Grinder

“ But men were gathering round, and a workman who had heard the raised voices, and divined the row, ran out of the works, with his apron full of blades, and his heart full of mischief. It was a grinder of a certain low type, peculiar to Hillsborough, but quite common there, where grinders are often the grandchildren of grinders. ”

“ However this may be, the poor blind grinder is almost invariably found furnished as we have described him, jammed up in some cranny or corner in a third-rate locality, where, having opened or taken off the top of his box, that the curious spectator may behold the mystery of his too quiet music—the revolving barrel, the sobbing bellows, and the twelve leaden and ten wooden pipes—he turns his monotonous handle throughout the live-long day, in the all but vain appeal for the commiseration of his fellows. ”

“ ON THE DOWNRIGHT On my way towards Warwick I joined company with a grinder, and we travelled socially together towards that ancient town. When we arrived, we lost no time in seeking a lodging house, which we soon found, but, to my surprise, the landlady, a big raw-boned, slatternly woman said, looking sternly at my companion: "I will have no grinders in my house." Of course, I did not know at that time what I have heard subsequently. Of all the men on the road, following various occupations, the grinder is, I believe, the most thoroughly detested. ”

“ They are tempered down to a purple or blue colour. In this state they are taken to the grinder.
Grinding and polishing of cutlery.—The various processes which come under this denomination are performed by machinery, moving in general by the power of the steam-engine or water-wheel.
Grinding wheels or grinding mills are divided into a number of separate rooms; every room contains six places called troughs; each trough consists of a convenience for running a grindstone and a polisher at the same time, which is generally occupied by a man and a boy. ”

“ A grinder, shown in Fig. 87, is used for grinding off rough parts of iron or brass castings and for smoothing up rough surfaces. It is formed of a mandrel which turns freely in a pair of bearings set in a headstock. A pulley is fixed to the middle of the mandrel and the latter is threaded on the ends; an emery, or a carborundum wheel is slipped over each end and these are held in place by washers and nuts. A swivel hand rest makes it easy to hold the work against the wheel.
Fig. 87. A GRINDER AND POLISHER
A plain lathe, see Fig. ”

“ Others polish the articles ground, by holding them to the edges of small wooden wheels covered with leather.
Grinders never live long; but the dry-grinders perish soonest, because the particles of sandstone are driven in whole clouds from the grindstones, and fill the whole air and the grinder's lungs. ”

“ The grinding angle.
The Grinder.—The first mistake the novice will make, is to use the tool on the grinder as though it were necessary to grind it down with a few turns of the wheel. Haste is not conducive to proper sharpening. As the wheel is of emery, corundum or other quickly cutting material, and is always run at a high rate of speed, a great heat is evolved, which is materially increased by pressure. ”

“ G. What does this grinder—Cheetham—think?
Mr. L. You might as well ask what the grindstone thinks.
Mr. G. Well, what does the grinder say, then?
Mr. L. Says he’d rather run the old stone out than lose a forenoon.
Mr. G. Well, sir, it is his business.
Mr. L. It may be a man’s business to hang himself; but it is the bystanders’ to hinder him.
Mr. G. You mistake me. I mean that the grinder is the only man who knows whether a stone is safe.
Mr. L. But this grinder does not pretend his stone is safe; all he says is, safe or not, he’ll run it. ”

“ In wet grinding, which is employed in the manufacture of saws, files, sickles, table-knives, and edge-tools, comparatively little dust is made, and in these employments the grinders enjoy comparatively longer life; their average age ranging from thirty-five to forty years. In addition to the destructive effects of these particles of metal and stone upon the delicate membrane of the lungs, the dry-grinder is subjected to serious injury of the eyes from the red-hot particles of steel thrown off in the shape of sparks. ”

“ On the left is a quartet of corn-grinders, walled in from the floor by stone slabs laid in cement. In every pueblo house, a "battery" of these mealing stones is to be found, and it is one of the commonest of sights to find the women and girls on their knees, with the grinder in hands, rubbing it briskly up and down with the swing of the body, while every few moments, with a deft movement of the hand, the grain is thrown between the grinder and the stone beneath. ”

