Part 4

The lid is rounded in the same way as the bottom piece was. There is some shaping to be done on the top of the lid. The picture here shows that plainly. On the inside of the lid are two wires soldered crosswise to hold a damp sponge in place. This sponge keeps the tobacco moist. Finish and polish.

CIGAR BOX

Any wooden cigar box may be decorated very effectively. This picture shows an ordinary cigar box with copper (or brass) trimmings. Corners are sawed out and riveted hinges are placed on the top. Boxes decorated in this way make splendid Christmas gifts. A heavy sheet of brass or copper can take the place of the wooden lid.

ASH TRAY

Ash trays are of various shapes and sizes. Some are merely a square tray, some are round, while others are half-bowl shaped. Sometimes two or three half-round tube-shaped pieces for holding the cigar are soldered on to the rim of the tray. All ash trays of this style are driven up in the same way as you drive up a square tray or a round one, or a copper bowl. To make the cigar holders, cut a piece of thin copper or brass 1 × 2 ins. rounding on the ends. Place them on a block and round them up in a depression cut out of the wood with a gouge chisel. These are soldered on to the rim of the bowl or tray with soft solder. Polish and finish.

LOVING CUP WITH TWO OR THREE HANDLES

_Material:_ For bowl, copper 12-3/4 × 6 ins., No. 20. For base, copper 4-1/2 × 4-1/2 ins., No. 20. For handles, 2 pieces or 3 pieces of copper 8 × 1 in., No. 20. Solder.

_Tools:_ Combination stake, anvil stake, shears, drill press, drills, rivets, shaping hammer.

_Directions--Bowl:_ Bend the 12-3/4 × 6-in. piece of copper into a cylinder over the combination stake. The two edges should just meet, and fit perfectly along the line. Scrape inside and outside the joint. Wash with borax, bind with binding wire, and solder. Be careful to heat it all over the fire till the solder runs freely and fills every part of the joint. Cool off, then round it up again in the stake, filing off the surplus silver solder inside and outside. Hammer the joint down till flat and true. If carefully done this will show a thin even line of silver.

_Base:_ 4-1/2 × 4-1/2 ins. Cut a 4-1/2-in. disc. Place the cylinder just made on the disc, allowing the surplus to extend out evenly all around. Draw with a pencil the outline of the cylinder on the disc. The rim must be turned up at right angles to the circle so that it fits exactly over the cylinder. To do this, place the edge of the disc on the sharp edge of the anvil stake, driving the edge over. Anneal and repeat until the sides are at right angles to the base. File off the top perfectly even, rounding out the edges. This makes a finish and border to the base. Push the cylinder into the bottom. Prepare, as usual, for soldering. Be careful to put bits of solder both around the edge of the turned up flange, and on the inside bottom edge. Heat and finish.

_Handles:_ Copper pieces, 8 × 1 in. Cut a tapered slip off each side of the handle pieces, until the large end is one inch wide and the small end 3/4 in. With dividers draw 1/8-in. line parallel to those sides. Bend each side back on this line. Shape the handle (see design) over the combination stake, using the fingers or mallet to do so. The top of the handles should fit up close against the top of the cylinder and should extend down about 2/3 of the depth of the bowl. The ends may be rounded off nicely with the shears, and filed. A 1/8-in. hole must now be drilled in each side. Place the handle in the proper position on the bowl. Mark the holes and drill them where the marks are made. Place rivets and rivet the handles on. A touch of soft solder will help keep these handles in place and at the same time will prevent any possible chance for leakage through rivet holes, for where you have rivets you are apt to have a leak. Clean, polish, and finish.

COPPER BELT BUCKLE

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.

_Tools:_ Mallet, file, pliers, combination stake, and vise.

_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.

_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.)

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.)

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.

X

LAMP (FOR ELECTRICITY) WITH SHADE

_Material:_ Piece of copper, No. 16, 8 ins. square (base). Piece of copper, No. 24, 10 × 5 ins. (post). Piece of copper, No. 20, 2-1/4 × 2-1/4 ins. (cap). 3 pieces of 1/4-in. round copper, 7 ins. long (for shade holder). Solder. Borax.

_Tools:_ Raising hammer, hard wood block, anvil stake, drill press, piece of discarded broom handle, dividers.

_Directions:_ Make a 2-1/2-in. circle in the centre of the 8-in. square plate. Drive this centre up about 1/2 in. above the level, tapering on the top to about 1-1/2 in. in diameter. To do this, place the centre over a hole in the wooden block 1-1/2 in. in diameter and drive the metal into the hole to the required depth. (See design.)

