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MAKING TIN CAN TOYS
[Illustration: Army truck constructed entirely from used tin cans]
MAKING TIN CAN TOYS
BY
EDWARD THATCHER
ORIGINATOR OF TIN CAN TOYS AND INSTRUCTOR OF METAL
WORKING, TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK CITY, 1904-1919
DRAWINGS MADE AND THE
AUTHOR’S MODELS PAINTED
By ISABEL THATCHER
[Illustration]
PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
INTRODUCTION
Tin can toys were invented after a fruitless search of the toy shops
for a large tin locomotive. I had a long can in my shop at home that I
thought could be very easily worked up into a toy locomotive boiler by
adding a few fittings, such as a piece of tin rolled up into the form of
a smokestack. Part of a small can could be used for a steam dome, or I
could use the top part of a certain tooth-powder can, the distributor top
of which would look very much like a whistle. A cocoa tin came in very
handy for a cab, and a thumb-tack box served for a headlight. The wheels
were made of can lids soldered together, and the toy locomotive was made,
much to the joy of my very young son, who has had it in constant service
for over a year, and it is still good for many trips at the end of a
string.
I had always used tin cans for making such articles as water motors,
glue pots, melting ladles, mooring buoys for model yachts, etc., but
the locomotive was the first toy, made wholly from tin cans, that I had
produced, and this suggested other toys. The steam roller was next made.
I found that the cans lend themselves very easily to the making of toys,
so much of the work being already done.
The materials used to make these toys are plentiful and inexpensive—cans
are everywhere. The tools needed are few and easy to use, and I found
that so many different and amusing durable toys could be made from used
tin cans, and also that everyone seemed to have such fun making the toys,
that I decided to use them for teaching purposes.
Tin can toy making has been thoroughly tried out in a grade school under
a very able teacher, who understands making them. Pupils of ten, eleven
and twelve years of age have proved that these toys are easy to make, and
many schools now have the work well established.
The steam roller, shown in Plate XI, was made by a boy of ten after a
model which I made for it. This same boy developed quite a trade of his
own by soldering up various pieces of tinware for his mother and the
neighbors.
But, better still, working with the tin cans has developed the inventive
faculties of my class to a surprising degree. The pupils have thought
out and made many models of their own—not only toys but useful things
as well. Various members of the class investigated the large trucks,
automobiles, hoisting engines, locomotives, boats and such things seen
in any water-front community, to see how they were made and how they
worked, and why. These pupils then returned to the school shops and made
models of their own, many of which showed considerable invention and
ingenuity.
I decided to teach the Occupational Aides in my classes at Columbia
University how to make these toys, so that they in turn could teach the
wounded soldiers in the hospitals.
It is a great pleasure to know that as this book goes to press many a
wounded soldier has been and is still being amused and benefited by
making the tin can toys here.
But the making of tin can toys is by no means limited to hospitals and
schools. Any one who cares to tinker, to handle tools, to use up waste
materials, may find pleasure and profit from assembling tin cans and
parts of them. Many useful and attractive things may be made for the
home, shop, or camp.
I have found it quite possible to make many decorative things from tin
cans, and for some years I have made lanterns, candlesticks, sconces
and trays of all kinds. The shape of the cans themselves lends them
to decoration when assembled by a person having a sense of design and
proportion.
There is nothing weak or flimsy about a well-made tin can toy. A strip
of flat tin is very easily bent; if that same strip of tin is bent at
right angles through its whole length, like the angle iron encountered in
structural iron work, it will be found to be remarkably stiff.
Bend up an angle on each side of a strip of tin, like a channel iron used
in buildings; it will sustain a remarkable load.
I have used the common forms employed in structural steel for building up
the toys shown in this book with the result that they are surprisingly
solid and durable, though made entirely from cans or the tin taken from
flattened-out cans and boxes.
No rough or sharp edges are left about these toys. The edges of a piece
of tin may be folded over or “hemmed”—or a folded strip of tin may be
slipped over an edge that needs strengthening. Thus all danger of cutting
the fingers or of thin edges being bent out of shape is done away with.
Although made of tin, there need be nothing “tinny” about a well-made,
well-painted tin can toy.
Very few and very simple tools are required for the work and the solder,
soldering flux, rivets, wire and paint are very inexpensive items, as so
little need be used for each piece produced.
Soldering is by far the most important of the operations involved in tin
can toy making. But it is very simple, once it is understood. When the
principles that govern the process of soldering are thoroughly mastered
there is no difficulty at all about it. Chapters IV and V should be
thoroughly read and re-read before trying to solder, and at least two
practice pieces well soldered together before going any further.
Since the tin can toys were introduced into my classes at college I have
taught more than two hundred pupils how to make them. Many of these
pupils had little or no experience with tools and had never expected to
have any until the war came along and changed the ideas of many people
as to their ability to work with their hands. I have yet to encounter a
pupil who could not solder after a very short period of instruction.
Look at the end of a small olive oil can or the end of a tin commonly
used to contain cocoa, then think of the shape of the radiator and hood
of the modern automobile. The shape of the can and the shape of the
hood of the automobile are very much alike. A few holes punched in the
end of the can in regular rows transform it into a miniature radiator
in appearance, and some slits cut in the side of the can look very much
like the vents in the side of a real auto hood. Solder the cap of a
tooth-paste or paint tube in place over the radiator, and the hood and
radiator are completed.
To have formed up a hood of this sort from a plain sheet of metal would
have taken far more skill than the average tinker is likely to possess,
but you have it ready made in the can, and this is the whole idea of tin
can toy building.
Less than half of a rectangular two-quart can used for a certain cooking
oil makes up into a truck body so like the bodies on the real trucks that
it would be difficult to find or make one more like them.
Many different kinds of boats that will really float may be made from
mackerel and herring tins which are usually made in the shape of boats.
Two mackerel tins soldered together suggest the fighting tank. Only a
little work is necessary to transform these cans into real toys.
Long cylindrical cans suggest boilers for toy locomotives, hoisting and
traction engines, steam rollers and the like.
Wheels for rolling stock may be made from cans or the can lids. Small
adhesive tape boxes make excellent headlights or searchlights and also
pilot houses for tiny tug boats. Bottle caps, thumb-tack boxes, and the
small screw tops of olive or cooking oil cans suggest head, side and tail
lights for toy automobiles, and many other things.
Aside from the pleasure derived from the actual making of tin can toys,
perhaps the greatest satisfaction lies in the fact that you are using
material usually thrown away—making something out of nothing.
And so this book is offered to tinkers by a tinker with the hope that
they may get some of the pleasure out of it that he has had in writing it.
EDWARD THATCHER.
Woodstock, Ulster County, New York.
September, 1919.
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN TO THE AUTHOR BY A FORMER PUPIL MRS. CLYDE
M. MYERS
RECONSTRUCTION AIDE, DIRECTOR OF THE RED CROSS WORK SHOP FOR
PATIENTS AT NEUROLOGICAL BASE HOSPITAL 117, LA FAUCHE, HAUTE
MARNE, FRANCE
“The hospital was new and its needs were many. We began work the day
after our arrival and by the time our small equipment was unpacked (Mrs.
Myers refers here to her own personal equipment of tools which was
necessarily a small one as it was brought from America. The hospital
shops were not equipped with tools until after the Aides had established
the work and decided on the necessary tools needed), requests were coming
in from all quarters of the hospital for us to make everything from
tables and dishes to doughnut cutters. There was such a lack of material
that the problem of making them could have been solved by nothing less
than ingenuity of the American soldier and the ever present tin can pile.
“Some old French hospital beds found on the salvage heap were quickly
converted into work benches. It was then that the tin can ceased to be a
thing to be burned and buried and came into its own.
“Our first need was a charcoal furnace to heat our soldering coppers.
This was made from two large square tins with an interlining of brick. A
bit of an old grate completed this perfectly good furnace which served us
well for many months.
“The wants of the kitchen were next considered. For washing dishes we
made three huge wooden tubs 2 by 2½ by 6 feet. The lining and drain pipes
for these were made from several large tin cans. As the size of the
hospital increased there was a constant demand for such things as biscuit
pans, doughnut cutters, funnels, potato graters, vegetable strainers,
soap dishes and other small necessities.
“For the officers’ wards, barracks, and recreation hut, we made tin
candlesticks, flower holders, ash trays, electric light shades, tea
trays, desk sets, and filing boxes. All of which were not only useful but
quite ornamental, as they were attractively painted and decorated by the
patients. The soldiers took great interest in the making of mechanical
toys, especially war-like ones, such as tanks, aeroplanes, cannon and
army trucks.
“The reflectors for the foot lights of the stage in the Red Cross
Recreation Hut were made of tin cans. The end-men in the minstrel show
were quite gay in tin can hats—what could have been more simple—a tin
brim with an inverted butter can for a crown, gaudily painted and
beribboned!
[Illustration: PLATE I
_Courtesy Pictorial Review_
Wounded soldiers at work]
“The princess in the Christmas play was in need of shining armor. Half
circles of tin overlapping each other not only served the purpose but
were glitteringly gorgeous. The Three Kings in the play were badly in
need of crowns; three oatmeal tins were beautifully fashioned into kingly
headdresses for them.
“The Christmas tree was brilliant with hundreds of stars, diamonds, and
crescents, and candle holders, which was the final contribution of our
much sought and never failing friend, the tin can pile, as the hospital
was evacuated soon afterwards.
“I have had entire charge of the work and have taught the other Aides the
tin can work, as it was a most necessary thing for them to know. Many of
these Aides were sent to other hospital workshops and introduced the work
there.”
MRS. CLYDE M. MYERS, R.A.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
INTRODUCTION 5
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER WRITTEN FROM FRANCE BY MRS.
