[Illustration]
Fire tools form part of the andiron set and are used for grate fires or
open hearth fires of either coal or wood. They are always in evidence
in country homes where open fireplaces are still in use. They can be
made of brass, iron, or soft steel. If an andiron is in place the fire
tools are usually made of the same metal and finished in the same way
so as to match.
[Illustration]
_Poker:_
_Stock:_ One piece of 7/8-in. round iron or soft steel 8 ins. long (for
handle). One piece 1/2 in. round. One piece 20 ins. long (for rod).
These drawings show a simple design in fire tools. All have handles
after the same design, slightly curved, with a ball as an end
decoration. The making of the handle is described below, and this
method, of course, applies to the making of all the handles of this set.
_Handle:_
_Stock:_ One piece 7/8 in. of round stock fullered down 7/8 in. from
the end to a thickness of 5/8 in. Knock the four corners down and
round up into a ball. Five inches from this, fuller the piece to 5/8
in. thickness. Draw the piece out any length, keeping the thickness
5/8 in. Weld the 1/2-in. rod to the small end. The extreme end of the
poker may be finished in various ways. It is sometimes turned at right
angles to the rod. It may be pointed, flattened, etc. The centre of the
handle is slightly curved. To do this heat the rod and reduce it, then
place it upon the largest part of the horn of the anvil. With the hand
hammer, hammer until the thinnest part in the centre measures about
3/4 in. in diameter. In this way the handle is reduced 1/8 in. at that
point, and curved in slightly.
[Illustration]
_Shovel:_
_Stock:_ Handle, 7/8 × 8 in. round iron or soft steel. Rod, 1/2 × 10
ins. long, iron or soft steel. Shovel blades, rectangular piece of No.
20, soft steel, 6 × 9 ins.
_Directions:_ Handle is made in same way as you made the handle of the
poker.
_Rod:_ The rod is welded at one end to the handle. The other end is
flattened out to be riveted on to the shovel blade. To do this,
upset the extreme end of the rod back about 1 in. and about 3/4 in.
in diameter. Flatten this out and shape it up as shown by the sketch.
Holes are drilled in for 1/8 in. rivets.
_Shovel blade:_ Cut a paper pattern just the shape of the blade. Mark
on the inside of the pattern the width of the edges to be turned up.
Place the paper pattern on the metal and cut out the outline with a
cold chisel. Now mark off the inside line for the turned up edges.
Heat the metal in the forge fire, a little at a time, beginning at the
centre part of the round. Bend it upon a round stake, tapping gently
with the hammer until the blade is well shaped, according to your
design. This size metal will buckle up the same as the copper did. Give
as much care in rounding up the iron as you did to the copper. (See
copper bowl.) When the piece has taken on the shovel shape place the
end of the handle to be riveted on the blade, and mark the holes. Drill
and rivet the handle and the blade with 1/8-in. round head iron rivets.
Notice that the shovel blade is not in an exact line with the handle
and rod. It forms an angle with them. This bend is made after the
riveting is done. Heat the piece where the blade joins the rod and bend
it back gently either with the hand or by tapping it with a hammer,
keeping the hot part of the shovel, all the time, on the horn of the
anvil.
[Illustration]
_Tongs:_
_Stock:_ 7/8 × 12 in. round, for handle. Two pieces 1/2 × 16 in. round
rod.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
_Directions:_ Make handle as for poker and shovel. Look at the detail
drawing and you will see by the dotted lines that 2 ins. from the lower
end of the handle the stock is bent out at right angles to the axis of
the handle. Take one of the 1/2 × 16 in. round rods, place it in the
swage, using the top swage on this. Shape the piece between the two
swages. Form it to an oval shape by striking with a sledge hammer on
the top swage. This makes one half of the rounded part of the tong.
If this is done without turning the piece while working it, the cross
section will be oval. Bend it rounding, as shown by the drawing. It
is now ready to weld to the rod, but before doing this it is best to
finish the hinge. Draw out the stock between the shoulder and the
bend, 2 × 5/8 ins. in diameter. Leave the stock heavy near the handle
on account of the weight of the tongs. To form the hinge: Place a round
3/4-in. punch, flattened on the end, on the corner and drive down half
way. This makes a circular depression, just large enough to accommodate
the 1/2-in. hinge. Two of these wings of the tongs are to be made to
complete the tongs. The second piece is far simpler than the first to
make, and it is really the only part of the tong that moves. Draw out
the stock and make the same size oval as you made with the other piece
under the swages. Bend it the same shape. Repeat the work with the
punch on the end, thus making the other half of the tong hinge. File
these halves to fit perfectly. When that is satisfactory, drill a hole
through the middle. Put a round-head rivet through, and see whether
the hinge now works perfectly free. Remove rivets. The parts are now
ready to be welded to the rods. Upset the ends of the small rods, scarf
both for a regular lap weld (see Lap Weld), and finish by welding. The
end of the tongs are flattened down. Flatten out the material and at
the same time round it up. If the material is not thick enough to give
enough for this rounding part, upset the end a little, or double the
end over and weld. (See Welding.)
