[Illustration: Holder]
Here is a good design for a hat pin holder, a welcome addition to any
dresser. The design is very simple and the holder is easily made if one
follows out the directions carefully.
_Material:_ Disc 3-1/2 ins. of No. 20 gauge, for the base. One piece
of 3/4-in. copper tubing, 4 ins. long for the body. Solder.
_Tools:_ Iron rod, 3/8-in. round, 8 ins. long. Hard wood block.
Planishing hammer.
[Illustration]
_Directions:_ Bore a 3/4-in. hole one inch deep in the wooden block.
Place the 3-1/2-in. disc over this hole and, with the round end of the
planishing hammer, drive the centre of the disc into the hole 1/4 in.
Be careful not to drive a hole through the copper disc. Turn the piece
upside down. Place the iron rod in the vise. Put the bossed end of the
disc on the end of the iron rod and flatten the boss down. Shape the
base by rounding the edge down all around. See that it lies flat on the
table, without rocking.
[Illustration: Shaping base for stem]
_Stem:_ All copper tubing should be annealed before any work is done
on it. After annealing, place the 3/8-in. rod through the hole of the
tube and with the wooden mallet drive down on the tubing, beginning two
inches from the end and using the hard wood block for an anvil. This
constant driving and turning reduces the copper to any size required.
We must make the end of this tubing fit the 3/8-in. rod. The tube must
widen toward the other end, which is beaten out. Place it on the small
end of the anvil stake. Drive with the raising hammer, turning it all
the time. In this way you constantly increase the diameter, making the
cup-shaped top like the design. Now the stem and base are ready for
soldering. File the ends perfectly smooth and level. Bind in places
and solder, as before. The filing, finishing, and polishing must be
done as with other copper pieces.
Hat pin holders are usually filled with some soft material. The hat
pins are pushed down into this, which helps to keep them in place. Some
are covered on the top with a metal disc which has five or six holes
bored through, a little larger than the bar of the hat pin. These holes
are drilled into the disc and then the disc is soldered on to the top
of the holder. The pins cannot fall out with such an arrangement, and
they are not likely to gather on one side and tip the holder over.