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TUFTS UNIVERSITY

3 9090 013 418 401

Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine •
Cummings School ot Veterinary fVledicine at
Tufts University
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA 01 536

J. G. HOLMSTROM

Modern Blacksmithing

RATIONAL HORSE SHOEING
AND WAGON MAKING

WITH RULES, TABLES, RECIPES, ETC., USE-
FUL TO MANUFACTURERS. BLACKSMITHS,
MACHINISTS, WELL-DRILLERS, ENGINEERS,
LIVERYMEN, HORSE - SHOERS, FARMERS,
WAGON-MAKERS, MECHANICS, AMATEURS
AND ALL OTHERS WHO HAVE OCCASION
TO PERFORM THE WORK FOR WHICH
THIS BOOK IS PRIMARILY INTENDED

J. G. HOLMSTROM

Timttb /IDan^ iFllusttattons

CHICAGO
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., PUBLISHERS

1904

IT
vvo

K04

. COPYRIGHT, 1904
BY JOHN G. HOLMSTROM

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE.

Frontispiece 3

The Smith 10

The Shop 32

The Anvil 33

Tool Table 35

The Sledge 38

Blacksmith's Tongs 39

Hammers , 42

Wrenches 46

Correct Position at the Anvil 50

Water Tuyer 53

Blowers 54

Standing Coulter 60

Holstrom Tire Holder \ 81

Tire m Sections 83

Axle and Gather Grange 86

John Deere, Inventor of Plows 89

Plow of 200 years ago 93

Plowshares 95-1 12

Japanese Plow 105

Bench for Holding Plows 106

Tube for Welding 128

4 ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Tube Expander 129

The Horse 133

Horse Shoes 134 to 157

Foot, The Natural 147

Foot Prepared for Cartier Tips 150

Foot Shod with Cartier Tips 150

Ring Bone 154

Anatomy of the Foot 154

Clamping Iron 156

Sand Crack Clamps 157

Cracked Walls 157

Quarter Crack 157

Easy Position for Finishing . , 161

Spavin , 168

Lathe, The , , 184

PREFACE

^HAT prompted the author to prepare this
book was the of t - repeated question, by
blacksmiths and mechanics of all kinds, as
well as farmers: "Is there a book treating
on this or that?" etc., etc. To all these
queries I was compelled to answer in the negative,
for it is a fact that from the time of Cain, the first
mechanic, there has never been a book written by
a practical blacksmith on subjects belonging to his
trade. If, therefore, there has ever been such a thing
as "filling a long-felt want," this must certainly be a
cas3 of that kind.

In medicine we find a wide difference of opinion,
even amongst practitioners of the same school, in
treating diseases. Now, if this is so where there is a
system, and authority for the profession, how much
more so must there be a difference of opinion in a
trade where every practitioner is his own authority.
I shall, therefore, ask the older members of the black-
smith fraternity to be lenient in their judgment if my
ideas don't coincide with theirs. To the apprentice

6 PREFACE

and journeyman I would say: do as I do until you find
a better way.

The author has been eminently successful in his
practice, and his ideas have been sought by others
wherever he has been, blacksmiths coming even from
other States to learn his ways.

This little book is fresh from the anvil, the author
taking notes during the day while at work, compiling
the same into articles at night.

He is indebted to a number of writers for article'^ in
this book treating on subjects belonging to their
trades, in which they have been regarded as expert ',

iWow there was no smith foutid in all the land of Israel. —

/ Sajn. ij.'ig.

CHAPTER I

THE SMITH

OR centuries the blacksmith has been
a prominent person, and it is
natural he should have been, when
we consider the variety of work
he had to do. From the heavy
axle and tire, down to the smallest
rivet in the wagon, they were all
made by the smith. Bells and
bits as well as the ornamental
parts of the harness, they were all made by the smith.
From the crowbar and spade down to the butcher and
pocket knife, they were all made by the smith. The
carpenter's tools, from the broadax and adz down to
the divider and carving steel, they were all made by
the smith. From the heavy irons in the fireplace down
to the frying-pan and locks on the kitchen doors;
knives and forks on the dining-table, they were all
made by the smith. From the gun on the shoulder of
the soldier and the saber in the hands of the officer,
the spurs and pistol for the commander, they were all
made by the smith. From the heavy anchor and its

ic- MODERN BLACKSMITHING

chain to the smallest pulley in the rigging of the ship,
they were all made by the smith.

