A practical treatise on coach-building historical and descriptive

by James W. Burgess

Treads are small single steps a few inches square, fixed for the most part on a single iron stem.

Joints are jointed iron stays, made in the form of the letter S, and serve to keep the leather heads or hoods of open carriages, such as landaus, stretched firmly out when required.

Shackles are iron staples, which serve to receive the leather suspension braces of C spring carriages on the springs; they are also used for coupling springs together.

Jacks are small windlasses, which serve to receive the ends of the leather suspension braces after passing round the backs of the springs. By means of a wrench or winch handle the jacks may be wound up or let down so as to lengthen or shorten the brace.

Then we have the hinges, which are now concealed in the door pillar, effecting a great improvement in the appearance of the vehicle, though it necessitates a somewhat stouter pillar than would otherwise be necessary.

To preserve the ironwork and steelwork of carriages from rusting, it is either painted or plated with some metal on which the oxygen of the air does not act. When it is wished to make it ornamental, carriage ironwork is plated, in which case it is first covered with a coat of tin laid on by means of a soldering iron, with rosin and a small portion of sal-ammoniac in order to promote union between the two metals. The tin being smoothed, a small portion of silver or brass, rolled exceedingly thin, is laid on, and by means of the soldering iron is made to adhere to the tin; more of the plating metal is then added to join the first by the edges, till the whole surface is covered. It is then burnished and polished by means of the proper tools. All articles of iron requiring to be covered with silver are treated in the same way; small articles of ornament in brass, which do not require strength, are cut in solid metal, as it is cheaper by the saving in labour; but for heavy articles, the weight of the metal would considerably enhance the price, supposing that strength were not required. Wheel nave hoops, axletree caps, loops, brace buckles, check rings, and door handles are generally plated.

The beading, which is used to cover the joints, is of three kinds, brass, copper, and plated copper. It is formed by strips of metal being drawn into a circular or angular form by means of a die, the hollow space being filled with solder, into which small pins of pointed wire are fixed to attach it by. The brass beading is polished; the copper is painted, for which purpose the surface is roughened. As the quantity of beading used is often very considerable, the labour of silvering by means of a soldering iron would be too great, and therefore the plated or silvered beading is prepared from metal silvered in the sheet. The process is very simple:—A bar of copper being reduced to the proper thickness, a bar of silver is then united to it by means of heat. They are then passed through the rolls together, and occasionally annealed in the fire until the requisite thickness be obtained, the two metals spreading equally. This kind of metal is much used in the manufacture of carriage lamps.

Several kinds of lamps are used in carriages, both as regards principle of construction and form and ornament. In the simplest kind the light is furnished by the combustion of wax candles, which are contained in tin tubes, through a hole in the upper part of which the wick passes, the candle being pressed upwards as fast as it consumes by a spiral spring. In dress carriages, where the lamps are somewhat ornamental, wax candles are invariably used on account of their superior cleanliness, though the light is inferior to that of oil.

Oil is often used on account of its superior illuminating power. The lamp then simply consists of a tin reservoir for holding the oil, and a round wick of the most ordinary kind, though sometimes flat for the sake of spreading the flame. Reflectors of many kinds are used in every variety of carriage lamps, formed of silvered metal highly burnished.

Attempts have been made to bring the argand lamp, with a current of air through the wick, into use, but sufficient success has not attended these efforts to make them general, owing to their liability to be suddenly extinguished by violent draughts of wind. This may, however, be accomplished when the scientific principles of combustion and the regulation of the draught shall be better understood.