photographing; or (3) double sheet hard beaten, and
patched in the hollows, for plaster casting afterwards.

For (1) there is no need to get an impression of the hollows to the
bottom, and the face of the paper should be smooth. A soft paper,
with little or no size, and a soft clothes-brush will do well for
this. The sheet should cover the whole inscription, or have as few
joints as may be. The stone should be dabbed with a wet brush so as
to saturate the face, the sheet of paper well soaked in water laid
upon it, taking care not to leave bubbles, and then dabbing firmly
with the brush will drive the paper into the hollows. If the stone is
polished or very smooth, it is needful to peel off the paper while
wet by holding two corners, and lay it reversed on a flat surface to
dry; if left on the stone the contraction will destroy the impress.
Out of doors the paper can be held down by pebbles around it, or by
sand on the edges, to prevent the wind catching it.

(2) The stronger squeeze should be of a tough paper with moderate
sizing. Cut the paper to the form of the stone. Thrust it into a pail
of water, knead it about vigorously, roll it into a ball and pummel
it, so as to break the grain and let the water well into it. Then wet
the stone, shake out the paper like a wet handkerchief, full of
creases, lay it on the stone and begin to beat it in with a hard,
long spoke-brush. A few strokes round the edge will catch it down so
that the wind does not disturb it. Then begin to beat it heavily
along the top edge; beat it to a pulp, and patch with strips left
soaking in the water wherever breaks occur. If the stone is porous
the paper may part from it, especially if expanded by beating; the
only course then is to slush more water on the face so that it will
go through the breaks and hold the paper down again. It may be
needful to slit the paper to let the water go below it. Beat down
again, enough to fix it.

(3) For casting purposes a final backing sheet, moderately beaten on,
is needed to hold the squeeze together and stiffen it. Either (2) or
(3) can be left on the face of the stone till quite dry, and then
carefully detached by lifting up from one corner, and slipping a
dinner-knife or a slip of wood under the paper to lift any part that
sticks.

Stiff squeezes as (3) must be packed flat; thin, as (1) and sometimes
(2), may be rolled in a large curve, but this always deteriorates a
squeeze.

For plaster casting, a squ