From the weather vane on the church spire, and

THE SMITH

the clock in the tower down to the lock of the doora
'and the artistic iron cross over the graves in the
church yard, they were all made by the smith. No
wonder, then, that the smith was respected. Vulgar

MODERN BLACKSMITHING ii

people swear by the devil, religious by the saints,
but the Swedes (the makers of the best iron) prefer
to swear by the smith. The smith was a well-liked
j^erson in society, respected and even admired for his
skill, his gentlemanly behavior and good language.
His stories and wit were the sole entertainment in
many a social gathering. Things have changed in the
last few decades. Most of the articles formerly made
by the smith are now manufactured by machinery,
and the respect for the smith is diminished in the same
proportion. Not because there is not enough of the
trade left to command respect — there is yet more left
than any man can successfully learn in a short life-
time. But it has made it possible for men with less
training and ability to enter the trade and consequently
lower the standing of the smith. The result is, that
there is a complaint that the smith is not esteemed as
formerly, and I have been inclined to join in the
lamentation. But instead of doing this I shall ask my
brother smiths to unite with me in an effort to elevate
the craft.

THERE ARE SMITHS AND SMITHS

I have had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with
a great number of intelligent and respected smiths.
People that did not know them would ask: "What is
he?" and when informed that he is a blacksmith would
say: "He doesn't look it; I thought he was a business
man"; another, "He looks like a lawyer or a minis-

12 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

ter. ' ' From this you will understand how, in many-
cases, the blacksmith looks. A great preacher was
announced to preach in a neighboring town, and I
went to hear him. Just as I sat down in the pew one
of the local smiths walked up to me and sat down by
my side. He was a blacksmith and he "looked it."
Under his eyes was a half moon in black; on both
sides of his nose was a black stripe that had been
there since his first day in the shop. His ears, well,
you have seen a clogged-up tuyer iron. His clothes
were shabby and his breath a strong mixture of
tobacco and whisky, which made wrinkles on the nose
of the lady in front of us. I was somewhat embar-
rassed, but the sermon began. As the congregation
arose, I opened the hymnbook and my brother smith
joined, and with a hand that looked like the paw of a
black bear, he took hold of the book.

After service I was invited by the smith to dinner.
Between a number of empty beer kegs we managed to
reach the door of the house and everything inside
looked the color of his trade. I looked around for
books and other articles of culture and found a hand
organ and a pack of cards. The only book or reading
matter to be found was a weekly of the kind that tells
of prize fights, train robberies and murder. I had a
fair dinner and told my host that I had to start for
home. By this time I was sick of his language — pro-
fanity, mixed with a few other words — and I started to
leave. On my way to the livery stable I passed my
friend's shop, and he said it would not be fair to leave
before I had seen his shop. "I have," said he, **a

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 13

very good shop." The shop was a building of rough
boards 18x20 — the average farmer has a better wood
shed. A big wood block like the chopping block in a
butcher shop, was placed so close to the forge that he
could only get edgewise between. On this block was
to be found, anvil and all his tools, the latter were few
and primitive, and would have been an honor to our
father Cain, the first mechanic and blacksmith. What
thinkest thou, my brother smith? Having spent years
to learn the trade you must submit to a comparison
with smiths of this caliber. Their work being inferior
they must work cheap, and in some, perhaps many,
cases set the price on your work. Smiths of this kind
cannot expect to be respected. There might be some
show for them in Dawson City or among the natives
in that vicinity, but not in civilized America.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

INTEMPERANCE

NE of the chief reasons why
the blacksmith is not so
successful nor respected
as before is his intemper-
ance. The danger for
the smith becoming a
drunkard is greater
than for any other me-
chanic. It is often the case
.^ that when a customer pays a
bill the smith is requested to
treat. This is a bad habit
md quite a tax on the smith.
Just think of it — fifteen cents a day
spent for liquor, will, in twenty-five years, amount to
$9,000. Then add to this fifteen cents a day for cigars,
which will, in twenty-five years, amount to $9,000 at
ten per cent compound interest. If these two items
would be saved, it will give a man a farm worth
$18,000 in twenty-five years. How many smiths are
there who ever think of this? I would advise every
one to put aside just as much as he spends for. liquor
and tobacco ; that is, when you buy cigars or tobacco
for twenty-five cents put aside as much. When you
buy liquor for one dollar put aside one dollar. Try