“ The grinder, standing on this upper stone, spreads his feet apart, and gives it motion by the movement of his body. The bits of ore are placed between these stones, and a small stream of water from a barrel above mixes with the harina, and carries it off to a receptacle below. It may be imagined that, to draw any a profit from so rude a contrivance as this, it is necessary that the ores ground by it should be of the richest kind.
The apparatus for driving off the mercury by heat is as rude as the boliche. ”

“ One of the wonders of Sheffield is its Grinding Establishments. To aid [pg 414] the grinders, companies have erected very spacious buildings divided into small rooms, and provided the whole with steam engines. The rooms are then let out by the month to master grinders; and at properly adjusted grindstones in each room I saw every variety of grinding, sharpening, and polishing. The finest work is polished by hand, and in this slavery I saw the delicate hands of the superior sex solely employed. ”

“ For instance, the master who should set a dry-grinder to a trough without a fan, or put his wet-grinders on a mud floor and no fire, or his file-cutters in a room without taps and basins, or who should be convicted of willfully buying a faulty grindstone, might be made subject to a severe penalty ”

“ Meat-grinders aren't popular neighbors, even for tread-snails. As I approached the carcass of the grinder I had shot I found a ten-foot length of steel rod and poked it a few times. When it didn't even twitch, I felt safe in walking past it.
I got back in the jeep and returned to where Joe Kivelson was keeping track of what was going on in five screens, including one from a pickup on a lifter at the ceiling, and shouting orders that were being reshouted out of loudspeakers all over the place. The Odin Dock & Shipyard equipment had begun coming out ”

“ Following the milling machine, came the grinder, in which a revolving wheel of an abrasive material served to wear away the surface of a piece of work, and with this form of machine steels of great hardness could be finished with accuracy and a high polish. ”

“ The first of the seven grinders, which, as I have said, is frequently absent, and, when it does exist, is small in the horse, is a good-sized and permanent tooth, while the grinder which follows it is but little larger than the hinder ones. The crowns of the grinders are short, and though the fundamental pattern of the horse-tooth is discernible, the front and back ridges are less curved, the accessory pillars are wanting, and the valleys, much shallower, are not filled up with cement. ”

“ Grinder and serve them himself. He remembered the boy in the tin-shop in Bishopsgate Street, years ago, who had chased him through Spitalfields; and he wished that some lurching youngster would snatch a mousetrap, that he might make a chase himself.
At Mr. Grinder's every call Dicky was prompt and willing; for every new duty was a fresh delight, and the whole day a prolonged game of real shopkeeping. ”

“ The cylindrical grinder was first made as a crude grinding lathe in the early sixties, and used for grinding the needle and foot bars of the Wilcox & Gibbs sewing [214] machines. In 1864 and 1865 the regular manufacture of grinding lathes was begun by using parts of 14-inch Putnam lathes modified to produce the automatic grinding lathes. These modifications consisted in mounting a grinding wheel on the carriage, providing an automatic feeding and reversing attachment, and included the use of a dead center pulley. ”

“ The grinders furnish their grindstones and all their tools for making the knives; there is no dry grinding, such as used to fill the lungs of the grinders with deadly particles of steel and stone, and bring them to an early death; but sometimes a stone, which ordinarily lasts six months, will burst and drive the grinder through the roof. The blade-makers do their own forging and hammering, and it is from first to last apparently all hand-work. ”

“ Bobby and Betty stepped back. They were afraid of the grindstone.
[124]
“Any knives to grind?” asked the scissors-man when the scissors were ground.
“Yes,” answered Mother. “I wish you would grind this knife.”
Again the wheel went, “Whir-r-r, whir-r-r, whir-r-r.”
Again sparks flew from the grindstone.
Then the man gave Mother the knife, and she paid him for his work.
The scissors-grinder now swung his grindstone on his back. Again he rang his bell.
Bobby and Betty watched the scissors-grinder until he turned a street corner.
For study and play:
Have you any old knives to grind? ”