Draw a line with the dividers 1/2 in. all around the edge. Be sure the line is an equal distance from the centre. Bend the sides down 1/2 in. all along this line at almost right angles to the surface. This bending is done in the vise. Measure off 1/2 in. in either direction from each corner for the feet, file out a section 1/4 in. deep and 7 ins. long, as was done in making the feet for the square box.

_Centre post:_ Take the 10 × 5-in. piece and bend it around the piece of broom handle (or any other piece of round wood the size you wish). The two edges must meet. Scrape and solder, being careful that the solder runs into the joint. File it off flush with the top of the metal and make the column perfectly round. Place the column on the raised part of the base and mark around the column on the base with a pencil. Saw out a hole along the marked line. Push the end of the column in so that it is perpendicular to the base and perfectly true all around. Tie it in place for soldering, with the binding wire, by fastening the wire on the extreme top of the column, and carrying it to the four corners of the base. This centres the column ready for soldering. Wash the joint well, place pieces of silver around the base and column, and heat. The base should be crowned from the centre to the outer edge. To do this, place the centre on any round top wood block. Strike on the outer edges with the wooden mallet until the desired crown is formed. See that it stands plumb and does not rock. If it does rock, tap the base gently on the outer edges with the mallet until it stands firm. File and polish until the surface is perfectly smooth and free from marks of all kinds. The beautiful colours that form on the surface of copper depend much upon the finish. The body of the lamp is now ready for the cap and arms that hold the shade.

_Cap:_ Take a 2-1/4-in. disc. Draw a circle in the centre of this disc, having a diameter equal to the diameter of the top of the column. Place this disc on the edge of an anvil stake and drive the edges of the metal over, forming a cap as described in the making of the lid of the rose jar. Divide this flange equally into three parts, drilling a 1/8-in. hole in each one of the three divisions. Take the three pieces of 1/4-in. round copper. File the ends of each one, making a shoulder on the end 1/8 in. and 1/8 in. in diameter to fit the holes in the flange. Put the end of these rods into the vise with the shoulder close to the top of the vise. Put the cap on the projecting pin, and rivet. Repeat this for all three rods. Wash the rivet joints with borax, and solder. File off any projecting parts so that the inside is flush, as this cap must fit over the column. Place the cap over the column and between the projecting arms drill a small hole through both the cap and the column, and rivet as before.

_Shade, 4-sided or 6-sided:_ This design is for 6 sides. That gives a good proportion.

_Dimensions of each side:_ Side (on a slant) 9 ins., top, 2-1/2 ins. Bottom, 8 ins. (See drawing.) Cut out a pattern for one side. Use stiff card board. Lay this design on a piece of copper large enough to cut out the whole lamp shade. Mark around the pattern. Lay the same pattern against one side of the marked design. Make it fit exactly along the margin line. Repeat until you have done six sides. You have now a fan shaped pattern with six divisions. Cut this along the top and bottom lines.

If folded up along these division lines it would shape up into a lamp shade. All lamp shades have glass for light. We provide for the glass by cutting out a section of each of the six faces. Take your card board pattern. Mark a line all around from 3/4 in. and parallel to the sides, 1 in. from the top and 1 in. from the bottom. Cut out the inner section made by these lines. Place the pattern on the copper and mark each section. Cut it out with the cold chisel on the wooden block. File up the rough places left, make the edges square and smooth. Bend up each section along the centre line in the following way: Get two pieces of wood, 2 × 1/2 × 20 ins. Place the two pieces in a vise and slip the copper between the pieces down to the line where it should be bent. Tighten up on the vise, press the copper over with the hands and tap gently along the lines with the mallet, keeping the angles about 60°. Do this on each of the six sides. If carefully done the shade will have a hexagonal shape. The open parts should come together, one side overlapping about 1/4 in. Hammer down the overlapping part and rivet.

_Glass:_ Cut a piece of card board 1/4 in. larger all around than the opening in the sections for the glass. Take this to a glazier. Tell the dealer just what is wanted and he will make suggestions as to colour, kinds of glass, etc. Cathedral or opalescent glass is very decorative.

_To set the glass:_ Place one of the panes of glass on the inside of the section, over the open space. Mark all around it. Take 4 pieces of copper (3/4 × 3/8 in.) and bend them in a double angle.

These are to be soldered or riveted on the rim. One is placed on either side, one at the top and one at the bottom. This glass rests in these brackets and keeps it in place. Repeat for the six sections. Push the brackets down against the glass after it is in place. They hold it firm against the side of the shade.

The design for this shade lends itself to many variations. It may be square, five-sided, six-sided. The edges can be escalloped both top and bottom, and a sawed out design may be made to fit over the glass.

XI

HINGES IN COPPER OR SILVER

TUBE DRAWING AND WIRE DRAWING

_Material:_ Copper or Silver.

