The 20th century toolsmith and steel worker; a complete, practical, and scientific book, written by a thorough expert mechanic and steelworker, especially in the interests of blacksmiths, toolsmiths, toolmakers, and all mechanics connected directly on indirectly with the use, repair, and manufacture of steel into tools

Front matter

ILLUSTRATED

Class

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Preface

This book is written in th.e interests of all mechanics connected with the working and manufacture of steel into tools, and gives all the secrets and obstacles to be •overcome towards making steelwork or toolmaking a success. It will be invaluable to the young mechanic and place him years in advance of his fellow workman, by the reading and a little reflection of its contents.

It is not comprise of quack theories or foolish ideas, and is not written, by a college student, who knows nothing except what he has been told or gathered up from papers and periodicals. But is written by a thorough expert mechanic who has spent the best part of his life over the anvil with the hammer and tongs and making tools of every description, from steel of every quality and temper and almost every brand or make, and the contents of this book are the results of hard work, deep study, years of experimenting and wide travel. The information given is of a simple, practical, and scientific nature, which can be easily understood and everything accomplished by a mechanic of average intelligence.

It gives full and complete instructions with illustra-

4 PREFACE

tions, how to forge, weld, anneal, harden and temper, every tool that the toolsmith or toolmaker is called upon to make or repair, and if the directions are followed closely, this book will be the means of lifting a great many out of a rut of darkness and place them on the road of sunshine to mechanical success, as this information could not be gained in a lifetime in the ordinary blacksmith shop or from the steel manufacturer.

Contents

Introduction Pages 11 to 14

Chapter I

Steel, its use and necessity in all arts, trades and profes- « sions — The composition of east tool steel — The successful treatment of steel — Heating — Forging — Hammering — Hardening — The hardening bath — Quenching — Tempering — Welding — Annealing — Different kinds of steel — The cracking of tools when hardening and the cause — How to judge hard from soft steel — How to tell good from poor steel — Testing steel after hardening, with a file — Instructions on

toolmaking that have to be given many times

Chapter II

The blacksmith's fire — Bellows and blowers — The anvil — Tongs — Fullers and swages — Flatters and set hammer — The hammer — Making and dressing a hand hammer — Haraening and tempering a hammer — Successful points to be remembered in making and tempering a hammer — Punching holes in steel . Pages 32 to 55

Chapter III

The cold chisel — The hardy — Heavy hot, cold and railroad chisels — Drills and drilling — Making a flat drill —Hand made twist drills — Making a twist reamer. .

CONTENTS

Chapter IV

How to draw out, harden and temper an axe that will cleave a hemlock knot — Mill picks — Butcher knives — How to make gun, revolver, trap and all fine springs — Dirt picks — Laying dirt picks Pages 73 to

Chapter V

Machinists tools — Air hardening steel for lathe and planer tools — How to anneal air hardening steel — Milling cutters — The use of asbestos and clay when hardening milling cutters and other tools — Hardening hollow tools — The hardening and tempering of hob taps, stay bolt taps ana similar tools — Heating furnaces — Heated lead for hardening purposes — Boilermakers^ tools — The beading tool — Punches and dies — Flue expanders — Drifts, rivet snaps, calking tools and chisels — Hardening shear blades. . . .Pages 90 to 115

Chapter VI

Woodworkers' and carpenters' tools — Laying a carpenter's chisel — The screw driver — How to make a draw knife Pages 116 to 121

Chapter VII

Granite cutters' tools — The granite drill — Bull sets and bull chisels — The granite bush hammer — The granite hammer — Granite cutters' mash hammer — The granite tool sharpeners' hammer and anvil stake — Marble cutters' tools Pages 122 to 130

CONTENTS 7

Chapter VIII

Limestone cutters' tools — Plain and tooth chisels and points — Pitching tool — Hand and ball drills — The tooth axe — The limestone bush hammer — Sandstone cutters' tools — Stone carvers' tools — Polishing board for stonecutters' tools — How to forge mallet head tools — Punching teeth in stone cutters' tools — Lathe and planer tools for cutting soft stone — Dressing tools with the cutting edge bevelled from one side only Pages 131 to 145

Chapter IX

The stonemason's hammer — Miners' tools — Correct and incorrect shapes of miners' hand drills — The cross or machine drill — The oreaking of drills when drilling and the cause — The rock cutting reamer — Well drills

Chapter X

Horseshoer's tools — -How to make and dress a pair of pincers — Making a clinch cutter — How to make a horseshoer's knife — How to dress a vise — Sharpening plow shares — How to make square holes in plow shares Page 154 to 162

