They are generally made of cast steel. The rods, as they come from the tilt, are about 1⁄2 inch broad, and of a thickness sufficient for the back of the razor.
There is nothing peculiar in the tools made use of in forging razors: the anvil is a little rounded at the sides, which affords the opportunity of making the edge thinner, and saves an immense labour to the grinder.
Razors are hardened and tempered in a similar manner to penknives. They are, however, left harder, being only let down to yellow or brown colour.
The forging of scissors is wholly performed by the hammer, and all the sizes are made by a single hand. The anvil of the scissor-maker weighs about 11⁄2 cwt.; it measures, on the face, about 4 by 11 inches. It is provided with two gates or grooves for the reception of various little indented tools termed by the workman bosses; one of these bosses is employed to give proper figure to the shank of the scissors; another for forming that part which has to make the joint; and a third is made use of for giving a proper figure to the upper side of the blade. There is also another anvil placed on the same block, containing two or three tools called beak-irons, each consisting of an upright stem about 6 inches high, at the top of which a horizontal beak projects; one of these beaks is conical, and is used for extending the bow of the scissors; the other is a segment of a cylinder with the round side upwards, containing a recess for giving a proper shape and smoothness to the inside of the bow.
The shank of the scissors is first formed by means of one of the bosses, above described, leaving as much steel at the end as will form the blade. A hole is then punched about 1⁄4 inch in width, a little above the shank. The blade is drawn out and finished, and the scissors separated from the rod a little above the hole. It is heated a third time, and the small hole above mentioned is extended upon the beak-irons so as to form the bow. This finishes the forging of scissors. They are promiscuously made in this way, without any other guide than the eye, having no regard to their being in pairs. They are next annealed for the purpose of filing such parts of them as cannot be ground, and afterwards paired.
The very large scissors are made partly of iron, the blades being of steel.
After the forging, the bow and joints, and such shanks as cannot be ground, are filed. The rivet hole is then bored, through which they are to be screwed or riveted together. This common kind of scissors is only hardened up to the joint. They are tempered down to a purple or blue colour. In this state they are taken to the grinder.
Grinding and polishing of cutlery.—The various processes which come under this denomination are performed by machinery, moving in general by the power of the steam-engine or water-wheel.
Grinding wheels or grinding mills are divided into a number of separate rooms; every room contains six places called troughs; each trough consists of a convenience for running a grindstone and a polisher at the same time, which is generally occupied by a man and a boy.
The business of the grinder is generally divided into three stages, viz. grinding, glazing, and polishing.