Part 15

The twisting is done best while the iron is cold. If done while the iron is hot great care must be taken to check up when the lines begin to run too close together. Take a bar of square iron, fasten one end in the vise, and with a monkey wrench on the other end give the metal a twist. Only square bars show a change in the shape after twisting. Round stock when placed in the vise and twisted shows no change in shape. However, two pieces of round stock twisted give a very pleasing effect. A braided strand is made (1) by welding the ends of two pieces of round iron together side by side and twisting them, (2) welding ends of two more pieces of the same size and length together and twisting them, (3) by welding these two twisted bars together on both ends and twisting them in the opposite direction. This gives a braided effect which is most decorative. However, the square stock gives the most satisfactory result in all of this twisted work.

Handles can be made by reducing square stock, leaving the centre larger and drawing the ends out to a taper and twisting this tapered part. Begin the twist in the middle and let it rise gradually toward each end. Great care must be taken with this work, as the smallest sizes are also the weakest and naturally bend first. To do this work successfully the metal must be heated and driven a little each time until the whole taper is twisted. _Spirals:_ Spirals are made by drawing a long taper on the end of a round or square bar of small iron. Turn the end of the bar up 1/2 in. at right angles. Grasp the turned up end in the vise; coil the end up as you would a coil of rope. Slip one end under the other when they come together. When the first coil reaches the centre of the piece repeat on the other end until the two coils meet in the middle. Heat it all evenly. Grasp both ends in the tongs and pull the spiral out. Stop when the openings equal the size of the iron of which the coil is made.

_Ornamental bulbs:_ Bulbs are used in the same way as spirals and twists, for decorative purposes, on andirons, grills, fences, etc.

The form shown here in the sketch is a very simple one. The principle, however, is the same as that applied to the forging of more complex bulbs. Select a rod of iron for a core. Reduce the thickness to about 1/2 in. for about 6 ins. long, leaving the required thickness at the ends; 1/2 in. from the shoulder nick the bar around, cutting it almost through. Leave about 1/16 in. to hold it to the body of the piece. Cut the core off 1 in. from the 3-in. cut. The picture shows the method of making the core in order to work out the problem. Select a number of pieces of 3/16-in. round soft steel the length of the reduced piece and place these around the core, each one fitting close to the next one. If the space is too small or too large when the last piece is put in make the core larger or smaller. These rods should just touch when they lie around the core. Now with a pair of tongs bind all the rods tightly around the core and with the same tongs put one end in the fire and heat red hot. Cover with borax. Take on a welding heat and weld it in a swage, confining the length of the welding to as short a space as possible.

The core prevents the rods from sinking while welding and it also keeps them in place. Reverse the piece. Put the other end in the fire and weld as before. Weld the neck as short as possible. Heat the body of the piece uniformly. Grasp one end of the bar in the vise and with a pair of tongs twist the other end toward the right slowly. While doing so tap lightly on the end with a hammer. This tends to loosen up the rods and help the twisting. Be careful not to twist so much that the rods will break away from the welds. Heat all again. Place it again in the vise and twist in the opposite direction, at the same time driving on the ends. This forces the centre out and gives it a bulb shape. The core should bend up where the cutting is done. Now the core should be driven out. A punch driven in against the core should break it easily where the cut marks are made. These short ends are forced out through the openings between the rods, and any uneven buckles or bends in the rods should be bent or straightened as the case requires. The bulb can be trued up while cold. A punch driven through from the opposite side will help straighten any of the rods bent from the outside in.

The rods can be plied apart with a pair of pliers or a pair of tongs. The surplus metal on the top end is now cut off and trued up.

SPIRAL CANDLESTICK

This old Dutch candlestick is made of 3/16-in. round wire in spiral form. The spiral stem is made so that, as the candle burns down, an inner socket is moved around the spiral. This travels up and down and keeps the point of the candle above the holder.

_Stock:_ Base, 5-in. disc of sheet steel or iron. Legs, 1/8 × 1 × 5 ins. (makes the 3). Spiral, 3/16-in. round wire, 40 ins.

