Working in Metals PDF
Preview Working in Metals
Copyright 1911, by Underwood & Underwood Kven a Boy Can Learn How to Make a Horseshoe a WORKING IN METALS By CHARLES CONRAD SLEFFEL Wrde Experience in Practical Shop Work and for 12 years Instructor in Metal Work: at the Horace Mann School, Teachers’ College, New York: GARDEN City NEw York DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 1916 I INTRODUCTORY HAT a pretty copper box, John. Where W did you get it?” **T made it.” “You made it?” “Yes, out of sheet copper in my room last night. That’s the way I spend my evenings. And such fun as it is! I enjoy every minute of the time. Mother says I’d work all night if she didn’t stop me.” “T’'d like to do something like that. Do you think I could learn to do it?” “I’m sure you could. Do you know the black- smith around the corner? He taught me how to do this work, and ever so much more. He got me the tools, too. He says every boy can learn to work with metals, so I thought Id try it. [ll take you around to see him sometime. Come up to my room and I’ll show my workshop and all the tools I use.” “It would be mighty nice to know how to do something else besides running an elevator all day. 3 4 WORKING IN METALS I get so tired of that. How long would it take me to make a box like this one?”’ ‘‘Not'very long if you begin intheright way. I’ve worked at it only since I left school. The manual training I got there helped me to know how to handle the tools. You had that training, too, and I know it willhelp you. Here we are, this is my workshop and bedroom. Let’s work here together and I'll teach you all I know: how to use the tools and just what to do.” So began two boys to do work that one had done — metal work which any boy can do if he will but take the trouble to get the tools and have the patience to learn the way step by step. “You don’t need a large room for your workshop, you see,” said John. “The table here is my work bench and all the tools can be put into a box out of the way when you are not using them. “Here are my sketches of the tools one needs to make almost anything out of copper, brass, or silver. The blacksmith made the drawings for me and taught me how to make some of the tools my- self. He says every boy should learn to make his own tools and I shan’t be satisfied until I can make them all. Then I can make them as I need them and only those that fit the work best. But I had to buy most of them to start with. Here they are.” II TOOLS HESE are my shears. They are sometimes called jewellers’ snips. I use them for cutting copper, wire, and my designs. You can buy them at any hardwarestore. But besure to get a good pair, as they are needed for so many things. I do all my measuring with a steel square. You see it takes the place of a two- foot rule. It’s useful for squaring up, too. See, it has the 4, 4, %, $4, and 1-in. spaces. My dividers are my compasses. I draw circles, mark pieces, and find centres with them. 6 WORKING IN METALS The pliers are used to twist the binding wire and to hold the metal when it is to be heated, or soldered, etc. Youcan geta wooden 2 J block like this any- where. Hard wood is best. This block is 6 x 4 x 4 ins. You see, I cut out a hollow bowl- shaped place in the top. When I want to worka flat piece of copper into arough bowl shape, I hammer it into the depression. The opposite end of the block, which is flat, is useful in many ways, too. I couldn’t get along es without my bench vise. ° e: Here itis; made of metal. It can <: be fastened to a table as well as to a bench. It holds any tool used ; for shaping and also the metal Bench vise when I wish to file it. TOOLS 7 This piece of 34-in. hexagonal steel, 5 in. long, tapered at one end down to 4¢-in., is a punch for bt3t2S making or pressing holes in copper or silver. The size of the hole depends upon the length you drive the punch into the metal. —s- . —— —_—— The centre-punch is made like this one, but the end is ground to a point. Here are my hammers. I have three and a wooden mallet. The raising hammer is used for many things which you will learn as you get on. You see one end is somewhat round- ed. Youcan pound away on the cop- per with this ham- bataae unos mer and have no fear of driving holes into the metal. It’s the first hammer I use to shape up the metal bowl with. The shaping or driving hammer is flat at one end 8 WORKING IN METALS and rounded at the other. Its bent head is shaped so that you can use it in places where a straight headed hammer won’t go. It’s the only hammer to use when you work on the out- side of boxes or bowls to shape them up. Sometimes lumps are left on the surface of the copper Shaping hammer after the rais- ing hammer has been used. These are smoothed away with the planishing hammer. Its broad end flattens these rough places and makes the surface perfectly level before going on with the work. _A wooden mallet is often used in place of the heavier ham- mer. If a light Wooden mallet stroke is needed it can be used without danger TOOLS 9 of marring the metal, as wood is so much softer than the metal itself. ss You'll need some files to reduce the metal to certain sizes. I have four: a bastard, 12-in.; a mill cut, 8-in.; a half round mill cut, and one round %-in. mill cut. Then I have one half-dozen jewellers’ files of different sizes. Supply houses will always tell you the best kind to buy. s a e Cold chisel The cold chisel is used in many places for cutting off material, especially for metals that are too heavy for the shears. A carpenter’s gouge chisel will be found useful for cutting impressions in wooden blocks. The drill press is used to bore holes into the copper or silver when you wish to rivet orsaw. You will need a half dozen drills for your work. The %e-in. drills are the size I like best. With a jewellers’ saw frame like this rill press
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