Twisting—Braiding—Making a Fire Shovel.
_Exercise No. 2._
[Illustration: Fig. 14.]
_Twisting._ A piece of one-half inch square stock, nine inches long, is
heated its entire length, one end caught in a vise and with a monkey
wrench or heavy pair of tongs on the other, it is twisted to the right.
If the heat is an even one and not too hot, the spacing of the twist
will be uniform. In case one part twists faster than another, a little
water is used to cool that part. The beauty of twisted work depends on
having the spacing uniform between the turns. (See Figure 14.) Flat stock
can also be twisted in this manner. To straighten twisted work, it is
heated red, set on the end grain of elm wood and hammered with a wooden
mallet. The mallet used in this work should be made from hickory. For
heavy striking a little band of iron can be put on the mallet a half-inch
from one end, so that the mallet will not split. The block on which to
straighten the iron should be about ten inches in diameter and three feet
high. A short block about eight inches wide and twelve inches long may
be set into the coal box, having coal under and around it to hold it in
place. This makes a very handy block on which to bump up light pieces of
metal or to straighten metal.
_Exercise No. 3._
Figure 15 shows the dimensions of stock for a twisted poker-handle. The
four ¼-inch rods are upset on one end until they measure six inches. They
are then welded together on this end. This is done by first twisting a
strong binding wire around the rods to keep them in place while taking
the heat. (See Figure 16.) In welding, they are welded directly on the
ends and scarfed as shown in Figure 15.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.]
[Illustration: Fig. 16.]
[Illustration: Fig. 17. Poker Handles.]
Notice that the scarf is made so that the point of the scarf on the other
piece will come onto a one-quarter inch rod and not between the two. The
scarf must not be hammered farther back from the ends than ⅜-inch. The
⅜-inch bar is now upset on one end and scarfed. The two parts are then
welded, smoothing the weld with the hand hammer. The end of the handle
is welded directly at the ends of the rods. The entire handle is heated
uniformly, caught in a vise and twisted to the right. If any part twists
faster than another, that part is cooled with water dropped from a hole
in the bottom of a tin cup. In twisting the handle, the ⅜ bar is caught
in the vise. A strong pair of tongs are used on the end of the handle to
twist it, or the end of the handle can be caught with a monkey wrench.
The point of the poker is drawn to a square point and then flattened. In
making pokers or shovels, the stock may be either round or square. In
Figure 17 are shown some handles that are suitable for pokers or shovels.
A method of braiding the last handle shown in the illustration is to weld
four ³⁄₁₆-in. rods of either round or square stock to a piece of ½-inch
round stock. Two of the rods are then bent over at right angles to the
one-half inch piece. The others are bent over them, and so on until
finished. The four rods are then welded at the top and a ring turned. The
last illustration shows the method of bending the rods.
[Illustration: Fig. 18. Shovel.]
[Illustration: Fig. 19. Shovel Handle.]
_Exercise No. 4._
_Shovel._—Figure 18 shows the dimensions and form of the exercise. In
making the handle, ⅜-in. square stock is used. The piece is cut 25 inches
long. On one end the piece is upset considerably in order to get a good
sized head. Five inches from the end of the head a line is cut on four
sides with a chisel. This part is then hammered with a ball hammer while
hot to give it a rough texture as shown in Figure 19. The other end of
the handle is upset a little, bent on an angle and flattened, letting it
get as wide as it will.
[Illustration: Fig. 20.]
The development of the pattern for the shovel blade is shown in Figure
20. At the top is shown a side and end elevation of the shovel. The
dimensions should be drawn full size. The shapes of the sides and of the
ends are found by measuring from the elevation. The pattern should be
made from sheet iron and kept for future use.
In forming the shovel, the sides are first bent up by using the vise and
heel of the anvil. This forming must be done while the metal is cold.
The end of the shovel may be bent by hammering it over a heavy, flat
piece of iron. The corners are hammered around the sides by catching the
shovel in the vise. They are fastened by drilling holes thru both pieces
and riveting them, using a rivet set to finish the rivets. In fastening
the handle to the blade or shovel, three Number 10 round-head rivets
are used. If desired, the handle can be made from larger stock, also
increasing the size and the thickness of the shovel.
[Illustration: Fig. 21. Door Latch.]