_Directions (base or pan):_ Divide the disc into sixteen equal parts. Flute these parts by cutting out a little hollow in a hard wood block and driving the flutes in by the use of a round cross peen hammer. Fluting reduces the diameter of the disc and forms it into a pan shape.

_Legs:_ The three legs are in one piece. The 1/8 × 1 × 5 in. piece is split down half way; 1 in. from where the split ends the piece is fullered down. (See sketch.) Draw out this end 3/8 in. wide. Draw out the split ends to this width, and all pieces to 1/8 in. thickness. This forms a tripod, the three legs at an equal distance apart. The ends of the feet are made very thin by flattening down. Turn these up as shown by the sketch and shape the three feet.

_Spiral stem:_ This candle stem is 3/4 in. in diameter. If you wind up a piece of 3/16-in. wire on a 3/4-in. iron rod while the metal is cold you will have a spiral stem like the one shown here. To do this make a mandrel out of a 3/4-in. bar not less than 20 ins. in length. Drill a 1/4-in. hole in the end. Into this hole drive a 1/4-in. iron plug. Place this mandrel in the vise. Bend a small loop on the end of this wire to fit the 1/4-in. pin. Bend the wire and begin to wind around the bar. Make as many turns as are shown in the drawing. Take the wire off. The small loop end will stick out below the spiral and prevent it standing on a base level. This end must be driven back. To do this place it upon the other end of the rod, strike it with the hammer, and flatten it out so that the base will stand flat. Insert a sharp-pointed chisel between the coils; open them out so that the distance between them will be 1/4 in. Do this while the metal is cold. The handle may be made any design. It can be bent over, extended at right angles to the top, etc. Rivet the legs to the base with a 1/4-in. bolt. With a nut on the end rivet tightly to prevent the nut loosening up.

_Socket to fit the spiral stem, for raising and lowering the candle:_ _Stock:_ One piece of 1/8 × 1 × 3 in. One piece of 1 × 2-1/2 in. flat iron or soft steel, No. 20.

_Directions:_ The No. 20 piece is bent around a 3/4-in. mandrel to give it a cylindrical shape. The two edges just come together. The handle of this socket is made by fullering down 1/8 × 1 × 3 ins., 1 in. back from the end, and drawing this out 3/16 in. round, 2 ins. long. The end is turned over as shown in the sketch; the other end is filed round to fit the inside of the socket cylinder. The two pieces are now brazed together. File the parts that come into contact with each other perfectly clean, and cover with borax. Heat it red hot and touch the parts to be brazed with the end of a piece of brass wire. At a certain temperature the brass wire will melt and fill up the spaces between the bottom and the cylinder. (See Brazing.) This makes a tight joint: it is like soldering wrought iron together. This method of joining is used where welding would be impossible, as it would be in this case. File the base off smooth. The candle can now be slipped between the coils of wire. It should travel in its socket up and down the spiral. (See drawing.)

IRON AND STEEL HINGES

Ornamental hinges are used on doors, wall cabinets, chests, gates, etc., or wherever suitable. There are three methods of making hinges: (1) Solid eye, (2) welded, (3) turned or bent eye. (See article on Plain Hinges.)

_Solid eye:_ The first drawing shows the solid eye split ornamental hinge.

_Stock:_ One piece of soft steel or wrought iron, 7/8 × 7/8 × 6 ins. long. Take a bar of iron 18 ins. long with the above dimensions as to width and thickness; 5 ins. from the end of the bar fuller down to 3/8 in. thick. These 5 ins. are flattened down to 1/4 in. thick and 2 ins. wide, any length. Split the flattened part to within 2-1/2 ins. of the shoulder. The two ends are now thrown out, tapered, and bent into shape. Cut the piece from the bar 1 in. back of the fullered part. Round the piece up, thus forming the eye. The body of the piece between the split and the eye is now widened out to 2-1/2 ins. To do this use the peen of the hammer on the under side of the metal, thus thinning out the metal in the centre in order to increase the width. Shape it up and curve it about 1/4 in. This, in turn, gives a nice rounded finished surface similar to the drawer pull. The chased design on the hinge is made in the same manner and with the same tools as are used in work in chasing. (See chapter on Chasing.)

