc becn removed to prevent the wedge accion occurring. The rcmainder of each letter is then chased out with the skew chisel. When chasing at an angle other than parallel or perpendicular to rhe grain it is essential co stroke the fibres of rhe grain together to prevent splitting.

The Basic Straight Letter Stroke

Start practising with the letter I. HoÅ‚d the seraight-edged chisel vertically on the centre linÄ™ (you havc to get used to judging where this is), making surÄ™ chat there is room for the inward slope of the serif at each end (see Fig 15.8). With a smart blow of the mallet drive it in a good way. A piece of tape bound round the blade at the right distance up from the edge of the chisel will tell how near you are to che correct deprh of cut. Then rest the edge on one side of the letter at about 45° to the surface, and with another blow drivc it to the bottom of the first cut (see Fig 15.9), and then do the same from the opposite side. It does not pay to miss your aim the first time then fiddle with it to correct it.

The Serif

For the scrifs you will find a fishtail gouge of No. 3 or 4 sweep (English), or No. 3 (Swiss), most effectivc. Be particular in sharpening it so that its edge is straight from corner to corner (Figs 15.16-15.20).

Rest it flute down against one side of the V cut pointing towards the serif a littlc way back from the end of the cut. Engage its edge lightly with the wood and push it forward and round in to the corner of the serif. As it travels its lower corner should dig deeper. The angle of the tools edge to the surface at the end of the cut should bc 45*. The same cut is madÄ™ on the opposite side. With the flute still facing down at 45°, place the corner of the chisel on one corner of the serif and drive it down to the middle of the serif. If it is then rocked up to meet the other corner a neat triangle of wood will chip out. Try to kecp the end of the serif concave. This procedurÄ™ is almost identical to that for creating triangular pockets described in Chapter 3.

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