CLYDE M. MYERS, R.A. 13
I. TIN CANS 19
VARIOUS KINDS OF CANS AND BOXES—PREPARING CANS
FOR THE WORK—CUTTING IN AND OPENING OUT CANS AND
BOXES
II. TOOLS AND APPLIANCES 28
TOOL LISTS AND COSTS—LAYING OUT AND MARKING OFF
WORK—SHOP APPLIANCES
III. MAKING A BISCUIT CUTTER FROM A SMALL CAN 44
CUTTING THE CAN TO SIZE FOR BISCUIT
CUTTER—PUNCHING A HOLE IN TIN—FORMING THE
HANDLE—FOLDING—MAKING A SUGAR SCOOP BY THE SAME
METHOD
IV. SOLDERING 54
SOFT SOLDER—SHEET TIN—THE PROCESS OF
SOLDERING—HEATING APPARATUS—ELECTRICAL
SOLDERING COPPERS—THE COMMON SOLDERING
COPPER—FLUXES—TINNING THE COPPER—HEATING
V. SOLDERING (_Continued_) 71
PREPARING A JOINT FOR SOLDERING—CLEANING AND
SCRAPING—SOLDERING A PRACTICE PIECE—SOLDERING
THE HANDLE TO THE BISCUIT CUTTER—A SECOND
PRACTICE PIECE—ANOTHER METHOD OF APPLYING SOLDER
VI. COOKY CUTTERS 79
THE PINE TREE DESIGN—CUTTING NARROW STRIPS OF
TIN—BENDING TO SHAPE OVER DESIGN—SOLDERING COOKY
CUTTERS—THE HANDLE
VII. TRAYS 86
TURNING OVER EDGES ON ROUND TRAYS—USING THE
FORMING MALLET—MAKING AN ASH TRAY AND MATCH BOX
HOLDER
VIII. A TRAY CANDLESTICK 94
THE CANDLE SOCKET—CUTTING A HOLE IN THE DRIP
CUP—MAKING THE HANDLE
IX. RIVETING 100
MAKING A PAIL FROM A TIN CAN—CUTTING AWAY THE
SURPLUS TIN AT THE RIM—FORMING THE LUGS FOR THE
HANDLE—RIVETING THE LUGS IN POSITION—FORMING A
WIRE HANDLE
X. MAKING A TOY AUTO TRUCK 107
FOUR WAYS OF MAKING WHEELS OF TIN CANS: MAKING
A WHEEL FROM A CAN WITH SOLDERED ENDS—MAKING
WHEELS FROM ROLLED RIM CANS—TWO TYPES OF WHEELS
MADE FROM CAN LIDS
XI. MAKING A TOY AUTO TRUCK (_Continued_) 118
FORMING THE CHASSIS—USING THE WOODEN ROOFING
FOLDER—FOLDING—USING THE VISE FOR SHORT
FOLDING—USING THE HATCHET STAKE FOR FOLDING
XII. MAKING A TOY AUTO TRUCK (_Continued_) 127
MAKING THE HOOD AND RADIATOR—CUTTING THE
VENTS—SOLDERING ON THE FILLER CAP
XIII. MAKING A TOY AUTO TRUCK (_Continued_) 135
THE DASH-BOARD—THE SEAT—ASSEMBLING THE
TRUCK—SPRINGS—SOLDERING THE WHEELS ON THE
AXLES—STRIP WASHERS
XIV. MAKING A TOY AUTO TRUCK (_Continued_) 146
TRUCK BODIES—DIFFERENT TYPES OF BODIES TO BE
FITTED TO THE SAME CHASSIS—THE TANK TRUCK—THE
STREET SPRINKLER—THE COAL OR SAND TRUCK—THE ARMY
TRUCK—THE AMBULANCE—THE FIRE ENGINE
XV. MAKING A TOY AUTO TRUCK (_Continued_) 157
THE STARTING CRANK—THE STEERING WHEEL AND
COLUMN—MUD GUARDS AND RUNNING BOARDS—LIGHTS,
TOOL BOXES, HORNS, ETC.,—DRIVERS’ CABS
XVI. BOATS 166
THE ROWBOAT—THE SAILBOAT—THE SCOW—THE
TUGBOAT—THE BATTLESHIP—THE FERRY-BOAT
XVII. A TOY LOCOMOTIVE 174
THE FRAME—BOILER—CAB—WHEELS—CYLINDERS AND
CONNECTING RODS—THE SMOKESTACK, STEAM DOME AND
WHISTLE, SAND BOX AND HEADLIGHT—CARS—A PASSENGER
CAR AND SOME OTHERS
XVIII. SIMPLE MECHANICAL TOYS 182
WATER WHEELS AND SANDMILLS—A SIMPLE
STEAM TURBINE AND BOILER—A WINDMILL AND
TOWER—AEROPLANE WEATHERVANE
XIX. CANDLESTICKS 192
WALL SCONCES AND A LANTERN
XX. CAMP AND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT 195
A COFFEE POT—BOILING PAILS—FRYING PAN—TOASTER—A
CAMP SHOWER BATH—CANTEEN OR HOT WATER BOTTLE—A
MATCH BOX
XXI. PREPARING THE TOYS FOR PAINTING 200
REMOVING SURPLUS SOLDER WITH SCRAPERS—MAKING
A HOE SCRAPER—PLUMBERS’ AND ROOFERS’
SCRAPERS—SCRAPING AND FILING—BOILING THE TOYS IN
A LYE BATH—VENT HOLES
XXII. NOTES ON PAINTING THE TOYS 206
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Army Truck Constructed Entirely from Used
Tin Cans _Frontispiece_
I. Wounded Soldiers at Work 10
II. Army Truck and Tin Cans Used to Make It 22
III. The Raw Material from Which Many of the Toys
Shown in This Book Were Made 23
IV. Scribing a Line Around a Can with the Dividers.
Cutting Along the Joint to Open a Can. Cutting
from Right to Left with the Straight Shears.
Cutting to the Line, Right to Left 22
V. Author at Work 23
VI. The Tools Needed for Tin Can Toy Making 32
VII. Biscuit Cutters. Soldering 44
VIII. Cooky Cutter, Tray Candlestick and Ash Trays
Made by the Author 84
IX. Steam Rollers 116
X. Dumping Truck and Chassis of Toy Auto Truck. 120
XI. Chassis of Toy Auto Truck and Dumping Truck. 121
XII. Wooden Roofing Folder 120
XIII. Oil Tank Truck and Toy Ford 152
XIV. Red Cross Ambulance 153
XV. Boats 170
XVI. A Simple Toy Locomotive, a Sand or Water Mill
and the First Tin Can Toy 174
XVII. Steam Tractor and Gun 175
XVIII. Aeroplane Weathervanes 188
XIX. Lantern and Fighting Tank 192
XX. A Toy Tin Can Kitchen 196
XXI. A Doll’s Bathroom and a Tin Can Laundry 197
MAKING TIN CAN TOYS
CHAPTER I
TIN CANS
VARIOUS KINDS OF CANS AND BOXES—PREPARING CANS FOR THE
WORK—CUTTING IN AND OPENING OUT CANS AND BOXES
There are many shapes and sizes of tin cans and boxes as every one knows;
round, square, elliptical, tall, short, or flat. A surprising number
of attractive shapes and sizes may be collected in a short time in any
community. Housewives are only too glad to find some one to use them.
Cans that are well rinsed with hot water as soon as the contents are
removed are not at all objectionable to work with; but cans that have not
been rinsed out, or that have been thrown out and exposed to the weather
are very unpleasant objects, and besides, a rusty can is very difficult
to solder. It is a simple matter to rinse or scald out a can as soon as
the contents are removed.
Tomato, corn, pea and condensed milk cans are the most plentiful.
Coffee, tea, cocoa, jam, mackerel and sardine cans, olive and cooking
oil cans, baking powder and spice cans are all useful for making the
things described in this book and for many more besides. Biscuit boxes,
tobacco boxes, cold cream, ointment, and the small adhesive tape boxes
all contain possibilities. The screw tops of olive oil and cooking oil
cans, and bottle caps should be collected for this work. Jelly glass
lids, in fact, all shallow tin lids are useful. Syrup and molasses cans
with separate lids, that push into place are worth saving, especially
the lids. Certain containers of dry material are now largely made of
pasteboard with tin tops, lids and bottoms. The tin parts of these
containers are often of an attractive shape. The large round gallon cans
used by hotels and restaurants are particularly useful, and a sizable
piece of tin may be obtained from the sides of the can and the bottoms
may be used for large candlestick saucers and many other things. Large
square tin boxes used to contain 100 pounds of cocoa may be obtained from
some restaurants. These are made of heavy tin and five large sheets may
be cut from the bottom and sides. Considerably over $1 would have to be
paid for the same amount of tin.
=Preparing Cans for the Work.=—Cans that have contained paint,
stove-blacking, heavy oils or greases, or cans that have been standing
about with part of the contents exposed to the air may be thoroughly
cleaned of all foreign matter by the hot lye bath. This bath is made
up by adding two heaping tablespoonfuls of lye or washing soda to the
gallon of boiling water. Cans boiled up in this solution for a few
minutes will be cleaned of all paint, paper labels, etc. Keep the hands
out of the solution and do not allow any of it to come in contact with
the clothes. Lift the work out of it with a wire hook and rinse off the
lye with hot water; stand the cans bottom up so that they will drain
out without any water remaining in them. The lye solution may be used
for a number of times and then may be poured down the sink, as lye is
an excellent thing for drain pipes. Do not leave a lye bath in the shop
without covering it tightly when not in use, as the fumes from it are
sure to rust every tool in the place.
Coffee, tea, cocoa, talcum and other cans that have contained dry
material need not be put in the lye bath until ready to paint, unless the
labels are too much in the way for soldering. Small boxes such as contain
tobacco are almost covered with a sort of varnished paint. This may be
scraped away where the box is to be soldered, but if much soldering is
to be done the whole box should be boiled up in the lye bath until all
the paint is removed. Sometimes the lye softens the paint but does not
entirely remove it. More lye may be added to the bath and the work left
in it awhile longer, or the work may be removed from the bath and the
softened paint scrubbed away with a scrubbing brush and plenty of clean
water. After being used several times, the bath will become too muddy and
weak for further use and then a fresh one should be made, as the lye is
inexpensive.
For good work, it is necessary that the cans be thoroughly clean.
=Cutting Into and Opening Out Cans and Boxes.=—There is one very easy
way to cut into and open out a can or box. To make wheels, small trays
and other things, a good part of the sides of the can must be cut away
leaving a small portion of the sides attached to the bottom. The part
that is cut away may be flattened out and used to make various things. As
most of the cans used are cut down to various dimensions in this manner,
either to use the bottom with part of the sides, or to obtain flat sheets
of tin, it will be well to consider the easiest way of doing it.
First, determine how much of the bottom portion of the can is to be left
intact. Then using a pair of dividers opened to this dimension, make a
line parallel with the base of the can and completely around it. To do
this, hold the can down to the bench with the left hand so that it may
be turned against the divider points as shown in Plate IV, _a_. Hold
the dividers firmly down to the bench and against the can so that the
uppermost point is held at exactly the same height from the bench during
the turning or marking, while turning the can against the point to mark
it.