The butt for the hinge is made of 1 × 1/2 in. flat wrought iron. Fuller down the end of the piece, round it up to fit the diameter of the eye of the hinge. A hole is punched in the middle of the piece. A 2-1/2 × 1/2 in. piece of iron is drawn and is pushed into the hole, riveted down on the short end, and welded. The other end is drawn out to a square tapered point. Nick the four edges at intervals with a sharp chisel, thus throwing up little projections to prevent it from slipping out of the wood when driven in to hold the hinge. This kind of hinge is used mostly for doors. The upper part of the pin that sticks through the eye of the hinge is ornamented by a fuller mark and a round top.

IRON BRACKET

This bracket is made of three pieces: back piece, hanger, and support:

_Stock:_ Back plate, 3/8 × 1 in. of soft steel or Norway iron. Hanger and support, 1/4 in. square.

_Back plate:_ The drawing shows the back plate as a conventional leaf design and is made as follows: Take the 3/8 × 1 in. of soft steel and shape it according to the drawing. With the peen of the hammer widen out the top enough to cut out the design shown here. When cut out as shown, boss up the centre of the leaves by using the peen hammer on a round hole. This bossing is a matter of taste. The lower part is now flattened out, trimmed, and shaped as shown. The thickness is of no importance. On the end of the top bar forge a pin about 3/16 in. in diameter to fasten into the back by riveting.

_Hook:_ The hook is made in the same way as you made the gate hook. The bar is twisted in the middle.

_Support:_ Select a bar the right length and twist it in the middle. Flatten the ends down and bend the little curves as shown. This is drilled for a 1/8-in. rivet, then placed in position. Holes are marked in the hanger and in the back. Rivet the support in place. Be careful to have the hanger at right angles to the back. If you do not, the effect is spoiled, no matter how good the rest of the workmanship may be.

XXX

LAMPS, LANTERNS, IRON KETTLE STAND, UMBRELLA STAND

WROUGHT IRON LAMP

The sketch shows a wrought iron lamp with square base, four feet, round hollow post, shade holder and shade.

_Base:_ No. 16 soft sheet steel, 10 ins. square.

Make a 2-1/2-in. circle in the centre of the 10-in. square piece. Drive this up 1/2 in. above the level by placing it over a 2-1/2-in. hole in a wooden block or a swage block. If this piece of iron is placed over a hole any diameter and struck on the opposite side with the peen of the hammer it will sink into the hole and take the rounding shape. This can be done while the metal is cold. With a pair of dividers find the centre of boss and describe a faint circle 1 in. less than the diameter of the base. Tangent to those lines draw lines along the edge of the base. The dotted lines on the sketch show how the base should be cut out. The stock left on the corners forms the feet when the sides of the base are bent into shape. Cut out the piece of metal as described and bend the sides over 1/2 in. The corners must be heated red hot and formed separately. This is best done over the heel of the anvil. After placing the heated corners on the heel of the anvil drive quickly with a light hammer first on one side and then on the other, forming and upsetting the metal into shape at the same time. The flare on the bottom of the feet is worked in after the corners and shaped as shown in the sketch. Repeat this on the four corners. Now flare out the feet on the horn of the anvil. Out of the centre of the boss cut a circle a little less than the base of the post, to receive the post.

_Post:_ Take a 10 × 5 in. piece and bend it around a piece of round iron so that the two edges will fit close together. The inside and outside of these are filed for brazing. (See Brazing.) This post is now bound with good strong wire to keep the joint close. Cover with flux, place in the fire and add the smelter to the joint on the inside of the pipe. When the smelter runs into the joint take it out of the fire and allow it to cool in the air. The joint is now filed up on the outside and if properly brazed should show only a very fine line made by the smelter. The upper part of the post is now swelled out as shown in the sketch, by heating at a low heat and spreading the metal out all around the end.

