Thomas F. Googerty

“ A boy cannot learn to handle his hammer, or to heat a piece of stock by making small things. What the beginner in forging needs is some work that he can swing a hammer on without danger of spoiling it. Very few boys on entering a shop can handle a hammer, and they certainly do not learn about heating metal in a forge, by working at staples, etc. ”

“ The welding of two pieces of stock by scarfing and lapping is known as a separate-heat-weld, so called because the pieces are detached while the heat is taken. In making any kind of a weld there is more or less stock wasted in the raising of the welding heat, therefore the parts to be lapped and welded are always upset or thickened and then scarfed. ”

“ A good cold chisel is an indispensable tool in a shop, and one that is very much abused. Therefore, it should be made with the greatest care. In the forging of a good chisel a piece of 5⁄8-in. octagonal tool steel, from 75 to 95 point carbon, is used. The piece is cut six inches long. In doing this the bar may be nicked with a chisel. The nicked part is then set over the outer edge of the anvil. A chisel with a handle is set on the nicks and given a good blow with a sledge hammer, shearing the piece from the bar. ”

“ If they were taken to the anvil and hammered while in this condition they would unite and become one piece. This would be called welding. All metals cannot be welded. Iron, soft steel, low-carbon tool steel and spring steel can be welded.
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A flux is used in welding steel—this excludes the air and forms a pasty surface on the metal which is squeezed out from between the surfaces of the metal when hammered. Borax and the many welding compounds are used. Very seldom is it necessary to use a flux on iron. Clean sand, which is good, is used by many. ”

“ When the chisel is cold it is reheated to harden and temper. Over-heating does not make the tool harder when cooled in water, but increases its brittleness, so care must be taken when heating. The heating must be very slow, and to a dark red, 21⁄2 inches long. The chisel should be cooled as the heat is going up. A common practice of heating the steel more than a cherry red and holding it out of the forge until the heat goes down, before dipping, is wrong. ”

“ Realistic iron flowers are inconsistent with the material in which they are executed. They kill the strength and destroy the character of the metal. This should be learned early by one working in iron. When the iron-worker of the past imitated nature too closely in leaf and flower, he failed as a designer and his work deteriorated. Iron as a crude metal must be fashioned into shapes that are suitable and practical for the material. For instance, it readily allows itself to be worked into graceful curved forms which can be used to advantage [85] in grille work. ”

“ In the school shop the anvils should all be of the same size and weight so that any tool used with them will fit into any square hole. In factories where anvils are made, they are forged from wrought iron or soft steel, with a carbon steel face welded on; some are cast steel thruout and others are cast iron with a steel face. The face is generally three-quarters inch thick, and is hardened [11] to resist heavy blows from the hammer and sledge. (See drawing Figure 3 of anvil.) The anvil should be fastened with iron straps, on a 10 by 10-inch block, set into the ground about 31⁄2 feet. ”

“ In heating a piece of iron to be formed into a ring, it should never be heated to the welding heat. A welding heat on any piece of work that is not to be [59] hammered destroys the texture of the metal. Any piece of work to be formed, should be heated evenly and not too hot. ”

“ The temper color must run to the end of the chisel very slowly. The reason for this is that if the temper color comes slow, the chisel is tempered farther back from the point. The temper colors on the surface of the bright steel are obtained by different degrees of heat, as it travels from the remaining heat left in the tool when the piece was hardened. The less heat allowed to travel toward the end of chisel, the paler the temper color and the harder the chisel; therefore, the faint yellow color indicates that the steel is very hard. The darker the temper color becomes the softer the tool. ”

“ One hundred and fifty point carbon contains one and one-half per cent. This is about as high as is generally made. One hundred and fifty point is known as high temper; low temper is about 40 point. Steel containing less than 40 point does not harden to advantage and is classed with machinery steel. There is a range of tempers between high and low point which are used for different kinds of tools.
In the forge shop the term temper means the degree of hardness given to a piece of tool steel. As an example, a piece of steel is heated to a dark red color and cooled in water or oil. ”

“ In our manual training schools, where the pupils have such short periods in which to do work, it is necessary that the shops be equipped with modern tools so that they can produce work quickly. This will give the individual pupil more practice in a shorter length of time, which simply means more knowledge. Our schools should not be hampered by using forges that have been out-of-date for years. ”

“ The method of upsetting is to heat the ends of the bar, then set the hot end on the anvil with the bar vertical and hammer on the other end. This thickens the heated end. If it is a long heavy bar, the worker churns the bar up and down striking the hot end on the anvil. A bar may also be heated on the end, then fastened in a vise and the hot part hammered to thicken it. In upsetting, the bar must be kept straight as hammering will bend it where heated; if not kept straight, it will not thicken. ”