_Tools:_ Hardwood block, 6 × 3 × 1 in. draw plate, tongs, sharp peen hammer, saw frame and saw, round file, shears, small piece of soap.

_Directions:_ To make a good hinge for jewel boxes or jewellery requires some knowledge of how to make wire and tubes out of sheet metal. In order to do this you must have a draw plate and that you can make yourself, in the following way: Take a piece of iron 1/4 × 1-1/2 × 3 ins. or 4 ins. long. Drill a number of graduated holes through the piece along the centre. The smallest hole should be about 1/32 in. in diameter and the largest, about 1/8 in. Take your steel punch and file the end down, tapering so that the point will go into the smallest hole. Drive the punch into the hole until it just goes through. These holes take the shape of the tapered punch. Repeat this in each hole until the draw plate is made up of a number of graduated tapering holes. Your draw plate is used for reducing wires from a large size to any size you have holes for and for making hollow tubing for hinges.

_To reduce wire:_ You can always buy the wire any thickness you wish, but many times a small piece of wire is needed quickly and can be made with little trouble.

If you should wish to reduce a piece of wire 1/8 in. thick to any size smaller than 1/8 in., file the end of the piece so it just goes through the hole far enough to grasp with the tongs. Rub a little soap over the surface of the wire, draw it through the hole. It is reduced to the size of the hole it goes through. After the first or second operation the wire must be annealed, as pulling it through the draw plate hardens it.

_Tubing for hinges:_ Cut a strip of No. 28, copper (or silver) any length. Cut the width of it three times the diameter of the tube you wish to make, and cut the end of this piece to a point. Place your 6 × 1 × 3-in. block in the vise. With a round file, file a groove across the block.

Place the strip of copper or silver over the groove and, using the hammer, drive the metal into the groove, forming a gutter.

Repeat this until you have driven the copper into a cylindrical shape. Put the pointed end through the largest hole in the draw plate. Rub well with soap. Clasp the end sticking through with the tongs and pull it through. Repeat as you did when drawing wire through. Anneal when necessary. Continue to put the tube in one reducing hole after another until the tube is the size you wish. This tube with a small hole through the entire length is used for fine hinges.

_Fine hinges:_ To make a hinge for a box, bracelet, or any small dainty article that requires hinges, take a piece of the tube made as described. After you have decided just how long the hinge must be to fit the article you are making, saw the tube into three pieces, or five pieces, of equal length by placing the tube in a vise. If it is to be a three-piece hinge, two will be soldered on the one side and one on the other, the two just far enough apart so that the one is in position to fit exactly in between them. When the three pieces are in place, a wire is pushed through the hole, and the hinge is made.

_To make the wings of the hinge:_ Take a piece of silver or copper, No. 10, the length and width to be determined by the size of the hinge. Place this copper plate in the vise, file a groove through the centre, just large enough for the copper or silver tube to fit in about half its depth.

Saw the piece through the middle of the groove.

Take two of the three short tube pieces, bind them on the groove ends of one wing. Bind the third piece of tubing in the middle of the groove end of the other wing. Place the two wings together and see that they fit closely. Do this with the greatest care, as there is no possible chance for filing after the tubes are soldered on the wings. Wash with borax, put some silver solder on the joints, and solder as before explained. When binding the tubes for soldering do not put the binding wire through the holes of the tubes. This wire makes a good conductor for the solder which is apt to fill up the small holes in the tubes.

All binding should be done on the outside.

The wings of the hinges should be filed to a taper, or any shape that will add to the appearance of the hinge. The hinge lends itself very well for decorative purposes and can always be made so that it adds to the attractiveness of the piece of work. Lock plates can be made by the same method. They, too, can be finished up to add to the ornamental side of the article. _Cabinet hinges:_ Cabinet hinges are made either of brass or copper. The hinge must be made in proportion to the design, thus adding to the decoration.

_Material:_ Strip of copper, No. 10. Cut out according to the design.

The two ends of one are turned over a wire nail 1/8 in. in diameter. The one end of the other is treated in the same way. Test if they are true by placing a wire through the three tubes. Cabinet hinges may be finished by using the round head hammer and driving down a number of hammer marks, going all over the surface of the hinge. Or they may be embossed from the under side. The spacing of screws and rivets plays an important part in the design of the hinge.

XII

JEWEL BOX AND DESK SET

HOW TO MAKE A COPPER JEWEL BOX (RECTANGULAR)

_Materials:_ A narrow piece of No. 20 copper, 20 ins. long × 1-1/4 ins. wide: this is used for the sides. One piece of No. 20 copper, 6-3/8 × 4-1/8 ins. for the lid. One piece of No. 24 copper, 6-3/8 × 4-3/8 ins. for the bottom. Two pieces of copper No. 24, 6 × 1/2 in., for the hinges. Copper nails 1/16 in. in diameter, for rivets.