A cap is placed on top of the post to hold the arms that support the shade and to hold, too, the electric light bulb, or gas pipe, or oil well, according to the light to be used. The cap is made by rounding the end of a 1-in. bar to 1/2 in. in diameter, 2 ins. long. The other end is cut off about 1/2 in. to allow for the flattening down to make the cap.

Place the 1/2-in. stem into a heading tool and flatten this bar down quite thin. Spread it out so that the edges can be turned over at right angles to form a cap to fit the top of the post. This cap can be either brazed or riveted on to the post. Either will look well. If used for gas or electric light a hole should be drilled through the centre of the cap and through the post to receive the wire. If used for gas the lower side can be tapered out so that 1/8-in. gas pipe can be screwed in. Now cut a thread on the top of the post to fit an electric light socket. The same thread acts as a holder for the bracket of the shade holder. Place the cap on the post, rivet and braze. File the lower part of the post and the inside of the hole on the base perfectly clean. The bottom of the post should be filed a little tapering so it will fit into the base of the hole tight. Wire it in for brazing so that the post will stand perpendicular to the base. Carry your binding wires from the top of the post to the four corners of the base, using heavy wire for this work of binding. Cover the joint with flux. Place the centre on the fire and put the brazing material on the joint around the post. With a slow heat, heat till the smelter runs into the joint. Close off the blast, let it remain in the fire until cold, then remove it.

_Shade holder:_ This is made of a piece of 1 × 1/8 × 10 in. soft steel. Fuller down 3 ins. from the end to 3/8 × 1/8 in. Draw this out any length. Split the other end to within 1-1/8 ins. of this fuller mark. Throw these arms out and draw each down the same size as the other, 1/8 × 3/8 in. Place the crotch on a small bottom fuller and with the top fuller spread each arm out so that it will measure an equal distance from the other arms. At the same time this will shape the centre. Drive the end out tapering 3/8 in. wide at the base, tapering to 1/8 in. square at the ends. The length of the arms depends upon the size of the shade. Tip ends of the arms should be bent up 1/8 in. to hold the shade in place. Drill a hole in the centre of the tripod and tap a thread in the hole to fit the thread on the end of the cap, so that this will screw on. These arms can be bent down or up to suit the height of the shade.

_Shade:_ The shade pattern is developed in the same way as the shade described in the copper article on lamp shades. In this case, however, each unit is cut out separately and riveted to the next; all put together and filed; 1/8-in. soft iron rivets are used for riveting the parts.

_Glass:_ The glass can be bought at any glazier's. Cathedral opalescent glass is best. Place a piece of card-board on one of the units and mark the outline of the opening. Cut about 3/8 in. larger than this outline. This pattern taken to the glazier can be cut out from any kind of glass, according to the size wanted.

LAMP

This lamp may be used for gas, oil, or electricity. The difference between this and the preceding lamps lies in the construction of the base. The full page illustration shows lamp described here.

_Base:_ Soft steel 1/8 × 5 × 24 ins.

Mark off the design shown by the full lines on the 1/8 × 5 × 24 in. piece. This is for one leg of the lamp. Cut with a sharp cold chisel along the outline about two thirds of the way through the thickness. Place the cut line in the jaws of the vise. With a pair of tongs grasp the waste material, then with a prying motion break off these pieces. File up the rough edge left by the cutting. With this piece as a pattern cut in like manner three more pieces, making four in all. This makes the stock for the four legs. Place the foot end of one piece into the fire and bend about 1 in. of this end into a small circle having a radius of not more than 3/4 in. About 5 ins. back from this heat the metal to a length of 5 ins. Place it on the anvil as shown and with the hand hammer drive it into a circle.

While bending this into shape keep the circle a little larger than the drawing calls for. The circle is very easily reduced, while if it was made too small in the beginning one would have to straighten the whole piece out to increase the size. Therefore, it is best to work it large until finished. Wide stock like this is easily twisted out of shape, so that it is very difficult to bend it up in a circle of this kind. It is hard, too, to change any twist that may be worked in.

