Agricola, Georgius
,
De re metallica
,
1912/1950
Text
Text Image
Image
XML
Thumbnail overview
Document information
None
Concordance
Figures
Thumbnails
page
|<
<
of 679
>
>|
<
archimedes
>
<
text
>
<
body
>
<
chap
>
<
p
type
="
caption
">
<
s
>
<
pb
pagenum
="
224
"/>
anyone coming at an inopportune moment might disturb his thoughts when
<
lb
/>
they are intent on the work. </
s
>
<
s
>It is also necessary for him to place his balances
<
lb
/>
in a case, so that when he weighs the little buttons of metal the scales may
<
lb
/>
not be agitated by a draught of air, for that is a hindrance to his work.</
s
>
</
p
>
<
p
type
="
main
">
<
s
>Now I will describe the different things which are necessary in assaying,
<
lb
/>
beginning with the assay furnace, of which one differs from another in
<
lb
/>
shape, material, and the place in which it is set. </
s
>
<
s
>In shape, they may be
<
lb
/>
round or rectangular, the latter shape being more suited to assaying ores.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
>The materials of the assay furnaces differ, in that one is made of bricks,
<
lb
/>
another of iron, and certain ones of clay. </
s
>
<
s
>The one of bricks is built on a
<
lb
/>
chimney-hearth which is three and a half feet high; the iron one is placed
<
lb
/>
in the same position, and also the one of clay. </
s
>
<
s
>The brick one is a cubit high,
<
lb
/>
a foot wide on the inside, and one foot two digits long; at a point five digits
<
lb
/>
above the hearth—which is usually the thickness of an unbaked
<
emph
type
="
sup
"/>
2
<
emph.end
type
="
sup
"/>
brick—
<
lb
/>
an iron plate is laid, and smeared over with lute on the upper side to prevent
<
lb
/>
it from being injured by the fire; in front of the furnace above the plate is a
<
lb
/>
mouth a palm high, five digits wide, and rounded at the top. </
s
>
<
s
>The iron plate </
s
>
</
p
>
<
figure
number
="
129
"/>
<
p
type
="
caption
">
<
s
>A—OPENINGS IN THE PLATE. B—PART OF PLATE WHICH PROJECTS BEYOND THE FURNACE.
<
lb
/>
has three openings which are one digit wide and three digits long, one is at
<
lb
/>
each side and the third at the back; through them sometimes the ash falls
<
lb
/>
from the burning charcoal, and sometimes the draught blows through the
<
lb
/>
chamber which is below the iron plate, and stimulates the fire. </
s
>
<
s
>For this
<
lb
/>
reason this furnace when used by metallurgists is named from assaying, but
<
lb
/>
when used by the alchemists it is named from the wind
<
emph
type
="
sup
"/>
3
<
emph.end
type
="
sup
"/>
. </
s
>
<
s
>The part of the
<
lb
/>
iron plate which projects from the furnace is generally three-quarters of a
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
</
p
>
</
chap
>
</
body
>
</
text
>
</
archimedes
>