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 15

this for one year and it will stimulate to continual
effort in that direction. The best thing to do is to
"swear off" at once, and if you must have it, take it
out of business hours. Politely inform your friends
that you must stop, or it will ruin you. If you drink
with one you must drink with another, and the oppor-
tunity comes too often. When you have finished some
difficult work you are to be treated; when you trust
you are to be treated; when you accommodate one
before another you are to be treated ; when you order
the stock from the traveling man you are to be treated.
Some smiths keep a bottle in a corner to draw custom-
ers by ; others tap a keg of beer every Saturday for the
same purpose. No smith will ever gain anything by
this bad practice. He will only get undesirable cus-
tomers, and strictly temperance people will shun him
for it. What he gains on one side he will lose on
another. Besides this he will in the long run ruin
himself physically and financially. Let the old smith
quit and the apprentice never begin this dangerous
habit. A smith that is drunk or half drunk cannot do
his duty to his customers, and they know it, and prefer
to patronize a sober smith.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

RELIGION

RUE religion is also an up-
lifting factor, and must, if
accepted, elevate the man.
I cannot too strong-
ly emphasize this
truth. Every smith
should connect
himself with some
branch of the
church and be punc-
tual in attendance to the same. There is a great deal
of difference between families that enjoy the Christian-
izing, civilizing and uplifting influence of the church
and those outside of these influences. The smith out-
side of the church, or he who is not a member thereof
will, in many cases, be found on Sundays in his shop
or loafing about in his everyday clothes, his wife and
children very much like him. The church member —
his wife and children, are different. Sunday is a great
day to them. The smith puts on his best clothes, wife
and children the same. Everything in and about the
house has a holiday appearance and the effect on them
of good music and singing, eloquent preaching, and
the meeting of friends is manifested in their language,

kODERN BLACKSMITHING 17

in their lofty aims, and benevolent acts. Sunday is
rest and strength to them.

Brother smiths, six days a week are enough for work.
Keep the Sabbath and you will live longer and better.

INCOMPETENCY

Another reason the smith of to-day is not respected
is his incompetency.

When a young man has worked a few months in a
shop, he will succeed in welding a toe calk on a horse-
shoe that sometimes will stay, and at once he begins
to think he knows it all. There will always be some
fool ready to flatter him, and the young man believes
that he is now competent to start on his own hook.
The result is, he hangs out his shingle, begins to prac-
tice horse-shoeing and general blacksmithing, and he
knows nothing about either. Let me state here that
horse-shoeing is a trade by itself, and so is black-
smithing. In the large cities there are blacksmiths
who know nothing about horse-shoeing, as well as
horse-shoers who know nothing about blacksmithing,
except welding on toe calks, and in many instances
even that is very poorly done. In small places it is
different. There the blacksmith is both blacksmith
and horse-shoer. Sometimes you will find a black-
smith that is a good horse-shoer, but you will never
find a horse-shoer that is a good blacksmith. This is
not generally understood. To many blacksmithing

iS MODERN BLACICSMITHING

seems to mean only horse-shoeing, and our trade
journals are nut much better posted. Whenever a
blacksmith is alluded to, or pictured you will always
find a horse-shoe in connection with it. Yet there are
thousands of blacksmiths that never made a horse-shoe
in all their lives. Horse-shoeing has developed to be
quite a trade, and if a man can learn it in a few years
he will do well. I would not advise any young" man
to start out for himself with less than three or four
years' experience. - Every horse-shoer should make an
effort to learn blacksmithing. He will be expected to
know it, people don't know the difference; besides this,
it will, in smaller cities, be hard to succeed with horse-
shoeing alone. On the other hand, every blacksmith
should learn horse-shoeing, for the same reasons.
Therefore, seven or even ten years is a short time to
learn it in. But, who has patience and good sense
enough to persevere for such a course, in our times,
when everybody wants to get to the front at once?
Let every young man remember that the reputation
you get in the start will stick to you. Therefore be
careful not to start before you know your business,
and the years spent in learning it will not be lost, but
a foundation for your success. Remember, that if a
thing is not worth being well done it is not w^orth being
done at all. It is better to be a first-class bootblack
or chimney sweep, than be a third-class o£ anything
else.