“ Children came running with their mothers' scissors, or the carving-knife, or the paternal razor, or anything else that lacked an edge (except, indeed, poor Clifford's wits) , that the grinder might apply the article to his magic wheel, and give it back as good as new. ”

“ The grinder sits on the ground close to the stones, and grasping the handle causes the upper stone to revolve vigorously. The larger stones have two handles, and then two women work together. They often go on grinding for some hours, generally beginning in the early morning while it is still cool. By preference they only grind what is required for the day's use, because the freshly-ground flour is thought to make the best bread. ”

“ Hence a machine 154was, some years ago, adopted in the mines near Whitehaven and Workington, in which a wheel formed of steel, and in shape somewhat like that of a razor-grinder, was turned round with very rapid motion against a series of flints, and in such manner as to yield to the miners sufficient light to carry on their work in places where the flame of a candle would occasion the most dreadful explosions. ”

“ The grinder takes from fifty to sixty wires between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand; and as he presses them against the stone, he causes all the wires to roll round, and thus each is ground to a point. So expert do the grinders become by practice, that they point a handful of these wires, usually about sixty, in half a minute, or about seven thousand in an hour. During the grinding every wire gives out a stream of sparks, and these together form a bright glare of light. ”

“ These can be accommodated outside the locker or the locker sections may be planned large, say 40′′ in the clear.
The grindstone is best suited for pupils’ use in sharpening edge tools. Where a small motor is used for power, it is very desirable to have a small dry emery grinder for the use of the instructor. Ten dollars will cover its cost and it will pay for itself quickly. It can be placed near the grindstone. ”

“ The wood is first stripped of its bark and then cut into pieces running from two to four feet in length, depending upon the size of the magazine of the grinder. The wood is pressed against a revolving grindstone by hydraulic pressure and at such an angle that the fibers torn off will be as long as possible. The fibers are borne off by a stream of water which carries them through a set of screens. These remove any unground slivers, [293] and eventually the pulp is drained of water and pressed into laps, or, if it is to be used immediately, it goes directly to the beating engine. ”

“ For the wet-grinders they might supply fires in every wheel, abolish mud floors, and pave with a proper fall and drain.
“To prevent the breaking of heavy grinding-stones, fit them with the large strong circular steel plate—of which I subjoin a drawing—instead of with wedges or insufficient plates. They might have an eye to life, as well as capital, in buying heavy grindstones. I have traced the death of one grinder to the master's avarice: he went to the quarry and bought a stone for thirty-five shillings the quarry-master had set aside as imperfect ”

“ Thread-cutting operation on a feed screw for our surface grinder, which is made from a forty-carbon steel, is 261⁄2 inches long and has one-quarter inch pitch acme thread about two-thirds of its length that must be a close fit in a bronze unit. ”

“ A piece of soft iron wire, flattened so as to pass freely between the coils and charged with a little powdered oilstone, will serve as a grinder, and with it the strength of the spring may soon be reduced. ”

“ These conditions can be satisfied by making the ways V-shaped and grinding with a grinder somewhat shorter than the ways. By constant reversals, and by lengthening or shortening the stroke, they will finally become nearly perfect. ”

“ At this period also the second pair of grinders will be shed. At four years the central nippers will be fully developed, the sharp edges somewhat worn off, and the marks shorter, wider, and fainter. The next pair will be up, but they will be small, with the mark deep and extending quite across. Their corner nippers will be larger than the inside ones, yet smaller than they were, and flat, and nearly worn out. The sixth grinder will have risen to a level with the others; and the tushes will begin to appear in the male animal. ”

“ No person who has read Elliott's description of the reckless race of grinders, or the account of them in the Report of the Commissioners to inquire, in 1841, into the condition of the people in mines and factories, can see these places without a lively interest. At this deadly trade, the workmen sit at work astride of rounded blocks of wood, which they call grinding-horses, in front of their grindstones, which are fixed on axles or spindles turned by the steam or water ”