Buckles may be made of copper, silver, or brass, and the process of
making them is very simple. This design shows a buckle for a man or a
boy.
_Material:_ Copper (or brass or silver) 5/16 in. square × 8 ins. long
for the frame of the belt. One piece 1/8-in. round rod × 1-3/4 in. long
for the cross piece. One piece 3/16-in. square × 2 in. long (pin).
Borax and solder.
[Illustration]
_Tools:_ Mallet, file, pliers, combination stake, and vise.
[Illustration]
_Directions:_ Take the 5/16 × 8-in. piece of copper. Put it into the
vise and bend it into a rectangular frame like the design. Be careful
to make rounding corners and the sides parallel to each other. Cut off
the surplus metal. Make the joint in one corner. Solder and file the
corner the same shape as the other three.
[Illustration]
_Cross bar:_ Take the piece of copper, 1-3/4 × 1/8 in. Bend the two
ends down 1/8 in. in the same direction. (See picture.)
[Illustration: Cross piece]
Solder this piece to the under side of the frame. The projections throw
the cross bar down low enough below the level of the frame to allow the
leather strap to come flush with the buckle top.
_Pin or tongue:_ Take the metal set aside for making the pin. Flatten
one end of this out to 1/16 of an inch thick and long enough to go
around the cross bar. (See design.)
[Illustration: Tongue]
Flattening the end piece hardens it so that it must be annealed. With
the round pliers, bend this end so it will loop over the cross bar.
Shape over the whole buckle according to the design. File, finish, and
polish. These buckles may be made very attractive by giving them a
smooth finish, or a mottled surface, or by making a sawed out design
around the frame.
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