Don't be satisfied by simply being able to do the
work so as to pass, let it be first class. Thousands of
mechanics are turning out work just as others are

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 19

doing it, but you should not be satisfied to do the
work as others are doing it, but do it right.

A MODERN GUILD

The blacksmiths and horse-shoers have at last put
the thinking cap on, for the purpose of bettering their
condition. So far nothing has been accomplished, but
I am sure it will, in the long run, if they only keep at
it. We are now living in the license craze age. From
the saloon keeper down to the street peddler, they all
howl for license, and unreasonable as it is, thousands
of sensible men will cling to it in hopes that it will
help.

We are, more or less, one-idea men, with fads and
whims. Nations and organizations are just like indi-
viduals, ready to fall into a craze and we see it often.
It is natural when we consider that nations and organ-
izations are simple one man repeated so many times.

Simply look at the hero-worshiping craze went
through at the close of the Spanish war. First, Lieu-
tenant Hobson was the idol, and great was he, far off
in Cuba. But, coming home, he made himself obnox-
ious on a tour through the country, and the worshipers
were ashamed of their idol, as well as of themselves.
Admiral Dewey was the next hero to be idolized, and
he, too, was found wanting.

Physicians have their favorite prescriptions, min-
isters their favorite sermons. Politicians have their

20 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

tariff and free trade whims, their gold or silver craze.
Mechanics have their one ideal way of doing their
work. I know horse-shoers that have such faith in
bar shoes that they believe it will cure everything from
contraction to heaves. Others have such a faith in
toe weight that they will guarantee that in a horse
shod this way the front quarters will run so fast that
they must put wheels under the hind feet to enable
them to keep up with the front feet; and in a three-
mile race the front quarters will reach the stables in
time to feed on a peck of oats before the hind quarters
catch up.

In some States there is a union craze. All that
these schemes will do is to prepare the legislatures for
the legislation that will some day be asked of them.
Unions have been organized and the objections are
the same. I object to all these schemes because they
fall short of their purpose.

Two years ago the horse-shoers of Minnesota asked
the legislature to give them a license law. I wrote to
a prominent member of the house of representatives
and asked him to put his influence against the meas-
ure. He did so, with the result that the bill was
killed so far as the counties and smaller towns were
concerned. Such a law will only provide for an extra
tax on the poor smiths and horse-shoers, and his
chances of making a living will not be bettered,
because no one will be shut out, no matter how
incompetent,

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

TAXATION WILL NEVER RAISE THE
STANDARD OF A MECHANIC

It deprives him of the means whereby to raise himself. Such a

law will only create offices to grease the machinery

for the political party in power.

'HE only thing that will ever
elevate the standard of work-
manship is education, educa-
tion and nothing but edu-
cation. Give us a law that
will provide for a certain
degree of education before
a boy is allowed to serve
as an apprentice ; and that
he will not be allowed to
start out for himself until
he has served the full term, both as an apprentice and
journeyman And if intemperate, no diploma shall be
issued to him. I see now that I was right when I
opposed this law. The horse-shoers of Minnesota are
now kicking and cursing the examining board. The
National Convention of horse-shoers whigh was held in
Cincinnati passed resolutions which were ordered
transmitted to the governor of Illinois, requesting that
the board of examiners now authorized to grant

22 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

licenses to horse-shoers in that State, be changed, as
"The board has failed to accomplish the purpose for
which it was instituted — the elevating of the standard
of workmanship of horse-shoers of that State. ' ' Unions
are all right in every place where there is only one
smith, let that smith unite with himself to charge a
living price for his work and he is all right. Where
there are more than one smith unions will only help
the dishonest fellow. Such unions live but for a short
time and then the smiths knife each other worse than
ever.