Tongs are now ready for riveting together. Place the hinge in position.
Push the round-head rivet through the hole made. Let it push through
far enough to allow material for a rivet head of exactly the size of
the round head. The head may be rounded up if not too large, while it
is cold. Since only a 1/4-in. rivet is called for here, this work can
be done without any heating.
Tongs are made, as you know, for the purpose of picking up pieces of
wood or coal to place them in a stove or open fire. One must keep their
use in mind when making the ends of the tongs fitted to do this work,
so the ends may be flat, round, claw shaped, concaved, etc. The finish
will be the same as the finish on the andiron, without any attempt at
ornament. The surface should show the hammer marks, but be quite free
from lumps.
_Stand:_ Sometimes hooks are fastened in the fireplace for holding the
fire tools. A tool stand, however, is most convenient and may be made
easily. The drawing shows a plain design, with base, feet, upright,
arms for receiving the tools, and handle.
_Stock:_ Base, No. 20 sheet iron, 18 × 14 ins., oblong piece. Feet:
3 pieces, 1 in. square, 2 ins. long. Upright, 3/4 in. round, 26 ins.
long. Arms, 2 pieces, 1 × 1/4 × 15 ins. Handle, 1 × 1/2 × 20 ins.
_Directions:_ The drawing shows the stand as it should look when
finished. Base is made first. Cut out a pattern of an ellipse, long
diameter 18 ins., short diameter 14 ins. Place this pattern on the
oblong piece and cut it out with shears or a cold chisel. On the inside
mark off 1-1/4 ins. parallel to the outside edge. On that line turn the
metal up as you turned up the rim of the copper bowl. This can be done
while the metal is either hot or cold. Perhaps it is a little easier
to work up most of the bend while the metal is hot and finish up while
it is cold. Do not cool the metal off in water, though. This tends
to harden it a little. Let it cool off gradually, and when necessary
anneal or soften it. _Feet:_ The 1-in. square iron is fullered down
1 in. from the end. The ball is rounded out of this end piece same as
was done in making the balls for the door knocker. This leaves part of
the metal with which to make a pin for riveting. Cut off this rivet
pin the length required. Rivet holes are made in the base large enough
to receive the rivet pins on the iron feet. Divide the base into three
equal parts. Drill rivet holes the right size, put the iron balls in
place, and rivet.
_Arms:_ The two pieces of 1/4 × 1 × 15 ins. are bent and scarfed. The
two scarfed edges are welded together. Then the end is welded to one
end of the upright post.
_Handle:_ The handle is made separate and is then welded on to the
arms. Take the 1/2 × 20 in. piece and bend it at right angles 5 ins.
from each end. Heat it in the middle and bend so the two ends come
together. This forms a loop. Make this loop the same shape as is shown
by the handle. Weld the two 5-in. ends together, shape, and then weld
this to the crotch of the arms. This forms the handle. The arms are now
bent wide enough to receive the fire tools.
_The upright:_ Cut it off 30 ins. from the top of the arms. Upset
one end large enough to make a foot 4 ins. long and about 2 ins.
wide. This is flattened down and shaped as shown, for three 1/4-in.
rivets. Push the rivets in and rivet the upright to the base. If the
base should not be strong enough to hold the upright firm it can be
strengthened by placing a brace from the long ends and fastening it to
the centre of the upright. This adds to the decoration as well as the
strength. Use a 1/2 × 1/8 in. flat bar of iron or steel. Place it in a
vise and twist it about two thirds of its length. Bend the ends to fit
the curved sides of the base and also to fit the post. A small 1/8-in.
rivet on each side and one through the post will hold it sufficiently.
The stand is finished to correspond with the andiron and fire tools.
In this design the hammer marks seem more suitable than any special
decoration. A little machine oil spread over the surface, the whole
thing heated in the forge fire until the oil flashes off, gives a
natural iron finish, which is most pleasing.