Directions: Perhaps the easiest and simplest way to make this tray is to get a large block of wood, like the end of a building joist, a little longer and wider than the 18 × 12-in. copper sheet. Out of it make a mould the shape of the body of the tray, by cutting the wood away. This mould is made similar to the one you made when making the round tray. If the mould is made carefully and according to the pattern it is a simple matter to nail the sheet of copper over the depression, and drive it in with a wooden peg and mallet, making it fit every part of the mould. Before this is done it may be necessary to anneal the metal two or three times. Do so as often as you need to, it doesn't matter how often it must be done. When the surface is smooth to the touch, take the metal off the mould, and turn up the edges like the design. File off the outer edges perfectly smooth and rub them down with emery cloth. If your wooden peg has made small dents or flat places, leave them as a finish unless they seem too high or too low. The marks made by any wooden tool usually make a beautiful finish.
Handles: The handles are hollow. They are made by taking one piece of the 31⁄2 × 2-in. and drawing on this the outline of the handle. Repeat this on the four pieces. This makes four halves. With a pair of shears cut along the sides. Cut the rest out with a chisel. Snip the corners. Put four pieces together and place between the jaws of the vise. File into shape. This makes each piece a duplicate of the others. Place each piece of copper on a hard wood block and with the round end of the raising hammer drive into the block, hollowing it out. Make them in pairs so that when the two parts are put together they make the handles hollow on the inside and oval on the outside. File the edges of the handle so that they meet close. Bind, solder, and file and round them up.
Fastening handles on the tray: Saw the two ends along the soldered joints about 3⁄8 in. Open these out so that they fit over the edge of the tray. Finish the ends off either rounding or square. Now drill a hole through the handle about 3⁄16 in. from the end. Place them again on the tray just where they should be and mark for the hole to be drilled through the tray.
Rivets: Take a piece of silver wire the size of the hole. Place one end of it on the vise so it will stick up about 1⁄8 in. above the surface. With the planishing hammer, hammer a small rounded head on the end of the wire. Cut it off 3⁄8 in. from the head in length. This makes a rivet. You will need four. Place these rivets with the head toward the front part of the tray and fasten the handle on. Polish and finish as you did other pieces of work.
DUTCH BOWL (MADE IN SILVER OR COPPER)
This Dutch bowl looks well made of either silver or copper. It is worked up in the same way as the other bowls described here, the little sawed out handle on the side being an addition which gives to the bowl its Dutch characteristic.
Dutch bowls
To make the handles: If the bowl is made of copper select a piece of metal thicker than the copper used for the bowl. This piece is 3 × 4 ins. long. Shape it as shown in the sketch. Mark the design and saw it out. Now bend it at right angles about 1⁄2 in. from the end. Before the corners are squared up, round the handle to fit the shape of the bowl. This is best done on a round iron stake. File into shape, drill three holes, and rivet the handles in place. A soldered handle if desired makes a neater piece of work than one riveted in place. Material used is a piece of 3 × 3 ins. The design is sawed out and shaped as before. However, in place of bending the end down we file the circle to fit the bowl. Clean the parts to be soldered, bind the handle in place, wash with borax. Place bits of solder about the joint, heat, and finish. If this soldering makes the bowl very soft stiffen it by hammering it lightly all over the surface.