[Illustration: PLATE II
Army truck shown in frontispiece assembled from group of cans shown below
Tin cans used to make the army truck shown in frontispiece]
[Illustration: PLATE III
_Courtesy Pictorial Review_
The raw material from which many of the toys shown in this book were
made]
[Illustration: PLATE IV
_a_, scribing a line around a can with the dividers. _b_, cutting along
the joint to open a can. _c_, cutting from right to left with the
straight shears to remove surplus tin from can before cutting to line.
_d_, cutting to the line right to left]
[Illustration: PLATE V
_Copyright by Keystone View Co., N. Y._
Author at work]
Then using a pair of straight metal shears, cut down each side of the
seam or joint in the side of the can to within one-half inch of the
horizontal line you have marked with the dividers (see Plate IV, _b_).
Bend out the narrow strip containing the seam and cut it off with the
shears. This will give you an open slot in the side of the can in which
the shears may be easily introduced to cut horizontally around it.
Do not try to cut directly on the line marked around the can with the
dividers but begin cutting about half an inch above this line and cut
completely around the can until you have cut off the whole top part of
it. After you have cut away the larger portion of the metal, the narrow
strip remaining above the line may be easily cut away as it curls up out
of the way as it is cut by the shears.
The can should be held in the left hand with the open end or top toward
you (see Plate IV, _c_). Be sure you hold the can in this manner. With
the tin snips held in the right hand, start cutting toward the left hand
always when cutting around a can or box. Bend the tin out of the way as
you cut. You will find that it is impossible to cut in a straight line or
to make a continuous unbroken cut while cutting away a large portion of
the can. But, after the larger piece is out of the way, the narrow strip
remaining above the line may be easily cut away if you cut toward your
left hand and hold the open end of the can toward you. It is impossible
to cut a straight line around a cylindrical form with a pair of straight
shears unless the shears cut from right to left and that part of the
metal which is cut away is nearest the operator.
The beginner will perhaps find it easier to handle the cans if a pair of
old thin kid gloves are worn.
If one can afford it, the pair of double cutting shears such as are
listed in the supplementary tools on page 31 are excellent things to have
for opening and cutting around cans. These shears have three blades,
and one blade cutting between two fixed blades cuts away a narrow strip
of tin as the shears are worked along in such a manner that a straight
line may be followed around a can at the first cutting. The point of the
single blade may be punched into the side of a can and the cut started
around the can at any point. If many cans are to be cut down, these
double cutting shears will save much time and trouble. However, the
straight shears will answer well enough, if the above directions are
carefully followed.
Be sure to try not to cut to the line the first time you cut around a
can. Cut away the larger part first and then cut to the line when there
is only a narrow strip to cut away. Do not mind if the first piece cut
away looks very rough and jagged. It may be a little difficult at first,
but patience and practice will soon make it quite easy to cut open a can
in this manner, using a pair of ordinary straight shears.
Cut away the top of the can or the rolled edge adhering to that part of
the can which is cut away; trim away all jagged edges; place flat on
the bench or anvil and flatten out the tin with light blows of a wooden
mallet. Lay this tin aside until needed.
I find it convenient to cut away the top or rolled edge of large round
cans before cutting around them near the bottom, as then it is easy
to bend the comparatively large sheet of tin out of the way of the
shears as I cut around the can at the bottom. A large pair of shears
is very convenient for opening large cans, but small ones will do if
intelligently used.
When cutting metal with a pair of shears, always remember that the shears
cut more powerfully near the joint or bolt, particularly when cutting
through a folded seam or soldered joint. Keep the shears well oiled and
have them sharpened by a competent mechanic when they become dull.
When cutting narrow strips of tin, be careful not to get the tin jammed
between the shear blades so that the blades are forced apart sideways.
Keep the bolt tightened so that the blades fit closely together.
One might suppose that cut or burned fingers would be plentiful in a
large class of tin toy makers, but such has not proved to be the case.
There have been surprisingly few accidents of this sort and none of them
at all serious.
One soon learns how to handle tin so as to avoid rough or sharp edges and
that a soldering copper is provided with an ample handle so that it may
be safely and easily handled when hot.
Some of the students found that old kid gloves with parts of the fingers
cut off afforded protection to hands that were not used to shop work.
A bottle of iodine was kept handy and such slight cuts that were
encountered were immediately washed with cold water and iodine applied
to the cut which was then lightly bandaged. This treatment proved most
effective and no ill effects resulted.
A mixture of pure linseed oil and lime water may be obtained at any
druggists and this is a very effective remedy for burns. The solution
should be well shaken up and applied directly to the burn which should
then be bandaged with bandages wet with the mixture.
Common brown laundry soap worked up into a thick lather is an excellent
remedy for slight burns.
Care and patience used in handling the tin and the tools will leave very
little use for the above remedies in the shop.
The various problems presented in this book of tin can toys should be
worked out in the order in which they are presented as each one bears
a definite relation to the others. Be sure to work out the simpler
problems first—even if you have had considerable experience in other
forms of metal working. A number of processes particularly adapted to
working tin are used in making tin can toys.
While these processes are very simple, they are somewhat unlike those
involved in copper working and jewelry making, though more closely allied
to the commercial metal work of to-day.
CHAPTER II
TOOLS AND APPLIANCES
TOOL LISTS AND COSTS—LAYING OUT AND MARKING OFF THE WORK—SHOP
APPLIANCES
In this chapter the names and approximate costs of the tools and
appliances are given and also suggestions as to fitting up the shop for
working with the cans. Various methods are suggested for laying out the
work with the ruler, square and dividers.
It must be remembered that tool prices are not fixed and that the prices
quoted in the following lists are the market prices of to-day, July
29, 1918. At present, tools are much higher in price than usual owing
to conditions brought about by the war. Tool prices vary with market
conditions.
The tools listed may be bought at any good hardware store or ordered
from the catalogues of any of the large mail order houses (except the
Wooden Roofing Folder and the Forming Mallet). While the folder is not
absolutely necessary for folding up angles in the tin, it is much better
to have one to make the numerous angles employed in tin work than to
attempt folding by hand, and particularly when long angles are to be made
for lanterns, towers, automobile chassis and the like. In fact, it is in
almost constant use.
The wooden roofing folder is not carried in stock by hardware and mail
order houses, but it may be ordered from a dealer in tin-smiths’ or sheet
metal workers’ tools. Any good tinner or plumber will tell you where to
order one.
The forming mallet is easily made from a block of maple or a piece of
broom handle as described under Shop Appliances.
It is taken for granted that such simple tools as rulers and pencils are
at hand.
LIST OF TOOLS FOR MAKING THE SIMPLER TIN CAN TOYS AND DECORATIVE OBJECTS
1 soldering copper, weight 1 lb. (1 lb. actual weight
of copper end) $ .75
1 wooden handle for copper .10
1 pair tinners’ shears, 8 or 10 inch .85
1 pair flat-nose pliers, 4 inch .45
1 pair round-nose pliers, 4 inch .45
1 pair dividers, 6 inch 1.25
1 small riveting or tack hammer .40
1 half round file, smooth milled cut, 8 to 10 inch .20
1 wooden mallet, 3 inch face .25
1 box of soldering paste .25
1 bar of soft solder 1.25
2 lbs. soft solder wire 1.20
1 wooden forming mallet (home made)
1 wooden roofing folder (optional) 4.50
(Roofing folder may be obtained only from dealer
in tinners’ tools.)
1 vise (3 inch jaws) $3.50 to 5.00
1 try square, 6 inch .65
=Materials Needed Aside from the Cans.=—Galvanized wire, 10 or 15 feet
each of the following diameters: ⅟₁₆, ⅛, ³⁄₁₆, ¼ (if impossible to
obtain all these diameters, get ⅛ inch or larger). Wire nails, about ½
lb. each of the following sizes: 2d, 3d, 4d, 6d, 8d, 10d, 20d (d is the
abbreviation for penny). Tinned rivets, several dozen of the smallest
size (a box containing one gross is about as cheap as six dozen). Can
of lye or 2 pounds of washing soda. For heating the soldering copper, a
heater of some kind, such as a blue flame kerosene stove, gas furnace
or common one-burner gas stove, charcoal furnace, or gasoline plumbers’
torch with attachments for holding copper. A large can or pail, or an old
wash boiler for holding the hot lye solution.
=Supplementary Tool List.=—The tools named in this list will be found
very convenient for making the more advanced models, particularly the
hand drill and the twist drills which are used with the hand drill. The
supplementary tools are by no means necessary for making the tin can
toys, but if one can afford to get them, they will be found extremely
convenient. However, almost any of the models may be made with the tools
listed on page 29, if one is sufficiently skillful in the use of them.
The more work one does with tools the fewer tools one needs if the tools
are intelligently used.
The tools in both lists should be purchased, if possible, as they are all
tools commonly used in metal working shops. Purchase the tools listed on
page 29 first and go as far as possible with them, and then purchase as
many of the supplementary tools as possible when you need them.
Except when noted otherwise, these tools may be purchased at any good
hardware store.
SUPPLEMENTARY TOOL LIST
1 hand drill, capacity ⅟₃₂ to ³⁄₁₆ inch drills $1.75
4 twist drills, ⅟₁₆, ⅛, ³⁄₁₆, ¼ inch diameters $.10 to .20
1 pair large tinners’ shears, 12 or 16 inch 1.50
1 pair curved tinners’ shears, 8 inch 1.25
1 pair double cutting shears, 8 inch (optional) 1.85
1 pair side cutting pliers, 5 inch .75
1 pair spring dividers, 6 inch .75
1 pair outside calipers, 6 inch .75
(Spring dividers and outside calipers may sometimes
be obtained at the 5-and-10 Cent Stores.)
1 small soldering copper, weight about 4 ounces .35
1 half-round file, 8 inches (fine cut) .25
1 round file, 8 inches long, ¼ inch diameter .20
1 small cold chisel, ¼ inch in width at cutting edge .15
1 large cold chisel, ¾ inch at cutting edge .25
(An old wood cutting chisel is just as good for
cutting tin.)
3 nail sets, ⅟₁₆, ⅛, ³⁄₁₆ inch in diameter at point, each .10
(These nail sets may also be used as punches or
ground to chisel points. Small chisels and nail sets
may be obtained at the 5-and-10 Cent Stores.)
