Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/306

 282 COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. lengtliwise, in the mixture or composition in the mould : the mould is afterwards filled up with more of the composition ; and if there is any superfluous quantity, it is to be struck off with a piece of flat board. The lid, or top of the mould is then to be placed upon it, and the whole subjected to a strong pressure from powerful levers, or a screw press. The composition should remain under this pressure for twenty or thirty minutes ; the precise time necessary being guessed from examining the state of a small specimen of the composition, reserved purposely to determine the time it requires to harden and set firm. The sides of the mould must be held together by iron clamps and wedges. The wires above mentioned answer a double purpose, by giving strength to the jambs, and retaining the whole mass together, in case it should at any time be cracked by accident. These chimney-pieces may be made either plain or fluted, according to the mould ; and when moulded, they are finished off by rubbing them over with alum water, and smoothing them with a trowel; and a little wet plaster of Paris. A common plain chimney-piece of this composition was sold at only 7s., and a reeded one at 28*., in London, in 1832, completely fitted up." [Trans. Soc. Arts.) 5&0. Bell-hanging may be described as the art of conducting lines of wire, intended to ring a bell at one end, when pulled with a little force at the other, in all directions round the apartments and through the walls of a building, in such a manner as not to obtrude on the view. This is effected with ease in straight lines ; and angles are got over by what are called cranks, of which there is a variety of sorts for external and internal angles. As few bells can be required for common cottages, we shall defer what else we have to say on the subject till we come to treat of public-houses and inns ; merely observing here, that a modern improvement consists in having the wires entirely con- cealed ; and, in having a small wooden or ivory knob, protruding either from the plain face of the wall, or from the centre of a rose, a cup, or other ornament, instead of riband or string bell-ropes suspended from the ceiling. Fig. 520 shows a bell handle of tliis 520 description, with its different parts : a is a cup, containing in the centre an ivory knob, by which is pulled the brass cliain b ; this chain passes over a pulley, c, and consequently may pull a bell in the direction of right or left, upwards or downwards, accor(h'ng to the side to which the pulley is turned; and when it is desired to pull (he wire in a di- rection perpendicular to the face of the wall, the pulley is omitted, and the chain works solely in the groove d ; e shows the outer rim of the cup unscrewed, in order to l)e cleaned if in wood, or new lacquered if in brass ; y shows the ivorj' knob also unscrewed ; g is the hollow of the cup, with the ears containing the holes for the screw-nails which fix it to the wall. The knoby is of ivory, and all the rest is of brass; but the cup might be made of ebony ; or both cup and knob might be of bronze, or of iron painted to imitate bronze. The grooved bolt, d, in which the chain works, is generally made square, but it is here shown round, an improvement made by Mr. Nettlefold of London, which is found to make it work more truly and easily. The use of the grooved bolt is to guide the chain or wire, in pulling it out, and in letting it spring back again. Sect. IV. Designs and Directions for Fixtures for Cottage Dwellings. 591. The fixtures for cottages we shall take in the order of kitchen ranges, cooking stoves, warming stoves, ovens, boilers, grates, sinks, fixed basins, fixed wasliing troughs, fixed ironing boards, and other flaps and slabs, towel rollers, dressers, and corner cupboards. 592. Kitchen Ranges are manufactured in Birmingham, and sent to all parts of the world, and their variety is almost endless. All of them, however, may be included in two classes ; those that have neither boilers nor ovens, either at the sides or behind ; and those which have either or both. It is of great importance to the cottager to know, that when he is obliged to choose a kitchen fire-jdace that has neither boiler nor oven in the hob or jamb, he ought to choose a front and bottom grate only, and have the sides and back of his fire-place one solid mass of masonry, and if possible of fire stone or fire brick.