First, carefully examine whether the pages of each quarter are of the
same length; for even the difference of a lead will cause them to hang.
Test their exactness: place the ball of each thumb against the centre of
the foot-stick, raising it a little with the pressure, and, if the ends
of both pages rise equally with the stick, it is a proof they will not
bind; then fit quoins between the side and foot-stick of each quarter and
the chase. After pushing the quoins as far as possible with the fingers,
make use of the mallet and shooting-stick, and gently drive the quoins
along the foot-sticks first, and then those along the side-sticks, taking
care to use an equal force in the strokes, and to drive the quoins far
enough up the shoulders of the side- and foot-sticks, that the letter
may neither belly out nor hang, and the lines be kept straight and even.
Quoins should be slanted on one side only, but the edges should not be
bevelled. The several quarters of a form should be partially tightened
before either quarter is finally locked up; otherwise the cross-bar may
be sprung.
Before locking up the form, plane the pages gently over all the face. If
this be properly done, a second planing is hardly necessary, provided the
justification is perfect and the pages are all of the same length. But,
as this is seldom the case, the second planing can hardly be dispensed
with.
It often occurs that the quoins, when locked up wet, stick so tight to
the furniture as to render it troublesome to unlock them: in such cases,
drive the quoin up a little, and it afterward unlocks with ease.
Before lifting a form after it is locked up, raise it gently a short
distance, and look under it, to ascertain whether any types are disposed
to drop out. If all is right, carry it to the proof-press, and pull a
good proof. Then rub it over gently with a ley-brush, rinse it well,
and place it in a rack, and deliver the proof, with the copy, to the
proof-reader.