1 carpenters’ scratch awl .25
(An ice pick of the same type will do as well.)
6 small clamps of different sizes .10 to .25
(These clamps may usually be found at the 5-and-10
Cent Stores.)
1 hatchet stake, 9-inch blade 1.75
(Obtained only from tinners’ and sheet metal
workers’ supply houses. A small substitute may be
made from a 10-cent hatchet. Purchase the hatchet
stake if you can afford it.)
1 bench drill $7.50
(The bench drill is by no means necessary for any
of the models described in this book, but it is a
very convenient tool to have in the shop. With this
tool, a hole may always be bored at right angles to
the work. The hand drill will answer every purpose
if one cannot afford this tool.)
=Laying Out and Marking Off the Work.=—Before attempting to begin actual
work with the cans, it may be well to consider various ways of measuring
to certain dimensions and transferring these measurements to the surface
of the tin, and laying out and marking off the work for cutting, folding,
etc.
The tools needed for this work are few and simple. A ruler, a marking
awl, a small try square, and a pair of spring dividers are all one needs
for this part of the work. The ruler may be of wood or metal and should
be at least 12 inches in length with the inch divisions marked on it. A
plain straight rule of hard wood such as is used in the grade schools
will do very well.
[Illustration: PLATE VI
The tools needed for tin can toy making]
The marking awl may be purchased at any good tool house or hardware store
or an ice pick will do very well if sharpened to a good point so that a
line may be easily scratched in the surface of the tin with the point.
A large stiff needle may be forced in a pen handle to make an excellent
marking awl or a common steel knitting needle may be used if the point
is sufficiently sharp. Metal workers always scratch their dimension lines
in the surface of the metal as pencil lines are easily rubbed away by the
hands when working with the metal.
The try square should be about six inches long at the blade or measuring
side, and should be entirely constructed of metal and the measuring blade
should be marked off in inches and fractions thereof. Good try squares
may frequently be purchased in the 5 and 10 cent stores and these are
quite accurate enough for the purpose. The spring dividers should be
about 6 inches in length. These dividers are held open by the strong
spring in the top and are opened and closed by a nut acting on the screw
thread. Do not purchase the heavy dividers or compass commonly used by
carpenters as these are not as capable of the small adjustments as are
the spring dividers. The spring dividers may sometimes be found at the 5
and 10 cent stores and may always be found at good hardware stores and
tool houses.
All the tools used for laying out and marking off the work are plainly
shown (Plate VI).
=Laying Out Work.=—It should be borne in mind that a little time spent
in carefully measuring, laying out and marking off the work will make a
great difference in the finished appearance of that work, so that these
simple operations should not be slighted.
The steel square should always be used in laying out rectangular work:
lines that are supposed to be at right angles or “square.” Work that is
not carefully laid out or square will not fit together neatly if it fits
at all.
One of the first things that one has to do in the tin can work is to trim
up a piece of tin that is taken from the side of a can and flattened out.
Suppose that such a piece of tin has been cut from a can and flattened
out, the edges of such a piece of tin are rather jagged and the whole
piece should be trimmed off square before trying to use the tin for
various purposes.
First place the ruler as near to the upper edge of the tin as possible
and so as not to include any of the jagged cuts. Hold the ruler down
firmly and draw the point of the marking awl along the edge of the ruler
until a straight line is scratched along the edge of the tin. The surplus
tin above this line should be cut away with the metal shears by cutting
along from right to left so that the narrow and jagged strip of tin is
curled up out of the way by the shears as it is cut. When the surplus tin
is cut away you should have a straight clean edge at which to begin the
marking operations.
=Using the Try Square.=—Next, the two ends of the piece of tin should be
squared off using the try square for squaring up the ends as follows:
Place the heavy solid part of the square firmly against the freshly cut
straight edge of the tin, near one end in such a manner that the blade of
the square with the inch divisions marked on it lays squarely across the
tin, and as near as possible to the end of the piece but not including
any of the jagged cuts. The position of the square is shown in Fig. 1.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
When the square is in position, mark a line across the tin with the
scratch awl held closely to the blade. Cut away the extra tin and you
have two sides of your piece of tin squared. Proceed in the same manner
to trim off the other end. The remaining or long side of the piece may be
squared up either by using the ruler or the spring dividers. The strip
of tin that you have squared up on three sides will probably be narrower
at one end than at the other. Measure the width of the narrow end with
the ruler and then measure off this same distance at the opposite end and
mark it with the scratch awl. Use the ruler to connect the two measuring
points and scratch a line in the tin by drawing the scratch awl along the
edge of the ruler. Cut away the surplus tin and your piece of tin should
be squared.
The spring dividers may be opened so that the points rest exactly on each
corner of the narrowest end of the strips of tin. Then the dividers are
moved to the opposite end of the strip and the lower end or point of the
dividers moved back and forth slightly until a slight scratch is made in
the surface of the tin to indicate the measuring point. The position of
the dividers is shown in Fig. 2. The ruler is used to connect the two
measuring points and a line scratched between them.
Small strips of tin may be marked off entirely by the dividers by
setting the dividers to the required dimension, placing the dividers so
that one point rests against one edge of the strip to be marked off and
then drawing the dividers along in such a manner that the point of the
dividers that rests on the tin will scratch a line parallel to the edge.
The edge of the tin that the point of the dividers rests against must,
of course, be cut straight before beginning the marking operations. The
strip thus marked off may be cut away and another one marked off in the
same manner until the required number of strips is cut.
Suppose that four strips are to be cut, each strip to measure one by ten
inches. Square up a piece of tin to measure four by ten inches. Open the
dividers so that the points are exactly one inch apart. Rest one point of
the dividers against one edge of the tin as shown in Fig. 2 and draw it
along the entire length of the tin so as to scratch a line parallel to
the edge. Cut off this strip, taking care to make a straight cut and then
mark off another strip and cut it off, and so on until all four strips
are cut. This method of using the dividers for marking is more accurate
and much easier than that of using a ruler to measure off each strip, and
certainly more rapid.
=Finding Wheel Centers with the Dividers.=—When making wheels of tin
cans, some easy method must be used to find the center of the wheel in
order to punch or bore a hole for the axle so that the axle may be placed
as near the center of the wheel as possible, and so that the wheel will
run true once it is placed on the axle.
The dividers may be used for this operation which is very simple. The can
is first made up into wheel form as described in Chapter X, page 108.
When the wheel is soldered together lay it flat on the bench. Open the
dividers so that one point rests against the rim of the wheel or against
the rolled edge of the can forming the rim of the wheel. If the wheel
is made of a can that has a cap soldered on each end and this cap forms
the end of the can (such as the small cans that are used for evaporated
milk), then the one leg of the dividers may be rested in the slight line
or depression just inside the rim that is invariably found in this can.
Open the dividers so that the other point rests as near the center as you
can guess it. When the dividers are set to dimension and are in position
on the wheel as shown in Fig. 3, then move the point of the dividers
that is near the center of the wheel slightly back and forth so that it
describes a slight arc and scratches it in the surface of the can and
the other point of the divider is held at the point near the rim of the
wheel during this operation. Then move the dividers directly across the
wheel still set at the same dimension, placing one point against the
rim or in the depressed line and describing a slight arc in the tin as
before. Set the dividers at right angles to the first two marking points
having the dividers still opened to the same dimension as at first and
describe another arc. Set the dividers directly across from this point
and describe another arc. The wheel should then resemble Fig. 4, the four
arcs forming sort of a pillow shape as shown. Draw lines diametrically
across connecting each corner of the pillow as shown and where these
lines cross is the center of the wheel.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.]
If one is so fortunate as to possess a tool called a surface gauge, it
will be found very handy for marking or scribing lines parallel to the
base of cans. This tool consists of a base of metal in which is fixed
an upright post also of metal. An adjustable scriber or needle is fixed
to this post so that it may be lowered or raised and set in position
as desired. The point is adjusted to the required height and placed
against the side of the can or surface to be marked, the operation being
conducted on a flat level surface. The can is simply turned against the
fixed scriber point until it is entirely marked around. The advantage
of the surface gauge over the dividers for this operation is that the
scriber point is held rigidly at a fixed dimension above the base of the
can while the dividers must be held firmly in place by the hand. However,
the dividers will do very well for this operation after a little practice.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.]
SHOP APPLIANCES
=Homemade Substitutes for Expensive Tools.=—The tool of first importance
in any metal working shop is a good vise. There is no substitute for this
tool and a good one that measures three or three and a half inches across
the jaws should be purchased from a reliable tool dealer. The next tool
of importance is some form of anvil or anvils for flattening or rounding
the tin. A small bench anvil may be purchased from the tool dealer. These
are much like a blacksmith’s anvil with a flat face and a conical horn
and are made of iron and steel. The large mail order houses offer various
small anvils of cast iron for farm use and these are excellent for the
tin shop.
Excellent substitutes for these anvils are easily made from old flat
irons and pieces of gas or water pipe. Short lengths of iron and steel
bars may be picked up about any junk pile, and these are very useful to
form the tin over.
_The Flat Iron Anvil._—An old flat iron, the kind with the handle
attached, may be found about almost any household. The handle should be
broken off as close to the top of the iron as possible. Use a hammer and
cold chisel for this and cut the handle ends deeply all around where they
join the iron. When they are deeply nicked, several sharp blows from a
large hammer should break the handle away.
File away all roughness until the iron will set level with the smooth or
ironing face uppermost. Then you have an excellent flat hard surface for
straightening out tin or wire.
_Pipe and Bar Anvils._—Short lengths of iron pipe, round and square iron
and steel bars of various diameters may be held in the vise jaws and
used to form the work over. Large wire nails may also be used for this
purpose.
The smaller sizes, such as ¼, ⅜, or ½ inch in diameter, should be solid
iron or steel bars 8 or 10 inches in length, as small pipe crushes and
bends rather easily in the vise. Larger sizes, such as ¾, ½, 1 or 2
inches in diameter, are better made of pipe as they are lighter and
easier to handle and also easier to obtain.
Get all the sizes suggested if possible and as many short pieces of
square or flat bars as you find convenient to store away about the shop.
They will come in very usefully for bending or forming operations. The
method of holding them in the vise is plainly shown on page 89, Fig. 26.
If you have plenty of bench room and are handy with tools, several of the
most used sizes of pipe and bars may be clamped or bolted directly to
the bench with wooden or metal holding strips. The larger sizes, such as
¾, 1, 1½, 2 and 3 inches in diameter, will be found very convenient if
fastened to the bench in this manner.