In hard times (and hard times are now like the
poor, "always with us,") a lot of tinkers start in the
shoeing and blacksmith business. If they could make
a dollar a day in something else they would stay out,
but this being impossible, they think it better to try at
the anvil. For them to get anything to do without
cutting prices is out of the question, and so the cutting
business begins, and ends when the regular smith has
come down to the tinker's price. To remedy this we
must go to the root of the evil. First, political agita-
tion against a system whereby labor is debased.

This is a fact, in spite of all prosperity howling.
Whenever there is trouble between labor and capital
we will always find the whole machinery of the gov-
ernment ready to protect capital. The laboring men
will not even be allowed to meet, but will be dispersed
like so many dogs. They are the mob ! But the
capitalists, they are gentlemen! When the .govern-
ment wants a tailor for instructor in our Indian schools,
or a blacksmith for the reservation, they get about

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 23

00.00 per year. But, when a ward-heeler wants
office he must have $5,000 per year. What induce-
ment is it, under such conditions, for a young- man to
learn a trade? Laboring men, wake up!

But, as this will bring us into politics I shall leave
this side of the question, for it w^ould do no good.
Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence
said: "Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while
the evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."
The laboring people will, in my judgment, suffer quite
a while yet. In the meantime let ns build up a fra-
ternity on the ruins of the ancient guilds. Between
the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries mechanics of
all kinds prospered as never befoie, nor have they
done it since. The reason for this was not a high
protective tariff, or anything in that line, but simply
the fruit of the guilds and the privilege they enjoyed
from the state.

What we now need is a modern guild. I anticipate
there would be some difficulty in securing the legis-
lation necessary, but we will not ask more than the
doctors now have. I cannot now go into detail ; that
Vv^ould take more room and time than I can spare in
this book.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

NE thing is certain, we have a hard row
to hoe, because, this is a government
of injunctions, and any law on the
statute book is in danger of being
declared unconstitutional, according
to the biddings of the money power,
or the whim of the judges. One
tyrant is bad, but many are worse.

I am no prophet, but will judge the future from the
past. History will repeat itself, and Christ's teachings
will be found true: "A house divided against itself
cannot stand. ' "

I will say so much, however, that no man should be
allowed to start out for himself before he has served
three years as an apprentice and two or three years as
a journeyman. This should be proved by a certificate
from the master for whom he has worked. This
certificate to be sworn to by his master, one uninter'
ested master and himself. No apprentice to be
accepted without a certificate from the school superin-
tendent that he has a certain knowledge in language
and arithmetic and other branches as may be required.
It shall not be enough to have worked a few days each
year, but the whole time. With these papers he shall
appear before three commissioners, elected by the
fraternity and appointed by the governor of the State.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 2$

He shall pay not less than ten and not more than
twenty-five, dollars for his diploma. All complaint
shall be submitted to these commissioners, and they
shall have full power to act. If a practitioner acts
unbecoming, runs down his competitor, charges prices
below the price fixed by the fraternity, or defrauds
his customers, such shall be reported to the commis-
sioners, and, if they see fit, they can repeal or call in
his diploma and he shall not be allowed to practice in
the State. These are a few hints on the nature of the
modern guild we ought to establish. The fraternity
should have a journal edited by one editor on litera-
ture and one on mechanics, the editor on mechanics
to be a practical blacksmith with not less than fifteen
years' experience. The editors are to be elected by
the fraternity. This is all possible if we can get the
legislation that the doctors have in many States. And
why not?

Mechanics of to-day have a vague and abstract idea
of what is meant by journeyman and apprenticeship.
In Europe there is yet a shadow left of the guilds
where these were in existence.

When I learned my trade I worked some time with
my father in Sweden, then I went over to Norway and
worked as an apprentice in Mathison & Johnson's
machine, file and lock factory of Christiania. I was
requested to sign a contract for four years. In this
contract was set forth the wages I was to receive, and
what I was to learn each year. Everything was
specified so that there would be no room for misunder-
standing. The first two weeks I worked, they simply

26 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

drilled me. I was given a good file and a piece of
iron, this iron I filed square, round, triangle, hexagon
and octagon I wore out files and pieces of iron one
after another, the master giving instructions how to
stand, hold the file, about the pressure and strokes of
same, etc. The same careful instructions were given
in blacksmithing. The apprentice was given some
work, and he had to forge it out himself, no matter
what time it took, nor did it make any difference if the
job, when done, was of any use, the apprentice was
simply practicing and accustoming himself to the use
of tools. Thus the elementary rules were learned in a
few weeks, and the apprentice made capable of doing
useful service that would repay for the time lost in the
start.

