The Library of Work and Play: Working in Metals

by Charles Conrad Sleffel

XXVII
SOME GENERAL FORGING PROBLEMS

Ice shaver: Ice shavers are useful as shavers, breakers and choppers of ice. They are made out of a piece of low carbon steel for the blade and a piece of ⁵⁄₈-in. round iron for the handle.

Ice shaver

Directions: Take a piece of ¹⁄₂ × 6 × 4 ins., and cut along as shown by the lines. When these two corners are cut out, point the centre piece for a cleft weld. Slit the end of the rod, scarfing its points thin, and slip this point into the crotch of the scarf, and weld with borax. This now gives you a piece that looks like a shovel. On the other end of the handle bend a ring about 4 ins. in diameter. Place the flat end in the fire, heat it up, and taper this flat end down very thin, about 1 in. long. With a file, file four teeth in the end, the same shape as shown here. It is now ready for tempering. This is done by heating all the teeth well back toward the handle red hot. Plunge the whole thing into water to cool it off. Take it out and polish. Heat a piece of large iron in the fire red hot. On this piece of metal place the teeth of the pick. When the blue colour appears on the point and cutting edges of the teeth, cool in water. It is now ready for use.

Grub hoe: The form and dimensions of this tool are given, also the different steps in the process of forging.

Stock: 1¹⁄₄ × ³⁄₄ × 5 in. steel.

Directions: Mark off with a centre-punch the middle of the piece of stock, and then mark off 1 in. from the middle in either direction. Fuller, as shown in the sketch, on the first end, to a depth of 1 in. Heat the piece and fuller the other end to a depth of ¹⁄₂ in. (A). The centre lug is now 2 ins. long. To make this 2 ins. long it is necessary that the fuller be placed on the piece on the outside of the centre-punch marks. Draw out the two ends, as shown by the sketch, one being directly opposite the other. Punch a hole with the eye punch in the middle of this lug almost through on one side. Take the punch out, turn the piece upside down, and finish punching the hole. The punch used for doing this part of the work should be straight and tapered and quite thin on the end. The problem is not to cut out a large piece but rather to split the metal. It's only ³⁄₄ in. wide and will not allow for the cutting away of any material. A punch of this kind will heat up on the end while driving, when it is apt to bend. To avoid this keep it cold by dipping it into water from time to time. Place a little green coal in the hole after you have started the punch in. This prevents its sticking in the hole and it also prevents the end of the punch from getting hot. A very deep, narrow slot can be punched successfully in this way.