_The Bench._—The shop bench should be about 31 inches in height. The top
of the bench should be about 2½ by 6 feet or larger if possible, and may
easily be built by any one familiar with tools. The top should be made
of maple about 1½ inches thick. If one cannot afford this bench a common
kitchen table makes an excellent substitute. A good strong table of this
sort may be purchased at any house-furnishing store. These tables are
furnished with a large drawer in which small tools may be kept.
If much of the tin work is done, it will prove advantageous to have some
light wooden shelves or racks built about the walls of the shop to store
the various sized cans where they may be easily seen and reached.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.]
_The Forming Mallet._—The special forming mallet designed by the author
will have to be made. It was designed especially for work with the tin
cans. It is very simple and easily made of maple by any carpenter. One
end is a slightly rounded dome shape and the other is in the form of a
blunt wedge. The dimensions and general shape of the mallet are shown
in Fig. 5. The handle may be made of a piece of ½-inch dowel rod. A
substitute for this mallet may be made of a piece of broom handle the end
of which is already rounded to about the proper curve. Measure off 4½
inches from the rounded end of the broom handle and saw it off. Bore a
½-inch hole through the center of the piece to fit the piece of dowel rod
used for the handle. Whittle down the end to a blunt wedge shape leaving
it about ⅜ inch thick at the end. The rounded end may be left as it is.
A piece of ½-inch maple dowel may be picked up in any carpenter shop.
This should be 8½ inches long. It should be driven into the hole drilled
for it in the mallet, taking care not to split the mallet in so doing. If
the broom handle is rather small in diameter it would probably be better
to use a piece of ⁷⁄₁₆-or ⅜-inch dowel for the handle. A small nail or
brad may be driven through the mallet and handle to secure it in place.
CHAPTER III
MAKING A BISCUIT CUTTER FROM A SMALL CAN
CUTTING THE CAN TO SIZE FOR BISCUIT CUTTER—PUNCHING A HOLE IN
TIN—FORMING THE HANDLE—FOLDING—MAKING A SUGAR SCOOP BY THE SAME
METHOD
A biscuit cutter is about the simplest thing that may be made from a
tin can. It is an excellent thing to begin with as it is so simple and
involves three very essential operations in the tin can work: cutting the
can to size, forming the handle, and lastly, soldering (see Plate VII,
_a_).
Select a good bright, clean can about 2½ inches in diameter; a baking
powder can or a small soup can will do.
Tin cans are usually made up in two ways. One method is to solder on
flanged ends, such as condensed or evaporated milk cans, and the other
method is to roll the edges of the can together at each end, using no
solder. When looked at closely, the two different types of can are easily
told apart. A rolled rim can should be used for the biscuit cutter as it
is stronger than the can with the soldered ends.
[Illustration: PLATE VII
Biscuit cutters made by the author
Soldering]
=Cutting the Can to Size for Biscuit Cutter.=—The biscuit cutter should
be about ¾ inch deep at the cutting edge. Set the dividers to this
dimension and proceed to scribe a line around the can parallel to the
base and ¾ inch above the rolled rim of the bottom. This simple scribing
operation is described in Chapter I, page 22.
The method of cutting into the can and around the scribed line is very
simple and is also described in Chapter I.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.]
When you have cut the can down to the required dimension, it should
appear as shown in Fig. 6. The biscuit cutter may be slightly out of
shape after the cutting operation, but this may be easily remedied by
placing the biscuit cutter on a small round anvil held in the vise and by
tapping it gently with a flat wooden mallet, turning the cutter slowly
around on the anvil during the hammering as shown in Fig. 7. Be sure
to turn the biscuit cutter slowly around and around the anvil as it is
hammered with the mallet. It will soon become round if hammered gently.
Next take a small flat file, one with very fine teeth, usually called a
smooth milled file, and with this smooth down any roughness left by the
metal shears at the edge of the biscuit cutter. The method of using the
file is shown in Fig. 8. It should be held lightly against the work when
filing. (Never try to file a piece of tin with a large or roughly toothed
file as the coarse teeth will catch on the tin and tear or bend it out of
shape.)
[Illustration: FIG. 7.]
[Illustration: FIG. 8.]
Do not try to file the edge of the cutter to a knife fine edge; simply
file away the metal raised by the shears when cutting. If it is cleanly
cut and filed to the original thickness of the tin, it will cut biscuit
dough very well, as the tin is thin.
=Punching a Hole in Tin.=—A hole should be punched in the top of the
biscuit cutter to admit air, as the biscuit dough is apt to stick in
the cutter by the vacuum formed unless an air vent is provided. A small
hole about ⅛ inch in diameter will do, but a series of such holes may be
punched in if desired.
A punch may be filed up from a wire nail or a regular punch or nail set
may be used.
The biscuit cutter is placed over the end of a block of wood held in a
vise as shown in Fig. 9, in such a manner that the top of the cutter
rests directly on the wood. The punch is placed in the center of the
cutter, care being taken to see that the wooden block supports the tin
directly under the punch, and then the punch is struck lightly with the
hammer until it cuts through the tin.
It may be well to try the punch on a scrap of tin to test it. A clean
round hole should result. The punch cuts out a tiny disk of tin and
drives it into the wood. The end grain of a wooden block should always be
used for punching on.
If a nail is used for a punch, the original point should be filed away.
Nail points are usually made in the form of a square pyramid and if these
points are driven into a piece of tin a jagged hole will result; such a
hole may be used for making a grater for the kitchen, but all other holes
should be round and smooth.
To file up a nail for a punch proceed as follows: Place the nail
vertically in the vise jaws so that the point projects slightly above
the jaws. File the point entirely away until you are filing the entire
diameter of the nail and squarely across it.
Then reduce the diameter of the nail at the end you have been filing by
filing smoothly around it as shown at _A_, Fig. 10. See that the edge
_B_ is clean and sharp and the nail punch is ready for use. The nail
used for a punch should always be somewhat larger in diameter than the
punching point, as this will provide for a stronger punch and one not so
likely to bend. Regular punches are usually made much thicker in the body
than at the point, as may be easily seen by looking at one. If desired,
punches may easily be made from nails to cut round, square, or triangular
holes.
[Illustration: FIG. 9.]
[Illustration: FIG. 10.]
It is much better to purchase a regular punch or punches for punching
round holes, as these may be purchased for 10 or 15 cents at almost any
hardware or 5-and-10 cent store. Several different sizes will prove
useful, ⅟₁₆, ⅛, ³⁄₁₆ inches in diameter being the most used sizes. As
these punches are made of hardened steel they hold their edges for a long
time, but nails are made of a fairly soft steel and when used as punches
have to be frequently filed sharp.
=Forming the Handle.=—After the hole is punched in the top of the biscuit
cutter, a suitable handle is the next thing to be made. This handle may
be made from the piece of tin cut away when cutting down the can for the
biscuit cutter. Cut away any rough or jagged edges and then place this
piece of tin on the bench or a flat anvil surface and flatten it out with
light mallet strokes. Heavy strokes with a mallet will dent the tin.
Trim away all rough edges including the rolled edge at the top and square
up the piece of tin as described on page 34, Chapter II. Mark off a strip
of tin 1¼ inches in width and 4 inches long. Cut this strip out and be
sure that it is square at the ends. Open the dividers and set the divider
points ¼ inch apart and scribe a line ¼ inch inside each of the long
sides of the strip. The edges of the strip of tin thus marked off must be
turned or folded in so that the edges of the handle will be strengthened
and will not cut the hand. These edges may be folded over with a mallet
or by the use of a folding machine. The mallet should be used for
this first folding operation; the folding machine and its use will be
described further along in the book, page 120, Chapter XI.
To fold the edges over with the mallet, proceed as follows: Secure a
block of hard wood, maple preferred, the block to be about 3 inches
square and 6 inches in length. See to it that the block is cut cleanly
and squarely across so that the edges at the end are sharp and at right
angles. A maple block of this sort may usually be picked up at any lumber
yard or carpenter shop, or a maple log may be secured from the wood pile
and trimmed up square. One end of the block may be used to punch on.
[Illustration: FIG. 11_a_.]
[Illustration: FIG. 11_b_.]
The block is held in the vise as illustrated in Fig. 11 and the tin to be
folded is held on the block in such a manner that the line marking the
fold is over the edge of the block. Use either a light wooden mallet or
the special forming mallet, and with light blows proceed to bend down
at the edge and up to the line as illustrated in Fig. 11, _a_. Begin at
one end and work along the line to the other end of the strip of tin. Do
not try to turn the tin down at a right angle at once or in one place and
then proceed to turn it down at another, but rather hammer lightly along
the whole length at the marking line, turning the tin down at a slight
angle from the line to the edge and then going back and starting to
hammer where you began, turning the tin down at a greater angle and so on
until you have turned the edge at right angles as shown in Fig. 11, _b_.
Always bend tin over very gently and evenly, never forcing it violently
into place.
[Illustration: FIG. 12.]
[Illustration: FIG. 13.]
[Illustration: FIG. 14.]
Reverse the strip of tin on the block so that the part just folded stands
vertically at the edge of the block as shown in Fig. 12. Hammer the edge
of the tin gently over so that it folds back on itself as shown by the
dotted line in Fig. 12.
Do not hammer the tin down hard at the folded edge so that it becomes
thin and sharp though doubled. It should be rounded over so as to give
a rounded edge. A rounded fold is much stronger than a sharp thin one.
When one edge is completely folded over, fold down the other in the same
manner, so that both edges of the handle for the biscuit cutter appear as
in Fig. 13.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.]
When you have successfully turned or folded over the edges to your
satisfaction, then proceed to give the whole handle a semi-circular form.
Place a large round wooden mallet or a piece of 1½ or 2-inch pipe in the
vise to use as a form over which to round the handle. The folded part
should be inside or next the mallet or pipe form shown in Fig. 14. Press
the tin down to the form with the palm of the hand so as to round it
into shape; it may be completely formed into shape by this method or the
rounded end of the special forming mallet may be used to hammer it into
shape if the tin should kink during the bending. The mallet blows should
be directed toward the center of the strip so as not to thin the edges
too much.
Round the handle over until the ends rest inside the rolled rim of the
can or biscuit cutter and you are ready to solder the handle in place.
As the soldering is the most important part of the tin work the next two
chapters are devoted to it.
