Copyright, 1911, by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.
Making an Iron Lamp—Bending the Parts of the Base
Post: Take a 10 × 5 in. piece and bend it around a piece of round iron so that the two edges will fit close together. The inside and outside of these are filed for brazing. (See Brazing.) This post is now bound with good strong wire to keep the joint close. Cover with flux, place in the fire and add the smelter to the joint on the inside of the pipe. When the smelter runs into the joint take it out of the fire and allow it to cool in the air. The joint is now filed up on the outside and if properly brazed should show only a very fine line made by the smelter. The upper part of the post is now swelled out as shown in the sketch, by heating at a low heat and spreading the metal out all around the end.
A cap is placed on top of the post to hold the arms that support the shade and to hold, too, the electric light bulb, or gas pipe, or oil well, according to the light to be used. The cap is made by rounding the end of a 1-in. bar to 1⁄2 in. in diameter, 2 ins. long. The other end is cut off about 1⁄2 in. to allow for the flattening down to make the cap.
Place the 1⁄2-in. stem into a heading tool and flatten this bar down quite thin. Spread it out so that the edges can be turned over at right angles to form a cap to fit the top of the post. This cap can be either brazed or riveted on to the post. Either will look well. If used for gas or electric light a hole should be drilled through the centre of the cap and through the post to receive the wire. If used for gas the lower side can be tapered out so that 1⁄8-in. gas pipe can be screwed in. Now cut a thread on the top of the post to fit an electric light socket. The same thread acts as a holder for the bracket of the shade holder. Place the cap on the post, rivet and braze. File the lower part of the post and the inside of the hole on the base perfectly clean. The bottom of the post should be filed a little tapering so it will fit into the base of the hole tight. Wire it in for brazing so that the post will stand perpendicular to the base. Carry your binding wires from the top of the post to the four corners of the base, using heavy wire for this work of binding. Cover the joint with flux. Place the centre on the fire and put the brazing material on the joint around the post. With a slow heat, heat till the smelter runs into the joint. Close off the blast, let it remain in the fire until cold, then remove it.
Shade holder: This is made of a piece of 1 × 1⁄8 × 10 in. soft steel. Fuller down 3 ins. from the end to 3⁄8 × 1⁄8 in. Draw this out any length. Split the other end to within 11⁄8 ins. of this fuller mark. Throw these arms out and draw each down the same size as the other, 1⁄8 × 3⁄8 in. Place the crotch on a small bottom fuller and with the top fuller spread each arm out so that it will measure an equal distance from the other arms. At the same time this will shape the centre. Drive the end out tapering 3⁄8 in. wide at the base, tapering to 1⁄8 in. square at the ends. The length of the arms depends upon the size of the shade. Tip ends of the arms should be bent up 1⁄8 in. to hold the shade in place. Drill a hole in the centre of the tripod and tap a thread in the hole to fit the thread on the end of the cap, so that this will screw on. These arms can be bent down or up to suit the height of the shade.