The Library of Work and Play: Working in Metals

by Charles Conrad Sleffel

SUGAR TONGS WITH CLAWS

Material: No. 16 gauge silver, 9 × ³⁄₈ in.

Directions: Make your pattern and mark it off on the strip of silver. Either saw or cut off the surplus material. Drill two holes where the holes are shown, for the claws. Saw down to these holes. Do this on either end. You now have three prongs, the middle one a little wider than the other two. Take the pliers, grasp the points of the outer two and turn them outward, forming a claw. File them until they have the shape shown by the design. Do the same on both ends. File the whole piece up, rounding the edges nicely. Notice that the edge view given in the drawing shows the centre thinner than either side. This is flattened down and the flattening of the silver hardens it, so that when it is turned it acts like a spring. When you have flattened the centre part out to the thickness of the drawing, place it on a wood block and with a chisel-shaped wood peg drive in the centre, making the inside slightly concave, and rounding the top side a little. This will bend the tongs like the design. Shape the claw ends to fit the sketch on a hard wood block, using a mallet. Before bending the silver into shape take the wood peg, place the claws on the wood block, and with the wood peg drive down and slightly concave the centre of the claws. All design work must be put in when the metal is in a straight piece.

SUGAR TONGS WITH BOWLS

These are made in the same way as the tongs with claws. In the place of claws you make the bowl spoon shaped on the wooden block, using a mallet. The spoon bowl should not be larger than ¹⁄₂ × ⁷⁄₈ in. Finish and treat in the same way as the sugar tongs with claws.

MUSTARD SPOON, SALT SPOON AND CELLAR

Material—Mustard spoon: No. 14 silver, ³⁄₁₆ × 3 ins.

Directions: To make a mustard spoon like the sketch given here, measure ¹⁄₂ in. off the end of the silver stock. This makes the bowl of the spoon. Flatten the end down, thinning it out toward the edge. File the bowl round. Place it on a block and hammer it into a plain simple bowl shape very deep. One inch from the handle end flatten it out, thinning it out toward the end. File to shape, and bend as shown in the sketch, similar to a teaspoon.