=The Sugar Scoop.=—A useful sugar or flour scoop may be easily made from
a small or large can in exactly the same manner as the biscuit cutter,
except that the can is cut off slanting instead of square, Fig. 15. The
edges of the scoop should not be turned or folded but should be left as
cut so as to form a sharp cutting edge that will easily enter sugar or
flour. The handle is shaped in exactly the same manner as that of the
biscuit cutter.
CHAPTER IV
SOLDERING
SOFT SOLDER—SHEET TIN—THE PROCESS OF SOLDERING—HEATING
APPARATUS—ELECTRICAL SOLDERING COPPERS—THE COMMON SOLDERING
COPPER—FLUXES—TINNING THE COPPER—HEATING
=Soft Solder.=—When two or more pieces of metal are joined together with
a metallic cement, they are said to be soldered.
Sheet tin, of which cans are constructed, is always soldered with soft
solder, a mixture of lead and tin, usually 50 per cent. lead and 50 per
cent. tin.
This solder is usually supplied in wire or bar form at any hardware or
electrical supply house.
Copper, brass, bronze, iron, silver, gold, and practically any metal
except aluminum may be soldered with soft solder.
=Sheet Tin.=—Sheet tin, so-called, really consists of a thin sheet of
iron coated on both sides with tin. This coating of tin serves several
purposes. It enables the solder to adhere easily; it prevents the iron
from rusting; and when the sheet tin is made up into can form, the tin
coating protects the contents of the can from chemical action on the
iron.
=The Process of Soldering.=—Soft solder is applied to the metal to be
soldered in a molten state and this operation requires considerable heat.
When heat is applied to metal it usually oxidizes that metal; that is,
dirties it.
Solder will not adhere to oxidized metal. The metal must be protected
with a coating called a flux while being soldered. Soldering paste,
soldering fluid or “killed acid,” resin, paraffin, heavy oils, and
vaseline all serve as fluxes, some better than others. The soldering
paste is by far the best, as will be shown later.
Soft solder is applied to the tin, on the point of a hot soldering
copper, often wrongly called a “soldering iron.” A soldering copper
consists of a pointed bar of copper suitably fixed to an iron shank which
is firmly set in a wooden handle. The point of the copper must be well
coated with solder or “tinned,” so that when it is heated it will pick up
the solder and convey it to the joint to be soldered.
The hot copper, charged with solder, is passed slowly along the joint
and as the tin to be soldered receives enough heat from the copper, the
solder leaves the copper and adheres to the tin, firmly uniting it.
=Heating Apparatus.=—Some form of heating apparatus is necessary to heat
and maintain the soldering copper at the melting or flowing point of the
solder. The copper may be heated in a gas furnace especially made for
soldering coppers, or over an ordinary gas stove burner or a common blue
flame oil stove, or a charcoal fire, a wood fire burned down to embers,
or a plumbers’ gasoline torch, but never in a coal fire. Coal contains
too much sulphur which oxidizes the copper and renders it useless for
soldering purposes.
=The Blue Flame Oil Stove.=—For heating the coppers in my country shop,
I use a blue flame oil stove, one of the less expensive sort, with the
asbestos ring wick and the short removable chimneys. The stove has two
burners and will heat from four to six coppers at once. The flames may
be regulated nicely so as to give just the required amount of heat and
this stove consumes very little kerosene, and, therefore, costs little to
operate. In Fig. 16, it will be noticed that there is a curved hood over
each stove hole. These hoods may be easily made from part of a large can
or of a piece of tin or sheet iron bent into shape. These hoods conserve
the heat and throw it about the coppers. I also place a piece of heavy
wire netting over the grating of the stove holes to support the coppers
and to permit their being laid to one side, out of the intense heat, when
not immediately needed.
The blue flame oil stove forms the most satisfactory arrangement for
heating coppers that I have ever used in the country. These stoves
are easily taken care of and are understood by almost everyone. The
directions should be nailed up alongside the stove and carefully
followed, particularly as to cleaning the burners once or twice each
season.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.]
=The Gasoline Torch.=—The plumbers’ gasoline torch is often used by
experienced metal workers for heating coppers. In inexperienced hands,
this torch is rather a dangerous affair. Only one copper may be heated
at a time and it is difficult not to overheat the copper in the fierce
roaring flame. The cost of the torch and the cost of operating it are
both greater than the blue flame kerosene stove. However, in experienced
hands, it is safe enough and very useful about the shop. In using such
a torch the directions should be most carefully followed; all joints,
filler openings, etc., must be airtight when operating or a disastrous
fire or explosion may result. The tiny jet opening in the burner must be
kept clean.
=The Gas Furnace.=—In my winter shop in the city where gas is available,
I use the gas furnace shown in Fig. 16. This is a most satisfactory and
widely used heater for soldering coppers, as it gives an intense blue
flame that may be easily regulated.
When using a heater of this sort, one must be sure that it is lighted
correctly or a smoky yellow flame will result. To produce a blue flame,
air must be mixed with the gas; just as it is in a bunsen burner or an
ordinary gas stove, for that matter. Gas is admitted to the furnace
through a small nozzle at the end of the mixing flue near the rubber hose
connection. Air is admitted in the slot under the gas nozzle; a movable
slide encircles the mixing flue over the slot to control the amount of
air admitted. This slide must be tightly closed over the air vent when
the gas is first turned on.
To light the heater, close the air inlet tightly, turn the gas on full
and apply a lighted match to the burner. A yellow flame will result. Now
open the air vent slowly, by pushing the slide forward a little way. The
flame will change from yellow to blue and purple as air is admitted. When
the flame is blue, it is giving out the most heat and is in the best
condition to heat the copper.
If the flame fires back and lights the gas at the brass nozzle over the
air inlet, the gas should be turned off until the flame disappears. The
air inlet is then closed, and the gas turned on and lighted, and then the
air inlet is slowly opened until the flame turns blue. When the furnace
is in use, it should be looked at occasionally to see that the flame has
not fired back to the nozzle. Once satisfactorily lighted, the heater may
be turned up or down as needed. If the flame is turned down very low the
air inlet may have to be closed a bit to prevent the flame from firing
back. The copper is placed on the rest provided for it over the flame.
After the copper is heated to the flowing point of solder, the flame may
be turned down or the copper placed to one side of the flame, so that it
does not get too hot.
=Charcoal and Wood Fires.=—When using a charcoal or a wood fire, the
copper should be placed at the bottom among the embers. Small charcoal
furnaces used for heating soldering coppers may be bought from the dealer
in plumbers’ supplies. Charcoal should not be burned in a closed room as
the fumes are deadly unless allowed plenty of constantly changing air.
These furnaces may be connected with a chimney or burned in a room with
windows opened, without danger.
A soldering copper may be heated in the glowing embers of a camp fire or
in the embers in a fireplace.
=Electrical Soldering Coppers.=—The electrically heated copper is ideal
for soldering as the heating coil is enclosed within the copper itself,
the wire running out through the handle and connecting with an ordinary
electric light socket. The heat is maintained at a proper degree for
melting the solder; hence it is an ideal equipment for those who can
afford it and where electric current is available. The doctors of certain
hospitals have recommended electrical coppers for the use of patients in
making tin can toys.
An electric soldering copper costs about $7.50 at the present time.
=The Common Soldering Copper.=—A suitable soldering copper or “iron” may
be purchased at any good tool dealer’s or hardware store; it should weigh
about one pound for work with the tin cans.
Almost everyone has purchased a small soldering outfit at one time
or another and tried to solder the family wash-boiler or some leaky
tinware; usually without success. Such outfits are invariably too small
for large work or for the tin can toys.
It must be well remembered that the heat flows from the copper into the
work, and that the copper has to heat up the work to the melting point
of the solder; hence a large copper weighing several pounds is used to
solder wash-boilers, tin roofs, etc., and a small copper weighing a few
ounces is used for soldering jewelry, etc.
A large copper in expert hands may be used to solder very small work but
a small copper may never be used to solder large work together, because
the copper not only has to keep the solder melted to the flowing point,
but also has to heat the work itself at the joint to the flowing point of
the solder before the solder will leave the copper and adhere to the work.
In actual practice, it has been found that a copper weighing one pound
is best. After one gets more adept with the copper, it will be found
advantageous to have several coppers of different weights. A half pound
and also a four ounce copper will be found very convenient for extremely
small work. But, do not begin to solder with a copper weighing less than
one pound.
Soldering coppers are usually sold in pairs at the large tool dealers,
and coppers listed at two pounds really weigh one pound each; when
sending in a written order be sure that you specify that the copper is
to weigh one pound singly.
A wooden handle especially made for soldering coppers should be purchased
at the same time as the copper; these wooden handles are made large to
protect the hand from the heat of the iron shank. The handle is usually
furnished with a hole of the proper size drilled in it to permit the
pointed end of the shank to be driven in the handle easily with a wooden
mallet. If the hole is too small, it should be drilled out so that it is
nearly as large as the diameter of the shank. The wooden handle must not
be split when driven on with the mallet.
=Fluxes.=—Before tinning the point of the copper, some flux must be
obtained, either a soldering paste or soldering fluid “killed acid.”
An excellent soldering paste called “Nokorode” is by far the best flux
obtainable. It is inexpensive, a little goes a long way, and it will
not rust or corrode the work as is the case with killed acid and some
soldering pastes. It may be easily cleaned from the work after soldering
and it makes soldering much easier and simpler for the beginner. Nokorode
soldering paste may be obtained at any good electrical supply house or
hardware store. If they do not stock it, they will get it for you. There
is nothing else just as good on the market, but if for any reason you
cannot obtain this particular brand, be sure that any soldering paste
you buy is plainly labelled that it will not corrode the work.
Soldering fluid or killed acid is made of muriatic acid in which is
dissolved all the pure zinc that it will hold in solution. This fluid is
much used by tinners and is certainly an excellent soldering flux, but
not nearly as good as the soldering paste for our purposes. However, it
is very useful in the shop to dip the tinned point of the hot copper into
it to remove the oxide or dirt formed after the copper has been in use
for some time. The solder will stick to the point much better after the
copper has been cleaned in this manner.
Directions for making the killed acid and the use of other soldering
fluxes will be found on page 68.
=Tinning the Copper.=—Having procured the soldering copper and handle,
some flux and soft solder, and having fixed up some sort of heating
apparatus, the next step toward soldering is to coat the point of the
copper with solder: this is called tinning the copper.
