]

The Smyth casing-in machine (fig. 13) pastes the sides of a book as
required and then attaches the cover over all. Cleverly arranged
rollers catch the book, and by a carefully regulated pressure fix the
cover in the proper position. There is a "jointing-in" device which at
a critical moment forces the joints in the cover into the joints in
the book. It will work books from 4 to 22 in. in length and from 1/4
to 3 in. in thickness, and can cover from 10 to 15 books per minute.

Here may also be mentioned the Sheridan wrappering machine, which
covers magazines and pamphlets ranging from 5 to 12 in. in length at
the rate of 40 a minute.

Wiring.

Wiring is a cheap method of keeping together thin parts of periodicals
or tracts. The machine that executes it is simple in construction and
use. It drives a short wire pin, bent at right angles at each end,
through the folds of the sections of a book or through the entire
thickness, sideways, after the manner of stabbing. The projecting
ends, when through the substance of the paper, are bent over and
flattened so as to grip firmly. The metal used for these pins was at
first very liable to rust, and consequently did much damage to the
paper near it, but this defect has now been largely remedied. At the
same time the principle of using hard metal wire instead of flexible
hempen thread is essentially vicious, and should only be used as a
temporary expedient for publications of little value.

Blocking.

The machines (fig. 14) now used for blocking designs upon book-covers
are practically the same as have been employed for many years. Several
small improvements have been introduced as to better inking of the
rollers for colour work, and better heating of the blocks used for
gold work. A blocking press is now, in consequence of the size of many
of the blocks, a large and cumbersome machine. The block itself is
fixed firmly in a strong metal bed, and a movable table in front of it
is fitted with gauges which keep the cover exactly in its right place.
For gold work the block is kept at the proper temperature by means of
gas jets, and the cover being properly overlaid with gold leaf is
passed, on its table, directly under the block and then pressed
steadily upwards against it, lowered, drawn out, and the superfluous
gold rubbed off. The same process is followed in the case of colour
blocks, only n