Material: No. 16 copper, 101⁄2 × 51⁄2 ins., for the tray. No. 16 copper, 11⁄2 × 8 ins., for the box. No. 16 copper, 3 ins. square, for lid.
Directions: Tray: You will notice, in the design of the tray given, a 3⁄8-in. ledge all around. The inside of the tray is lowered 1⁄4 in. except a square place in the centre toward the back large enough for the box to set upon. The depression in the tray is made in the same way as described before in making the small square tray. You put it into the vise and with a round wooden peg drive it in according to the design. The ledge must remain parallel to the bottom of the tray. Round it off by placing the tray on the anvil stake and driving the proper curve in it with the wooden mallet.
Box or holder—Sides: Take the copper piece, 8 × 11⁄2 ins. and divide it into 2-in. spaces. Bend these at right angles to form a square box, the open ends meeting at one side. Solder with hard solder. Lid: Take the 3-in. square piece. Over a square block the exact size of the inside of the box drive the piece for the lid. The corners must be driven down even so that the lid will fit on the top of the box; otherwise the ink will evaporate. The hinge on the lid is made with a drawn tube in the same way as was described in the article on the making of hinges. The box is now ready to be put on the tray. File the surface of the projecting square flat, so that the box will set level. Bind it down with binding wire, and solder in the usual way.
Ring and ring post fastened to the box: The post is made of a piece of 3⁄8-in. square copper. At a distance of 5⁄16 in. from the end a shoulder is filed on it, with the stem long enough to go through the thickness of the lid. A hole, too, is drilled through one end of this post large enough for a 1⁄8-in. copper ring to be pushed through. This copper ring is made by turning a piece of copper wire around a 1⁄2-in. round rod in a spiral shape. Cut off the ring or rings as you need them. This ring is opened out, pushed into the hole, and squeezed together. It acts as a little handle to lift up the lid. A piece of blotting paper the exact size of the lid is pushed into the inside of it. This helps to keep the ink from evaporating. If the piece of work has been carefully done there will be little finishing and filing to do. You can readily see that the beauty of metal work depends as much upon the finish as upon the design.
BOOK-RACK
Book-racks are most useful for holding choice books on one's desk. They are made of heavy copper. This design is made so that one can place any number of books between them, by pushing the side pieces out. All book-racks are made in the same way. The design on the side pieces can be sawed out (or pierced) or embossed, or the facets left by the hammer will make a beautiful decoration. Any design work, however, must be done while the copper is in a straight piece, otherwise the bending is apt to spoil the work.
Material: Two pieces of copper, No. 14, 12 × 6 ins.