CHAPTER IX.
Twisting—Braiding—Making a Fire Shovel.
Exercise No. 2.
Fig. 14.
Twisting. A piece of one-half inch square stock, nine inches long, is heated its entire length, one end caught in a vise and with a monkey wrench or heavy pair of tongs on the other, it is twisted to the right. If the heat is an even one and not too hot, the spacing of the twist will be uniform. In case one part twists faster than another, a little water is used to cool that part. The beauty of twisted work depends on having the spacing uniform between the turns. (See [Figure 14].) Flat stock can also be twisted in this manner. To straighten twisted work, it is heated red, set on the end grain of elm wood and hammered with a wooden mallet. The mallet used in this work should be made from hickory. For heavy striking a little band of iron can be put on the mallet a half-inch from one end, so that the mallet will not split. The block on which to straighten the iron should be about ten inches in diameter and three feet high. A short block about eight inches wide and twelve inches long may be set into the coal box, having coal under and around it to hold it in place. This makes a very handy block on which to bump up light pieces of metal or to straighten metal.
Exercise No. 3.
[Figure 15] shows the dimensions of stock for a twisted poker-handle. The four ¼-inch rods are upset on one end until they measure six inches. They are then welded together on this end. This is done by first twisting a strong binding wire around the rods to keep them in place while taking the heat. (See [Figure 16].) In welding, they are welded directly on the ends and scarfed as shown in [Figure 15].
Fig. 15.
Fig. 16.
Fig. 17. Poker Handles.
Notice that the scarf is made so that the point of the scarf on the other piece will come onto a one-quarter inch rod and not between the two. The scarf must not be hammered farther back from the ends than ⅜-inch. The ⅜-inch bar is now upset on one end and scarfed. The two parts are then welded, smoothing the weld with the hand hammer. The end of the handle is welded directly at the ends of the rods. The entire handle is heated uniformly, caught in a vise and twisted to the right. If any part twists faster than another, that part is cooled with water dropped from a hole in the bottom of a tin cup. In twisting the handle, the ⅜ bar is caught in the vise. A strong pair of tongs are used on the end of the handle to twist it, or the end of the handle can be caught with a monkey wrench. The point of the poker is drawn to a square point and then flattened. In making pokers or shovels, the stock may be either round or square. In [Figure 17] are shown some handles that are suitable for pokers or shovels. A method of braiding the last handle shown in the illustration is to weld four ³⁄₁₆-in. rods of either round or square stock to a piece of ½-inch round stock. Two of the rods are then bent over at right angles to the one-half inch piece. The others are bent over them, and so on until finished. The four rods are then welded at the top and a ring turned. The last illustration shows the method of bending the rods.
Fig. 18. Shovel.
Fig. 19. Shovel Handle.
Exercise No. 4.
Shovel.—[Figure 18] shows the dimensions and form of the exercise. In making the handle, ⅜-in. square stock is used. The piece is cut 25 inches long. On one end the piece is upset considerably in order to get a good sized head. Five inches from the end of the head a line is cut on four sides with a chisel. This part is then hammered with a ball hammer while hot to give it a rough texture as shown in [Figure 19]. The other end of the handle is upset a little, bent on an angle and flattened, letting it get as wide as it will.
Fig. 20.
The development of the pattern for the shovel blade is shown in [Figure 20]. At the top is shown a side and end elevation of the shovel. The dimensions should be drawn full size. The shapes of the sides and of the ends are found by measuring from the elevation. The pattern should be made from sheet iron and kept for future use.
In forming the shovel, the sides are first bent up by using the vise and heel of the anvil. This forming must be done while the metal is cold. The end of the shovel may be bent by hammering it over a heavy, flat piece of iron. The corners are hammered around the sides by catching the shovel in the vise. They are fastened by drilling holes thru both pieces and riveting them, using a rivet set to finish the rivets. In fastening the handle to the blade or shovel, three Number 10 round-head rivets are used. If desired, the handle can be made from larger stock, also increasing the size and the thickness of the shovel.
Fig. 21. Door Latch.