Fix the copper firmly in a vise if one is at hand, as illustrated in Fig.
17. Then file each of the four faces of the point of the copper bright
and clean with a flat file. It is better to use an old file for this
purpose—one with rather coarse teeth. It will be observed that the copper
is placed slantwise in the vise so as to bring one face of the square
pyramid parallel with the vise jaws; this position permits filing in a
natural horizontal position.
Each face of the point should be rounded slightly toward the point.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.]
If a vise is not available, the copper may be held against the edge of
the bench with one hand and the point filed clean and bright with the
file held in the other, or a coarse sheet of emery cloth may be placed
flat on the table and each face of the point rubbed bright on it. A file
is by far the best for this purpose, however, and if it is chalked before
using, the copper filed away will not clog it.
When the copper is clean and bright at the point each face should be
thoroughly covered with a thin film of soldering paste or dipped into the
soldering acid.
The copper should then be placed in the fire and heated to the melting
point of the solder.
=Heating.=—While the copper is heating get ready a piece of tin about
2 by 4 inches—any clean flat scrap or part of a can will do. Spread a
little soldering paste into the center of the tin and lay it on the bench
near the heating apparatus. A few drops of killed acid may be placed on
the tin instead of the paste, if the acid is to be used.
After a few minutes heating the copper should be removed from the fire
and the end of a strip of solder touched to the point. If the solder
melts quickly and easily against the point the copper is ready to tin;
if it melts very slowly, “slushy”, the copper should be returned to the
fire and heated a bit more. _The copper should never be heated red hot
under any circumstances_; this must be borne in mind. If the copper is
heated to a red heat, the soldering paste will be burned off and its
action destroyed, for a red hot copper will not pick up solder, nor may
it be tinned again until the copper is cool and refiled bright and clean,
recoated with flux and reheated. If the copper is heated red hot after
the point is tinned, the tinning is burned from the point and solder will
not stick to it until it has been cooled, refiled and retinned.
_This is the most important point to remember about soldering and is the
cause of many failures._ Remember that soldering is impossible without
a flux to keep the metal clean when it is hot; too much heat will burn
soldering paste or killed acid away; the tinning and the solder adhering
to the point will be burned or oxidized and rendered brittle and useless.
A heat that will melt the solder almost instantly and cause it to flow
with a brilliant glistening color should be maintained at all times when
the copper is employed for soldering. _This is never a red heat._
When the copper is first heated to be tinned, it should be removed from
the fire when it melts the solder easily, and several large drops of
solder should then be melted from the bar or strip of solder onto the
piece of tin placed by the fire and on which some soldering paste or acid
has been spread. Rub each face of the point of the copper into the solder
on the tin until each face is thoroughly covered with a bright coating of
solder. Hold each face flatly down against the solder on the tin during
the rubbing process. The copper may have to be heated once or twice by
the beginner, as it may get too cool to melt the solder easily. As soon
as the solder begins to work stiffly, “slushy,” and looks gray instead of
glistening, it is time to reheat the copper.
An old piece of soft cotton cloth, such as a stocking, on which is
sprinkled a little powdered sal-ammoniac is an excellent thing to
keep handy when soldering or tinning. The tin coating of the point of
the copper should be rubbed on this cloth where the sal-ammoniac is
sprinkled, when the copper is hot. This will be found to keep the copper
in excellent condition. The sal-ammoniac removes the oxide from the
tinning and brightens it up generally about the point.
The tinning will last much longer on the copper if it is dipped
occasionally into the soldering paste or acid while hot. This is
particularly true if the copper has been a bit overheated.
When the tinning shows signs of wearing off and the copper does not pick
up solder readily, it must be retinned, filed, fluxed, heated, and rubbed
on the solder which has been put on the tin first used for this purpose.
This piece of tin should be kept about the bench, as the copper will have
to be retinned frequently. _Always remember that the copper will not
carry solder to the work unless it is well tinned._
If an electrical soldering copper is used it is usually furnished already
tinned at the point, so that it is ready for use as soon as it is
connected to a suitable electric socket and the current turned on. The
heating coil inside the copper will soon heat it up to the melting point
of the solder. After heating, it may be treated as a common copper, wiped
occasionally on the cotton cloth and retinned when the tinning is worn
away. An electrical copper should never be placed in a vise for filing,
but should be held against the bench and filed carefully. A vise is apt
to crush the hollow copper and injure the heating coil inside. These
coppers should never be placed in a fire or heated in any way except by
the electric current.
Electrical coppers do not need as much attention as an ordinary copper
for the even heat supplied by the current keeps the copper heated to
the flowing point of the solder and is incapable of heating beyond this
temperature.
HOW TO MAKE SOLDERING FLUID OR “KILLED ACID”
Soldering fluid may be very simply made as follows: Pure zinc is
dissolved in muriatic acid until the acid will not dissolve any more of
the zinc. The solution thus obtained is then allowed to stand for a time
and is then strained through a cloth and poured into a bottle which is
kept tightly corked when not in use.
First purchase about six ounces of muriatic acid from a druggist. Take
care not to spill any of this acid on the hands or clothes. Next get some
pure sheet zinc. The sheet zinc employed for stove mats as it is sold in
the plumbers’ shops is not suitable for making soldering fluid, as this
form of zinc is alloyed with other metals. Pure zinc may be very easily
obtained from old dry batteries which may be found anywhere.
Remove the paper covering from the battery and crack it open with a
hammer—remove the carbon from the center of the battery and dump out all
the powdered material. Soak the zinc covering of the battery in warm
water to remove any paper or material adhering to the zinc and then cut
the zinc into pieces about ¼ inch square.
Find an old tea cup or earthen-ware marmalade jar and pour into it about
half a teacupful of the muriatic acid. Set the vessel containing the acid
out of doors or near an open window and away from all steel tools, so
that the fumes of the acid may escape and not be breathed into the lungs
or rust any tools.
Pour a small handful of the zinc cuttings into the acid. The acid will
attack them at once and a strong bubbling action will result. When the
bubbling action dies down add more zinc cuttings—about every fifteen
minutes. When the acid shows no sign of attacking the zinc as it is
added, the acid is said to be “killed” and the soldering fluid is made.
It may be used at once if necessary, but it will be much better if it is
allowed to stand over night with the zinc residue left in it. It is then
strained through a piece of muslin cloth into another cup or jar and the
fluid is ready for use.
Soldering fluid may be kept in a wide-mouthed glass bottle or a marmalade
jar; either vessel must be tightly corked when not in use. This soldering
fluid may be used as a flux for any soft soldering operation in place of
the soldering paste, but it is not as satisfactory a flux for the tin can
work as the paste. The best use for it in connection with the tin can
toys is to keep it to dip the point of the hot copper in occasionally to
clean the tinning at the point of the copper.
While the prepared soldering paste is best for all soldering operations
connected with the tin work, other fluxes may be used if nothing better
is at hand. These are resin, olive oil, cottonseed oil, automobile
lubricating oil, and paraffin; but these fluxes are not very satisfactory
in inexperienced hands. The soldering paste is best for all soldering
operations.
CHAPTER V
SOLDERING (_Continued_)
PREPARING A JOINT FOR SOLDERING—CLEANING AND SCRAPING—SOLDERING
A PRACTICE PIECE—SOLDERING THE HANDLE TO THE BISCUIT CUTTER—A
SECOND PRACTICE PIECE—ANOTHER METHOD OF APPLYING SOLDER
=Cleaning and Scraping.=—If the copper is thoroughly tinned and the
heater and materials are ready for use as described in Chapter IV, then
several practice pieces should be soldered together before attempting a
joining on any real work you may have ready to solder.
If the tin is bright and clean, it need not be scraped at the joint where
the solder is to go. Rusty spots should be scraped bright if in the path
of the solder. Paper, labels or paint must be cleaned away. If a can has
been well rinsed with hot water when the contents are emptied, it will
present no difficulties to the soldering, but a can that has been emptied
but not rinsed presents a more difficult surface to solder; particularly
tomato, fruit, or condensed milk cans. This, of course, applies only to
the inside of these cans. Tobacco, coffee, cocoa, tea cans and the like
offer no resistance to the solder without washing. The yellow lacquer
used to line some cans need not be scraped off. Solder will adhere well
to tin so treated, but paper, paint, etc., must be scraped from the path
of the solder. The scraped part need only be a quarter of an inch in
width on each side of the joint; the rest of the paper labels or paint
will be removed in the hot lye bath used before painting the can.
The scraping may be done with an old knife, or a regular scraper
furnished by the dealer in tinners’ tools as illustrated on page 202,
Chapter XXI.
When scraping the tin bright, do not scrape it so hard that all the tin
will be scraped away from the inner sheet of iron, as solder will stick
to tin much better than to iron. If the tin is not very dirty, a piece of
emery cloth or sand paper may be used to clean the joint.
Paint cans, cans that have contained stove blacking, rubber cement,
varnish, shellac, etc., should be thoroughly boiled in a strong lye bath
before soldering; paint is usually made of oxides and oxides are a sure
preventive of soldering. The lye bath is made by adding two heaping
tablespoonfuls of lye or washing soda to the gallon of boiling water.
Cans boiled in this solution for five minutes will be thoroughly cleaned
and free from paint, paper labels, and practically anything likely to be
found inside or outside of a can. The lye or washing soda may be obtained
at any grocery store. Care should be taken not to get any of the lye
solution on the hands or the clothes as it is very caustic and will burn
the hands and ruin the clothes if not immediately washed off. The work
should be handled with a wire hook while in the bath and well rinsed
with water when removed from it. The same lye bath is used before paint
is applied to tin work, when all forming, soldering, riveting, etc.,
is done. It removes the flux, acid, and finger marks, leaving a clean
surface on which to paint.
=Soldering a Practice Piece.=—For practice in soldering, an angle joint
is a good thing to begin with; something that is small and easily held in
position while being soldered. As I have already described the forming
up of a biscuit cutter to the point of soldering it together, a practice
piece resembling it will be an excellent thing with which to begin.
Cut a narrow strip of tin about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long and a flat
piece of tin about 2 by 3 inches. Be sure that the ends of the narrow
strip are cut squarely across, using the square if necessary. (See
chapter on “Laying Out Work,” page 32.) See to it that both pieces are
well flattened out and smooth.
Bend the narrow strip into a semi-circular form, like the biscuit cutter
you have already to solder and stand this piece in position on the larger
flat piece of tin.