CHAPTER XL

How to make a harnessmaker's knife — How to make a butcher's steel — Hardening tools with five projections — The butcher's cleaver — How to dress a railroad

pinch bar — The spike maul — The claw bar

CONTENTS

Chapter XII

The bricklayer's set—How to harden and temper wire nippers or pliers — How to make a razor — To make a scraper — Hardening jaw of pipe vise — Hardening and tempering blacksmith's bolt clipper — Tools for punching or gumming cross-cut saws — The scratchawl — Hardening and tempering circular blades of pipe cutter — Hardening a tool according to its shape — Making, hardening and tempering an alligator pipe wrench — Hardening and tempering pruning shear blades — The center punch — The nail set — Hardening and tempering steel stamps — Making a gouge — Hardening and tempering carpenters' augurs that

have come through a fire — Case hardening

Chapter XIII

The correct meaning of a cherry red heat — Heating to harden according to the size of the tool — Charcoal for heating steel — The sealing of steel after hardening — Quality and quantity — Quick methods of working — Cracks in steel — Slighting tools — The result of being a successful steelworker — Hardening tools that are forged by another mechanic — Sayings and ideas of mechanics in reference to steel — Why some tools are soft when put into use — Reasons why tools break when in use — Necessary tools— ^Welding compounds — Hardening comiDounds — How to determine the temper of tools — Overheating tools — Cutting steel when cold — Oil tempering — Drawing the temper over the open or blacksmith's fire — More points on hammering steel — How to improve — The blacksmith's helper — The danger of heating more of a tool when dressing, than what is to be forged or hammered — Hardening very small or thin tools — More information about

CONTENTS 9

cold chisels — The different degrees of temperature Fahrenheit required to equal the various colors when drawing the temper m hot air or oil — Table of ordinary tools made from cast steel, arranged alphabetically, giving the color of temper and about the percentage of carbon the steel should contain to give the best results — Table of tools continued, which are partly or wholly hardened but have no temper drawn — Working steel at night — ^A few words in reference to burnt steel^Conclusion Pages 188 to 229

Useful Formulas Pages 230 to 240

Introduction

In introducing this book to my readers and brother mechanics, it has long been my aim to bring this volume of information before the steelworkers and toolmakers in general and to present it in a clear simple way that the average mechanic will quite readily understand. Although there are other books written and published on this great subject of steelworking, the information which they contain is not expressed in a clear light that is beneficial to the ordinary reader, for unless the reader is already an expert steelworker the book is not easily understood without a great deal of thought and study, as some authors oppose their own ideas, others again do not take up the entire subject and the information which is most profitable to the young mechanic and also which is most impressive on his mind is left unwritten.

But this book which is entitled. The 20th Century Toolsmith and Steelworker, will give fully all the information and knowledge of working steel in a clear light so that the young mechanic or apprentice will readily improve, if he will but read. The methods given and used as regards the working of steel, are of the most modern, simple, practical, and scientific nature,

12 INTRODUCTION

while the instructions are from the experience of a successful steelworker of good reputation, and who has spent years in hard work, ranging in extent from the humble country blacksmith shop to the largest and best railroad, locomotive and machine shops, also stone yards, quarries and mines of North America, which is the only correct way of gathering together the vast amount of knowledge contained in these pages and which has cost the author thousands of dollars in wide travel and collecting valuable ideas from some of the greatest living mechanics and steelworkers that America has produced.

Although this book is chiefly intended for blacksmiths, toolsmiths and tooldressers, it will be found invaluable to every mechanic connected directly or indirectly with the repair and manufacture of steel into tools, and if the directions are followed closely, the amateur steelworker will become an expert of the highest degree, as there is nothing mentioned, but that which has been accomplished by the author and proven by experiment to be the greatest success.

This book is not merely written for the young mechanic or apprentice, but likewise for the old, and it does not signify if the reader has worked over the anvil for forty years, there is information that will help him overcome difficulties and obstacles connected with steel.

Although the instructions given are principally in reference to heating steel in the blacksmiths or open fire and which is mostly used, this book gives informa-

INTRODDCTION 13

tion concerning heating and tempering furnaces. But, it should be remembered that if a mechanic can work steel by heating it successfully in the open fire, he will experience very little trouble when heating steel in a furnace or lead bath as used in large and up-to-date toolshops and factories.

I wish to say to all mechanics young and old but more so to the young mechanics who have a desire to reach the top of the ladder and gain a good reputation, and especially to those who chance to get a copy of this book, that the greatest obstacle they have to contend with when trying to improve, is to change from the rut they have already fallen into, chiefly made by themselves and the teachings of their first masters. I state this from experience, and to illustrate fully after I learnt my trade (or "served my time," is a more reasonable way of explaining), having plenty of confidence and a great share of conceit in my abilities, I started out as a journeyman blacksmith, "and then" I found out I had something to learn. But I found out that to change my ways and ideas was quite a difficult task and often got me in hot water, as I thought my way or rather the way I was learnt from my first boss was correct. However, I soon decided that if I wanted to climb to the top of mechanical success and have a good reputation, I would have to change my ideas if I thought some other shop mate had an idea or method that was superior to mine, keep my eyes open, and do a great deal of thinking in my ' ' own ' ' mind.

14 INTRODUCTION

And if I could have had this book at the close of my apprenticeship, it would have saved me many a troublesome job, many a long hour of study, a great deal of experimenting, large sums of money and placed me years in advance of the present times. And so I wish to say to the reader, although he may have some good ideas that perhaps are equal to the author's, while on the other hand he may have some not as good, read this book carefully from beginning to end, and follow its advice and he will be crowned with success, as a poor mechanic or Jack of all trades is not wanted in these days, where there is as much competition for the mechanic 's job as there is between business men in any mercantile business. And again, I say to the mechanic read this book carefully, follow the instructions closely, and you will hold your job and take first place.