Stop′ping.
1. (Mining.) a. A door in a drift or gallery which stops the passage of air at a certain point, being a part of the artificial ventilation system of a mine. b. Cutting down mineral ground with a pick.
2. (Dental Surgery.) Material for filling carious teeth. The holes are cleared of carious matter by instruments called burs, excavators, drills, chisels, etc. Among the filling materials may be cited: — Gold. Silver. Tin. Amalgams of silver, tin, or cadmium. Os artificial: oxychloride of zinc mixed with a liquid. Foil: gold or tin. Hill's stopping: india-rubber and silex.
3. (Engraving.) Covering with varnish such parts of an etched plate as may have been sufficiently bitten in with acid; the remaining portions are then again exposed to acid to deepen the lines. See etching. 4. Patching incomplete work with cement, such as gaps made by the spalling of marble or stone, of veneer, etc. Badigcon.
5. (Farriery.) A pad or ball occupying the space within the inner edge of the shoe, around the frog and against the sole. Its object is to keep the parts in a moist condition, similar to that which they possess in a state of nature, where the hoof is not lifted clear of the ground by a shoe, but the sole and frog come in contact with the damp earth and verdure. Dickenson's English patent, some 50 years since, consisted in placing a piece of stout leather over the whole bottom of the foot, and nailing the shoe thereupon. An angular plate of iron is riveted to the outer surface of the leather, over the frog, whose form it imitates. Beneath the leather is packed a quantity of sponge which absorbs and retains moisture. A common practice with horses habitually stabled, and where great care is exercised, is to stop the feet after coming from work, a composition of cow-dung and clay being used Several devices for stopping the feet of horses have been suggested, and a number patented. Pads of india-rubber, felt, sponge, cork, etc.