“ The steel is heated to a bright red heat, holding the steel at this heat as nearly as possible when hammering. Forging at a low heat is liable to cause the steel to burst. When the tool is forged, it is laid in a dry place on the forge to cool. When hardening, the point of the tool is brought to a white welding heat, about 2,100° Fahr., and this is noticeable by the appearance of melted borax, forming on the nose. The tool is now held in a compressed air blast, or dipped into sperm, linseed or lard oil until cool. ”

“ Owing to the preheating of the gas and air a very high temperature can be maintained in the furnace so as to keep the iron liquid after it has parted with the carbon. The stirring up of the metal is not done with hooks as in puddling furnace but by adding certain proportions of iron scales or other oxides the chemical reaction of which keeps the metal in a state of agitation. With the open hearth process the metal can be tested from time to time. When it contains the proper amount of carbon it is drawn off thru the tapping hole at the bottom of the hearth, leaving the slag at the top. ”

“ The method of riveting and splitting small pieces of flat steel to hold them together while taking the heat is not to be recommended because after they are put together in this manner the lap is double thick, and in raising the heat there is always danger of over-heating each side of the lap. Separate heats and a clean fire is the best method to use to make a good weld, unless the steel is heavy. ”

“ When using the sledge hammer, stand in front of the anvil and not at its side, and let the first blow be a light one.
In heating a slow blast is maintained. When the pieces begin to get about yellow, more blast is used. The pieces can be watched without removing them from the fire. They should be turned over occasionally, moving them nearer to the surface of fire to see how the heat is progressing, and then under the coke again. Care must be taken to get both pieces heated alike. ”

“ In the school forge shop, the tool steel used should be of an inexpensive kind. High priced steel should not be used as more or less is wasted by the pupils in working. A carbon steel should be used for all forge shop tools. About 75 to 95 point is suitable. High-speed tool steel should be used only to give the pupils instruction in its handling and use, and to familiarize them with the different kinds of steel and their treatment. ”

“ For light lathe work, high speed steel is used in the adjustable tool holder. The most common tool for doing heavy work is the round nose which is made from various size steel.
High speed tool steel is sold under many brands. The method of handling is about the same for all. However each manufacturer will give the method which is best for his particular make of steel. In forging high speed lathe tools, a furnace or clean fire with plenty of coke is used. ”

“ Work that required two men in those days is being done now by one. Modern invention has played an important part in simplifying the labors of the workers in iron and steel. At the present time there are various kinds of forges in use that lessen the work of the smith. The most successful factories are now equipped with modern forges and appliances in order that they may be able to do work quickly. ”

“ There is no craft work that one can do well without this training. With art training one can see defects in his work much quicker than without such training. In fact, it opens up a new world of possibilities to the workman. ”

“ Tempering increases the tool’s elasticity and strength, and reduces the brittleness. The temper color will show just a faint yellow against the edge of the remaining heat that was left in the tool after hardening. ”

“ 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 3⁄8 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. ”

“ Wrought iron is made by melting the pig iron in a puddling furnace; about one-half ton is charged at a time. After it is softened, it is stirred with large iron hooks by the puddler and his helper. It is kept kneaded to expose every part to the action of the flame, so as to burn out all of the carbon. ”

“ 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. ”

“ When the pieces are in close contact, the current is turned on. The pieces are then separated a little so that the current jumps across the space between them, forming an electric arc. This heats the [23] ends to a welding heat, and by forcing them together they are welded.
Another form of welding is by the oxy-acetylene gas method. It is being used extensively at present, and has been found very valuable and economical in making the lighter welds. It is possible to weld steel, iron, cast-iron, copper, brass and aluminum by this process. ”

“ Bolts may be made in one piece by upsetting the end of a bar, then squaring the head by driving the piece into a heading tool. A bolt may also be made by welding a collar around the end of a bar after which the head is squared. ”

“ One cannot hold a piece of iron properly with tongs that do not fit the piece. They may be heated and fitted to the stock when occasion demands. One important reason why tongs should fit the piece being hammered, is that when turning and striking the piece there is danger of the piece being knocked out of the tongs in a whirling motion and the flying piece of hot iron is liable to strike someone ”

“ All small pieces of tool and spring steel should be welded with separate heats. A little practice and a clean fire, with some good welding compound, are necessary. In separate heat welding of flat steel, the flat sides of the scarfs are put together instead of the beveled ones. ”