These are my shears. They are sometimes called jewellers' snips. I use
them for cutting copper, wire, and my designs. You can buy them at any
hardware store. But be sure to get a good pair, as they are needed for
so many things.
[Illustration]
I do all my measuring with a steel square. You see it takes the place
of a two-foot rule. It's useful for squaring up, too. See, it has the
1/16, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1-in. spaces.
My dividers are my compasses. I draw circles, mark pieces, and find
centres with them. The pliers are used to twist the binding wire and
to hold the metal when it is to be heated, or soldered, etc.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
You can get a wooden block like this anywhere. Hard wood is best. This
block is 6 × 4 × 4 ins. You see, I cut out a hollow bowl-shaped place
in the top. When I want to work a flat piece of copper into a rough
bowl shape, I hammer it into the depression. The opposite end of the
block, which is flat, is useful in many ways, too.
[Illustration: Bench vise]
I couldn't get along without my bench vise. Here it is; made of metal.
It can be fastened to a table as well as to a bench. It holds any
tool used for shaping and also the metal when I wish to file it.
[Illustration]
This piece of 3/8-in. hexagonal steel, 5 in. long, tapered at one end
down to 1/16-in., is a punch for making or pressing holes in copper
or silver. The size of the hole depends upon the length you drive the
punch into the metal.
[Illustration]
The centre-punch is made like this one, but the end is ground to a
point.
[Illustration: Raising hammer]
Here are my hammers. I have three and a wooden mallet. The raising
hammer is used for many things which you will learn as you get on. You
see one end is somewhat rounded. You can pound away on the copper with
this hammer and have no fear of driving holes into the metal. It's the
first hammer I use to shape up the metal bowl with.
The shaping or driving hammer is flat at one end and rounded at the
other. Its bent head is shaped so that you can use it in places where a
straight headed hammer won't go. It's the only hammer to use when you
work on the outside of boxes or bowls to shape them up.
[Illustration: Shaping hammer]
Sometimes lumps are left on the surface of the copper after the raising
hammer has been used. These are smoothed away with the planishing
hammer. Its broad end flattens these rough places and makes the surface
perfectly level before going on with the work.
[Illustration: Planishing hammer]
[Illustration: Wooden mallet]
A wooden mallet is often used in place of the heavier hammer. If a
light stroke is needed it can be used without danger of marring the
metal, as wood is so much softer than the metal itself.
You'll need some files to reduce the metal to certain sizes. I have
four: a bastard, 12-in.; a mill cut, 8-in.; a half round mill cut, and
one round 1/2-in. mill cut. Then I have one half dozen jewellers' files
of different sizes. Supply houses will always tell you the best kind to
buy.
[Illustration: Cold chisel]
The cold chisel is used in many places for cutting off material,
especially for metals that are too heavy for the shears.
[Illustration: Gouge]
A carpenter's gouge chisel will be found useful for cutting impressions
in wooden blocks.
[Illustration: Drill press]
The drill press is used to bore holes into the copper or silver when
you wish to rivet or saw. You will need a half dozen drills for your
work. The 1/16-in. drills are the size I like best.
With a jewellers' saw frame like this you can cut any design out of
copper or silver. The fine saws are very cheap and one will last you a
long time if you take care of it.
[Illustration: Jewellers' saw frame]
[Illustration: Round stake]
[Illustration: Round stake anvil]
Here are the tools I use to finish shaping my bowls on. This round top
stake is put into my bench vise, where it is held tight. Then I put my
bowl on it after I have shaped it as much as I can on the hard wood
block. I can then go on shaping it as I choose, but if the bowl is very
deep you must use the anvil stake instead of the round top stake.
[Illustration: Combination stake]
Here is a tool which is a combination of anvil stake and riveting
tool. I use it for drawing out pieces of copper into different shapes;
flattening round pieces, rounding up flat ones, and for riveting pieces
of metal together, as you must do when you make a piece of work like my
box.
[Illustration]
Here is a little fire screen I made myself. You need one, you know, to
put your metal in, at times, for annealing and soldering. It's a safe
way to prevent the blaze burning the table or setting fire to anything.
I take two pieces of board, each 6 × 12 × 7/8 ins. (any kind of lumber
will do). Nail the two 12-in. edges of the boards together, at right
angles to each other. Nail this to a base and line the whole inside
with asbestos. You can place any piece of metal you wish to heat in
this corner and direct a flame upon it with perfect safety.
All the heat I need comes from a gas burner. Here I have a bunsen
burner, and for such work as I do on rings, scarf pins, hat pins, etc.,
or for any work that doesn't need lots of heating in the process, the
bunsen burner will do. But for annealing, which you have to do when you
make bowls, or for soldering, when you make boxes, you must have a
stronger flame. Then I use the gas range in the kitchen or the bellows
blower and blow pipe. If you happen to be where you can't get a gas
flame, an alcohol lamp with a mouth blow pipe can be used.
[Illustration: Bunsen burner]
[Illustration: Bellows]
[Illustration: Blow pipe]
Fill the alcohol lamp with denatured alcohol (bought at any drug
store). Light it. With the large end of the blow pipe in your mouth
and the small end about 1/4 in. above and a little to the right of the
flame, blow gently. This little blue flame will give you heat enough to
solder small pieces. Even a small wood fire would give you heat enough
to anneal any size pieces you wish. "Must I learn to make all these
tools before beginning?"
"Oh, no, you'd better buy your tools; they don't cost very much. Then
we can start to make something right away. The first thing you must do
is to design the piece of work you are going to make. I made a bowl
first."
"But I can't design."
"Neither could I when I began. You won't find it hard after you have
once made a start."
"Let's begin now, John, I want to make something."
[Illustration]
"I know you do," said John. "That's the way I felt. Now, I'm the
teacher and you must do as I tell you until you can plan for yourself.
Here are pictures of a lot of things we can choose from: bowls, boxes,
trays, etc. If a boy can make all these models he can go on and make
nearly anything in copper, or even silver, he would like to make.
Here are the bowl designs I have drawn. Of course there are bowls of
different shapes, and some have covers to them. But we will try to get
the shape that's most pleasing. Let's take this wrapping paper and draw
a number of shapes on it, keeping the diameter and depth of each bowl
the same. This model is 4 ins. in diameter and 1-1/2 ins. deep. Let's
make all our drawings of bowls that size."
[Illustration: Bowls]
"Which do you like best?"
"I like the first one."
"Now that we've decided on the size and shape of the bowl, I must tell
you something about the copper to be used. All sheet copper is sold by
number, the higher the number the thinner the metal. Number 20 is a
good size to use for most bowls and boxes. I use size 20 for mine. If
you want a bowl to be lighter, use size 22 or 24. You can buy the
sheet copper at any hardware store."
[Illustration: This Boy Has a Well Equipped Shop--He is Just Finishing
a Copper Bowl. You See His Vise, Shears, Mallet, Hammers.]
"Now you know how to make your design and you know something, too,
about the tools and copper in general. We are ready now to begin the
bowl."