Now lay the piece near the soldering copper heater, on the wooden bench;
be sure to place it on wood, not on a part of the vise or any other metal
that may be convenient. Iron, stone or brick will absorb too much heat
from the tin if directly under and in contact with it, and thus prevent
soldering.
Apply a small amount of soldering paste to each joint as indicated in
Fig. 18. The paste may be applied with a small flat stick of wood such as
a match stick shaved down to a long, thin, wedge point.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.]
Killed acid or soldering fluid is usually applied with a small
camel’s-hair brush set in a quill; sometimes a chicken feather is used
for this purpose.
The flux, whether paste or acid, should be applied sparingly, but be
sure that enough is applied to thoroughly cover the joint, as if it were
painted on both sides of the metal where it joins.
See to it that the copper is well tinned and heated until it will melt
and take up a good sized drop of solder at the point when held against
a bar or strip of solder. Wire or strip solder is much easier for the
beginner to handle than the heavier bar. It melts far more easily, as it
is smaller.
If bar solder is used, place it on an anvil or stone and hammer one end
out, until it is about ⅛ inch thick and much wider than the original bar.
It will melt off much more quickly when thinned out.
Hold the semi-circular piece in position with the left hand and with
the right bring the hot copper charged with molten solder at the tinned
point and fit the point of the copper closely into the angle formed by
the joint, moving the copper very slowly along the joint, starting at one
side and finishing at the other.
When each side of the joint is thoroughly heated up to the melting point
of the solder, some of the solder will leave the copper and flow into and
over the joint; so that when starting to solder a joint the copper should
be allowed to rest a moment where the soldering is to be started. The
tin is then heated up and when the solder starts to flow into the joint,
the copper is drawn slowly along, heating up the tin, and as it travels
flowing the solder into the joint.
The following points should be well remembered when soldering:
That the tin, to be soldered, must be heated up to the melting point of
the solder before the solder will leave the copper and adhere to the tin.
That the copper supplies the heat to the tin and that the tin will not be
heated unless the copper is kept in contact with it long enough to heat
it. Enough of the copper should be in contact with the tin to be soldered
for the heat to flow quickly into the tin, see Fig. 18. Do not merely
touch the point of the copper to the joint and expect it to heat that
joint: it won’t. Two faces of the point of the copper should rest against
the parts of the work to be soldered, thus transmitting heat to the
pieces as shown in Fig. 19. If too much of the point is allowed to come
in contact with the work, the solder will be smeared over the work in a
broad unnecessary stream. This is the reason that the points of coppers
are filed slightly rounding toward the point.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.]
_Remember_: That the copper must be hot enough to make the solder glisten.
That a red-hot copper will not pick up solder.
That a red-hot copper burns away the flux, and that it destroys the
tinning at the point of the copper; a red head also oxidizes the solder,
making it brittle and weak.
That solder will not fill up a gap in a joint unless in very expert
hands; joints should fit closely.
That a good joint should appear smooth; look as if painted on. A smooth
joint is produced by a hot copper, clean metal, and good flux, but
most of all, by leaving the copper long enough in the joint to heat it
thoroughly.
That small joints are heated and soldered almost instantly.
That large joints require a longer time to heat up and that very heavy
work requires a large copper and sometimes an outside source of heat as
well—but we have nothing to do with such work in this book.
That work must be held together until the solder sets or turns gray, as
it may spring apart while the solder is molten.
These are all very simple facts and should not be difficult to remember.
To continue with the practice piece: As soon as the solder has run in
and around one end of the practice joint, remove the copper and solder
the joint at the other end of the piece. As these joints are small, they
should heat up and solder very quickly. One heating of the copper should
do for both joints, but be sure that the copper is hot enough before you
try the second joint.
If difficulty is experienced in making your first joint and it does not
stick together, apply more flux and try again.
The handle may be soldered to the biscuit cutter in the same manner after
the practice piece is successfully completed.
=Another Method of Applying Solder.=—Sometimes bits of solder may be cut
from the strip of wire solder and placed in the joint to be soldered. The
hot soldering copper is then used to melt the solder into the joint. The
joint must be well fluxed before the solder is placed in position.
The end of a strip of wire solder is sometimes held against the point of
a hot copper as it is moved along a joint to be soldered. The solder is
fed against the point of the hot copper as it melts into the joint.
Both of the above methods will be found advantageous when a gaping joint
is to be filled with solder and it is desirable to apply a quantity of
solder in one place.
CHAPTER VI
COOKY CUTTERS
THE PINE TREE DESIGN—CUTTING NARROW STRIPS OF TIN—BENDING TO
SHAPE OVER DESIGN—SOLDERING COOKY CUTTERS—THE HANDLE
Cooky cutters of any simple design may easily be made from strips and
pieces of tin cut from cans. They may be made to stamp out any simple
design from the cake dough, such as flowers, leaves, trees, animals,
boats, various insignia, etc.
When making the design for a cooky cutter, remember that raisins,
currants, pieces of citron, nuts, etc., may be added to the cookies after
stamping them out and used to accentuate the design, as eyes of animals,
fruit on trees, etc.
First draw the design on paper exactly the same size you wish the cooky
to be and be sure to use a very simple outline, taking care not to
introduce too many intricate bends and to remember that a strip of tin
must be bent to follow the outline of the drawing. Also remember that
cake dough is not of very tough material and will easily break if cut in
too narrow a strip in any place or part of the design.
Do not try to make too realistic a design but rather one that suggests
the desired object. The pine or Christmas tree design is a very simple
one to make.
=The Pine Tree Design.=—First draw the pine tree on paper, taking care
to have both sides of the tree alike, Fig. 20. A very simple method of
obtaining this result is to fold the paper exactly in half, open the
paper out flat again and draw one-half of the tree, using the folded line
as the center of the tree and using a soft pencil to draw with. Fold the
paper together again using the same fold line, place the folded paper
on a hard surface and rub the paper over the drawing with the bowl of a
spoon so that the design is transferred to the other half of the paper,
so that when the paper is unfolded the design will be completed and both
sides of the design will be alike.
[Illustration: FIG. 20.]
=Cutting Narrow Strips of Tin.=—When you have a satisfactory design
drawn, cut open a large can so that when the tin from the can is
flattened out you may cut from it a strip long enough to bend around and
conform to your design and have only one joint. Be sure to trim up one
edge of the tin to a straight line before starting to mark off a strip ½
inch in width, using the dividers for the marking operation as shown in
Chapter II, page 35. Be sure to cut your strip as straight as possible
and of exactly the same width for its entire length.
=Bending to Shape Over Design.=—When the strip is cut, bring the ends of
the strip together and press the bend in to form an angle. This angle
will not only form the top of the tree but will mark the center of the
strip as well. Bend the strip apart until it conforms to the design on
paper from the top of the tree to the first bend on one side as shown in
Fig. 21. Mark the strip of tin at _A. A._
[Illustration: FIG. 21.]
Take the flat-nosed pliers and bend the tin in on each side to conform
to the line _B._ Let the ends of the strip go past each other as shown
in Fig. 21, 2, and in the illustration of bending. Next bend both ends
of the strip at _C. C._ and so on until the complete outline of the tree
drawn on paper is followed by the strip of tin. The various steps in the
bending are shown in Fig. 21, 1 to 6. The joint at the bottom of the
design should overlap about ¼ inch.
This joint may be held together with the flat-nosed pliers and soldered.
Take care to have the ends that are to be soldered square with the rest
of the design so that when the cutting strip is placed flat down on the
cutting board all the cutting edges will touch evenly and cut well.
When you have the ends of the cutting strip soldered together, cut out a
rectangular piece of tin somewhat larger than the design, at least ¼ inch
larger in every direction. See that this piece of tin is perfectly flat
and free from wrinkles.
Look carefully at the cutting strip and see that it conforms closely to
the design and then lay it in the center of the rectangular piece of tin.
Secure a thin piece of wood slightly larger than the design. Wood from a
packing box will do.
This strip of wood is held in place on top of the cutting strip in order
to hold it when soldering the strip to keep it perfectly flat, and to
prevent burning the fingers. The cutting strip gets very hot when it is
being soldered in place.
=Soldering Cooky Cutters Together.=—See that your soldering copper is
well heated and tinned; apply soldering paste to the entire joint where
the cutting strip rests on the flat piece of tin and then apply the
solder carefully in the usual manner with the hot soldering copper.
It will be found comparatively easy to apply solder to the longer parts
of the strip, such as those forming the sides of the tree, but do not
attempt to solder in the narrow crevice or crevices formed between the
tree foliage, the trunk, and the top. Solder only where it is easy to
introduce the point of the soldering copper, then apply solder inside
that part of the design forming the tree trunk as illustrated in Fig. 23
by the dark lines.
[Illustration: FIG. 22.]
The cutting strip need not be soldered to the flat piece of tin forming
the back in every small crevice that is not convenient to the soldering
copper. But it must be soldered in such a way as to prevent the cutting
strip from bending out of shape when used for cutting. So, if you may not
solder it outside, solder it inside.
Be sure and hold the cutting strip firmly down to the flat tin with a
flat piece of wood when soldering. If the soldering does not go along
well, stop and read over Chapters IV and V on soldering. Take plenty of
time and make a good job of it.
When the cutting strip is firmly soldered to the tin, trim away the edges
until they appear as shown in Plate VIII. Do not try to follow every
indentation in the design but cut to the general smooth shape indicated
which leaves no sharp corners. The edges of the tin forming the back of
the cutter may be smoothed over with a small piece of fine emery cloth
or fine sand-paper. Rubbing the edges gently with the emery cloth will
dull them so that they are less apt to cut the fingers. This applies only
to the flat piece of tin forming the back or top of the cutter, for the
edges of the cutting strip should be left sharp.
Punch two or more holes through the back of the cooky cutter to form air
vents as you did when making the biscuit cutter.
=The Handle.=—A handle may be made for the cooky cutter in exactly the
same way as the handle made for the biscuit cutter. A strip of tin 1¼
inches wide and 4 inches long, is about the right size for the handle.
The edges are folded in and the strip is rounded over an anvil and
soldered into place as indicated in the photograph.
The edges of the handle should rest directly over the cutting strip under
it.
When finished, the cooky cutter should be boiled up in the lye bath or
washed with hot water and strong soap and then it is ready for use.
[Illustration: PLATE VIII
Cooky cutter and tray candlestick made by the author
Ash trays made by the author]