Coupé

“ In practical garment cutting, a cutter is often compelled to cut some backs narrower or smaller on the same kind of a garment in order to save material, or in some cases, when a larger garment is to be cut down to a smaller size, where the points around the back of the armhole, or at the shoulders, cannot be made even with our patterns, then it comes handy for a cutter, if he be able, to place certain quantities on either back or front and take it off on the other. ”

“ In fitting clothing according to the present style, a cutter must see, though he is compelled to cut a coat for a long neck higher than usual, that it gets not too high, but as low as possible for that purpose, and cutters who are not above trying on will often find it to advantage to change the height of the collar a trifle, thought the fit may be the same for all. ”

“ Here we can find the reasons why certain parts can be worked the very contrary, and both ways will fit, and for this reason a newly-arrived jour. should be thoroughly instructed by the cutter, as to how things must be put together according to his cutting, and the cutter himself should be a good tailor, or at least he should know how it is to be made, even if he can not do the sewing. A cutter who is a thorough tailor himself will always be a better cutter than the one who only knows how to cut, all other things being equal. ”

“ And as to cutting, it is only necessary to place the number of pieces of fabric desired to be cut in cutting dies, or upon a table, and over them an “over-board” cutter, which comprises a reciprocating band-saw, or a rotary knife, all quick, keen and delicate, in an apparatus guided by hand, in order to produce in the operation a great pile of the parts formerly so slowly produced, one at a time, by scissors or shears. ”

“ The main feature of my invention consist in the blade thus formed, with a flat front face and a moulded or fancy top surface the converse of the sole edge, and having the ridge, 1, or the ridges, 2, 2, either or both, extending across its top surface,-that is, extending from front to back, as shown in the drawings,-my improved cutter having a series of such blades, the cutting edges of each blade extending to one side of the cutter to adaptit for use on the edge of the sole next the upper, and each cutting edge having the same relation with the axis as all the others. ”

“ As the wheel revolves with great velocity, the cupping is the work of but a moment, if the horse stands complacently. When the corner tooth has but a small table it is enlarged by filling and the cup is cut across its entire length. The cup in the corners is frequently made with a rounded belly internally and a sharp commissure externally to give a more confusing if not a more natural appearance. When the cupping process is complete, the arcade is dried and kept free from saliva by wrapping the jaw behind the teeth with a cloth or towel. ”

“ The center of the front cannot be manipulated like the back, because there are no seams in the forepart passing from one end to the other, except in a double-breasted coat with the lapels cut off. It is true, we can cut small gores under the lapel or at the waist to make the forepart conform to the body, but they must be well understood by the cutter as well as by the coat maker. ”

“ Some are of such a soft and yielding nature that any attempt to cut them is an utter failure, for in place of a perfect section being obtained, nothing remains upon the knife but a mass of diffluent pulp; others, again, are of such density as to resist the action of any cutting instrument. ”

“ The skilled cutter’s work is done, and the pieces of leather he has cut are called tranks. The cutter must know, of course, whether the tranks he is producing are for overseam, piqué or prick-seam gloves, as each requires a different pattern. ”

“ A fashion has been introduced during the past few seasons of putting a loose sleeve on the top of the ordinary sleeve, forming a kind of sleeve cape. The cutting of this is very simple, but it may be well to give it a place in this work. A reference to diagram 52 will show how to cut it: all that is necessary is to put the top and underside sleeve together at hindarm, and either arrange the elbow to touch, as in the present case, or if any amount of drapery is desired at the back, to arrange it open at elbow accordingly. ”

“ KNIVES FOR CUTTING SECTIONS. Success in cutting sections depends more upon the excellence of the knife that is used than upon any other one point, and therefore the art of keeping the knife in good order is one which should be acquired by every microscopist, even at the cost of considerable time, study and labor. As a stepping stone to the acquisition of this art, there are certain general principles which must be thoroughly understood before we can hope for success in practice. ”

“ This cut under the arm on a square of 20 is a natural gore for a vest, while for a coat the same spot requires a spring, which is also a natural one for a coat, and both are in their place because the nature of the garment requires it, not the body itself. There are men with quite small and tapering waists, and for such the underarm cut must be made larger, while others with very full waists spread sidewise and require the under arm cut smaller—or no cut at all but a spring. ”

“ If a cutter will go to the expense and trouble to cut and make for himself a skeleton coat, cut over Dia. III, omitting all seams sidewise, and for this reason reducing the square of 18 to 17, and using nothing in front and outside of the angle of 15 deg., in fact cutting nothing out except the armholes and the shoulder seams, and using some stiff material, such as heavy vest padding or French canvas, he will be able to form for himself a correct idea of the workings of the angle of 15 deg. ”

“ If cutters will go to the trouble and make a line on their patterns over which they transfer that measure, and then draw stitches in, they will find that when the coat is on the body they cannot even follow said stitches with the tape line, unless it is fastened every few inches. ”

“ It is wonderful what a different appearance you can give to the back of a coat by making the back and sidepiece lining longer or shorter. The peculiar manner of different persons in sewing the seams, or basting in the lining, will also have a decided effect upon the appearance, if not upon the fit itself, and a good cutter must understand all that; that is, he must be a good coat-maker, otherwise he will always be in trouble. In recent years the question has often been asked: “Can a cutter be a good cutter without knowing how to make a coat?” ”