_Tools:_ Vise, shears, mallet, hard solder, borax, rivet set (steel tool), dividers, and centre punch.

_Directions:_ Make a working drawing of a box, 6 × 4 × 1/4 ins., (inside measurements). The box is to have feet, and a lid with hinges is to be fastened to it. Take the strip of copper, 20 × 1-1/4 ins., measure it off into sections of 4 ins. and 6 ins. alternately. Beginning on one end mark a point 3/8 in. from the end. (Point G.) Draw a line (E G) 1/8 in. long, perpendicular to the base line. With the dividers set 1/8 in. apart, and one leg placed against the base line, draw a line 3-1/4 ins. long paralleled to the base. (Line E F). Draw F H. In the section D C M S, mark the point O 3/8 of an inch from D. Draw K O equal to 1/8 of an inch. With the dividers set at 1/8 in., draw a line 5-1/4 ins. long (K L). Join L and N. Repeat this in the other two sections. With the shears, cut along lines G, G E, E F, F H, H O, O K, K L, L N, etc. The projections left form the four feet for the box to rest upon. To bend the corners, mark with lead-pencil C D, M S, R T. Place these division lines, in turn, between the jaws of the vise, and bend down at right angles. You now have a rectangular box like the picture, with one corner open.

To close the side, solder the open end. Clean thoroughly the parts to be joined. Place the parts in their proper positions and bind the corner with binding wire. Wash the joint with borax. Place some small pieces of silver solder on the inside corner. Hold it over a fire and heat until the solder runs into the joint. Cool off in water and take off the binding wire. If the solder should run through and fasten the wire to the side of the box, the wire can be peeled off and the solder filed down to the copper. But care must be taken not to let the binding wire sink into the copper. File up the corners smooth and square up the box with a steel square. _To make the bottom of the box:_ Take the piece of No. 24 copper, 6-3/8 × 4-3/8 ins. Set the dividers 3/16 in. wide. With one leg on the edge of this plate, draw lines on the four sides.

Cut out the small square made in each corner by the crossing lines. Put the plate into the vise and bend the four sides up along these lines. Try it, to see if it just fits the inside of the box. It is the bottom and must be exactly right or the box will be out of square. Now take it out for drilling and riveting. With the centre-punch prick points one inch apart and midway between the edge and the base. Holes are bored through these punch marks, with the drill press and a 1/16-in. drill. The bottom is now ready to slip into the box and to place for riveting. Put it in, the bent edge turned down and flush with the lower edge of the box. It is necessary first to fix the bottom securely in place before all the rivets can be put in. To do this we put one rivet on each side. Take a sharp-pointed instrument, stick it into the centre hole on each of the four sides, whirl it round, and mark the place where the hole should be drilled through. Take the bottom out and prick punch these holes. Drill the four holes, place the bottom back, and push the copper nails through from the outside in, leaving the head on the outside as decoration. If the head should seem too large, reduce it by filing before riveting. Cut the nail off, leaving about 1/16 in. of it projecting. With the hammer strike on this projecting end, flatten it down until it covers up the holes. This is called riveting. Now the bottom is made firm so that any amount of drilling can be done without throwing it out of place. Drill all the rest of the holes and put a rivet in each one of them. The heads of these nails add to the decoration if they are put in carefully and at regular intervals.

_To make the lid:_ If you look at your design you will see that the lid is raised a little in the centre and that the edges extend 1/8 in. over the four sides of the box. Take the 6-1/4 × 4-1/4 in. piece of copper. With lead pencil mark the 1/8-in. lap over all around the lid. Place the lid on the end of the square block. With the round end of the raising hammer drive down lightly all around the inside of the lead-pencil mark, increasing the blows toward the centre. This will make an oval-topped shape. The hammering is bound to distort the edge of the copper. Turn the lid upside down on the bench; with the mallet strike down on the top of the raised part until the edges flatten down on the bench. If any kinks should come from the hammering flatten them by driving directly over them. The lid should rest on the box without rocking.

_To make the hinges:_ Take the two pieces of copper 6 × 1/2 in. (No. 24). Lay a piece of No. 8 wire lengthwise in the piece of copper, and, using your fingers, bend the copper up on each side of the wire, keeping the two edges the same length.

Place this between the vise jaws, pressing the two open sides together, forming a hinge right on the wire. Fix both pieces of copper this way. Draw the wire out. You have two cylindrical pieces of copper 6 ins. long with wings attached. Divide one of the pieces into six one-inch sections. Put this between the vise jaws down to the rounding part. With your jewellers' saw, saw close to the vise and along the division lines, cutting out sections 2, 4, 6.