Bend the other three legs in the same way, as nearly like the first one as you can. Be sure to make the four legs the same height when finished. Drill three holes for 3/8-in. bolts, as shown in the sketch. Seven inches below the top drill one hole in each leg for a rosette or some form of decorative treatment. These four legs are held in place by means of a tapered square plug 4 ins. long. The small end should fit the smallest width on the lamp legs and the taper 4 ins. below this width. Drill a hole through the centre of this plug for a 1/8-in. gas pipe, if to be used for gas. The same opening can be made for electric wires, etc., and a lamp well, placed at the end for a lamp.

_To put the lamp together:_ Place one leg on the square plug and mark through the holes on the plug. Centre-punch these holes and drill for a 3/8-in. top. The hole should be drilled through the plug. Tap out the holes and bolt the two legs, one on either side. While drilling these holes be sure they are at right angles to the centre axis of the plug. This means a little blocking up on the tapered end. Bolt the two legs to the plug by using any short 3/8-in. bolts for this purpose. If all work so far has been carefully done these two legs will stand vertically to the plane of the table. If not they can be made to do so by taking out a little of the curve in the legs, thereby lengthening the side that might be a little short. Place one leg up on the third side and with a scratch awl mark the holes through on to the plug and drill these three holes through the plug. Tap out as you did before and put the other two feet on. Square up all the work done. Bolts are used for this purpose. Take 3/8-in. square bolts, 1/2 in. long. Reduce the thickness of the head to 1/8 in., flattening and rounding the top slightly. Put these in place of the temporary bolts. They will hold the sides of the lamp in place.

A decorative piece can be made out of a bolt head by placing it in the heading tool and forming a pyramid shaped head. This is pushed through the hole and riveted on the other side. Cut off a piece of gas pipe short enough to extend about 1 in. above the top of the lamp and to come within 2 ins. from the base. This is now forced through the hole in the plug. If any of the bolts should have screwed into this hole, preventing this pipe from going through, they should be filed off. To fill up the interval caused by the four scrolls bending outward on the top of the lamp, forge a round ball on the end of a square bar to fit this opening. Cut off the ball and drill a hole in through the ball to slip over the pipe. The thread on the end of the pipe should fall below the top of the ball. Make a tripod as explained in the description of the preceding lamp. Screw it in the end of this pipe tight against the ball. The end of the pipe is used for the fixtures needed.

LANTERNS

The lantern shown here is of a simple design and can be made out of material without putting in any bends or twists. The material for the making of the uprights is 1/2 × 1/8 in. steel.

The top and bottom should be made of No. 16 soft steel. The design shows that all pieces are riveted together on a framework.

The top can be of one piece and shaped as shown in the sketch. Bottom is of one piece and is made for electric light, candle, or oil lamp. Fixtures for any one of the above ways of lighting must be placed in the bottom of the lantern. For the candle, a small socket can be riveted to the bottom. A cup to receive the oil lamp may be put in place. If candle or oil is used the bottom of the lantern must be fastened with a hinge, so that it will open to receive the lamp or candle. If it is adjusted for using electric light the cluster sockets can be fastened to the bottom, or they can hang from the top. These lanterns can be made in all sizes, from one small enough for a cozy corner to one large enough for a lodge keeper's gate.

They may be hung on ornamental brackets, as shown in the sketch here, or they may hang directly from the ceiling, with ring or chain fastenings. They are made square, round, hexagonal, and so forth.

IRON KETTLE STAND

The sketch here shows a simple design of a kettle stand. The parts are (1) upright stand, (2) alcohol lamp holder, (3) hook.

_Material:_ One piece 5/16-in. square iron, 20 ins. Two pieces 5/16-in. square iron, 9 ins. One piece 5/16 in. square iron, 7 ins. One piece 3/16-in. round iron, 8 ins. One sheet No. 20 iron, 6 in. in diameter.