“ I have made many a three-seamed sack coat larger by enlarging the undersleeve and by well stretching the coat under the arm, and then piecing the lining down to the hips. A coat which is too small in the armholes and which is cut forward is usually ruined, because cutting the armholes forward will be at the expense of the width of the breast, but if a wedge is put in under the arm, either by stretching the bottom of the armhole or by the help of outlets, then the coat will be large enough in the arms and remain wide enough at the chest. ”

“ The readiest and most simple plan, if the piece be large enough, is to hold it in the left hand, and, having brought the surface to a perfect 20level by cutting off several rather thick slices, endeavor to cut a thin section by the aid of a very sharp razor, the blade of which must be kept well flooded with spirit. As in the use of Valentin’s knife, so here, great care must be taken steadily to draw the blade across the tissue, every effort being made to avoid pushing the knife, else the section will be torn off, instead of being cut. ”

“ As these holes are deeply cut, and as the knife is in no part thicker than a five-shilling piece, the wonder is how, in such a hard material as flint, the holes were cut at all, for the division between the two cavities is very thin. So smooth are the cavities that one would hardly suppose that mere chipping could produce them even in the hands of the most cunning artificer. ”

“ When the pieces of bone, ivory, pearl, tortoise-shell, horn, or other substances, which are to form the outer surface of the handle, are roughly cut to shape; when the blade has been forged and ground, and when the steel for the spring is procured, the whole are placed in the hand of a workman, who proceeds to build up a clasp-knife from the little fragments placed at his disposal. ”

“ All that can be done is to point out certain forms; and the cutter who starts out on his cutting tour through life must always be on his guard, and study his customers, and imprint their forms upon his own brain. ”

“ But I must point to another reason why a coat can be fitted to the same person with either a square or a sloping shoulder. A coat cut too high up at the back and at the side of the neck will have the appearance of a lower shoulder, because the coat starts higher up. At the present time the style for the shoulders is toward a square shoulder, and I think that will be the style for some time to come. Looking back to continental styles and pictures, we find all coats high up at the back and at the side of the neck, and consequently all are represented as low shoulders. ”

“ But since the steel which we use is limited in its hardness and its power of resisting crushing and 79bending influences, the blades of our knives must have a certain strength or thickness, depending upon the character of the material to be cut. For very hard substances the knife must be stout and the edge ground to a comparatively obtuse angle; for moderately soft substances, such as wood, the angle may be more acute, while for very soft tissues the thinnest blade and the sharpest edge are most suitable. ”

“ If a cutter goes to the trouble to mark a line for every degree or fraction thereof, and draw stitches in them, he will find that the legs will fold, or can be pressed into shape, on any of these lines, and on no other. When such a pants leg is sewed together, it may be turned in almost any position, with or without back slope, and will always turn from the point of the angle, though cut off at the ankles; and the sweeps at the knee, or at other points, swept from the point of the angle, will always fit together. ”

“ Section knives, during the process of sharpening, are subjected to three distinct processes: 1, Grinding; 2, Honing; 3, Stropping.
Grinding is one of the most important, though it is probable that it will rarely be undertaken by the microscopist himself. More knives and razors are spoiled in grinding than in any other way. We have now in our possession an excellent knife, which in an evil hour we entrusted to a New York cutler, and received it back utterly ruined, the temper being entirely taken out of the blades! ”

“ While the body thus expands in front, and the coat cannot follow suit unless cut through, the back of the coat will contract, starting at the side and at the most hollow part of the waist, and running backward. If we take a few pins and fasten up that surplus cloth at the hollow of the back, starting with nothing at the sides, we can readily ascertain the amount of alteration required, and fold up our pattern accordingly. ”

“ The rate of cutting is regulated by a throw of the knife, and the person who throws is obliged to cut as deep as the knife goes. He who is last in getting his bed cut up is bound to carry the whole of the clods, crawling on his hands and feet, to a certain distance measured by the one next to him, who throws the knife through his legs. If the bearer of the clods let any of them fall, the rest have a right to pelt him with them. They frequently lay them very loosely on, that they may have the pleasure of pelting.—Jamieson. ”

“ A cutter must also take into account the occupation of a customer. A musician who blows a great horn requires his armholes backward, and a full breast, while a person who plays the violin requires his armholes pretty well forward, or, at least, he needs extra length in the back sleeve seam, no matter if it is a trifle loose when the sleeve drops downward. But if everything is well balanced it is wonderful how small, and again how large, an armhole a man can have in his coat and feel good in either of them. ”

“ Fig. 15 illustrates the feeds that are often used when turning cast iron. The view to the left shows a deep roughing cut and the one to the right, a finishing cut. By using a broad flat cutting edge set parallel to the tool's travel, and a coarse feed for finishing, a smooth cut can be taken in a comparatively short time. Castings which are close to the finished size in the rough can often be finished to advantage by taking a single cut with a broad tool, provided the work is sufficiently rigid. ”

“ A comparatively soft steel does well enough for the heavy cutlass used for cutting lead or dividing a sheep, and the edge, though sharp and keen, need not, and, indeed, cannot, approach the razor-edge necessary for cutting a silk pocket-handkerchief or a feather. ”

“ The man who cuts in the quick way, the "block-cutter," as he is called, spreads out the skin on a big block made by bolting together planks of wood with the grain running up and down. He places a die in the shape of the glove upon the leather, gives one blow with a heavy maul, and the glove is cut out. ”

“ Great care should be taken in hardening and tempering each of these cutters to prevent possible injury from small particles of steel that might fly from them if they were tempered too hard. The cold cutter should be hard enough to cut steel or iron without being broken or battered on its cutting edge. The hot cutter should not be quite so hard and should be dipped in water frequently when it is being used to prevent the temper from being drawn. ”