MODERN BLACkSMITHING

LITERATURE

AVING thoroughly learned the trade,
it is important to keep posted
in this matter by reading books
and trade journals. As far as
books are concerned, we have a
few treating on horse-shoeing,
with both good and bad ideas.
As to blacksmithing, this book,
' Modern Blacksmithing," is the first in that line,
written by a practical blacksmith and horse-shoer.

Our trade joui nals must be read with discrimination.
They are mostly edited by men having no practical
experience in the trade, and are therefore not respon-
sible for the articles these papers contain. Many
articles are entirely misleading. Blacksmiths having
more experience with the pen than the hammer, and
anxious to have their names appear in print, write for
these journals.

Prize artjcles are also doing more harm than good,
the judges giving the prizes to men with ideas like
their own, not being broad-minded enough to consider
anything they don't practice themselves, and the result
is a premium on old and foolish ideas.

But we should not stop at this. We should read
much. Anything, except bloody novels, will help to

23 MODERN BLACkSMlTHiNC^

elevate the man. No smith should think it idle to read
and study. "Every kind of knowledge," observes a
writer, "comes into play some time or other, not only
systematic study, but fragmentary, even the odds and
ends, the merest rag-tags of information." Some
fact, or experience, and sometimes an anecdote, recur
to the mind, by the power of association, just in the
right time and place. A carpenter was observed to
be very particular and painstaking in repairing an old
chair of a magistrate, and when asked why, said: "I
want this chair to be easy for me to sit in some time."
He lived long enough to sit in it.

Hugh Miller found time while pursuing the trade of
a stone mason, not only to read, but to write, cultivat-
ing his style till he became one of the most facile and
brilliant authors of the day. Elihu Burritt acquired a
mastery of eighteen languages and twenty-two dia-
lects, not by rare genius, which he disclaimed, but by
improving the bits and fragments of time which he
had to spare from his occupation as a blacksmith.

Let it be a practice or a habit, if you will, to buy at
least one book every year, and to read the same, once,
twice, thrice, or until its contents are indelibly im-
pressed upon your mind. It will come back to your
mind and be useful when you expect it the least.

"A mechanic is known by the toots he uses.'*

CHAPTER II

O other mechanic will try to turn out j-uch a
variety of work with so few tools as the
blacksmith, even when the smith iias all
the tools to be had, he has fev/ in propor-
tion to the work. There are a class of smiths
who will be content with almost nothing-. These men
can tell all about the different kinds of tobacco; they
can tell one kind of beer from another in the first sip,
and the smell of the whisky bottle is enough for them
to decide the character of the contents, but when it
comes to tools which belorig- to their trade, they are
not in it. It ought to be a practice with every smith
to add some new tool every year. But if they are
approached on the subject they will generally say,
"Oh, I can get along without that." With them it is
not a question of what they need, but what they can
get along without.

Some smiths have the Chinaman's nature (stubborn
conservatism) to the extent that they will have nothing
new, no matter how superior to their old and inferior
tools; what they have been used to is the best.

When the hoof shears were a new thing I ordered a
pair and handed them to my horse-shoer, he tried them
for a few minutes and then threw them on the floor
and said, "Yankee humbug." I picked them up and

3o MODERN BLACKSMITHING

tried them myself, and it took a few days before I got
used to them, but then I found that they were a great
improvement over the toe knife. I told my horse-
shoer tc use them and after a while he could not get
along without them, but would yet have used his toe
knife if it had not been for the fact that he was com-
pelled to use them. If it was not for the conservatism
by which we are all infected more or less, we would
be far more advanced in everything.

The mechanic that has poor tools will in every case
be left behind in competition with the man with good
tools in proper shape. There are smiths who will take
in all kinds of shows and entertainments within fifty
miles, but when it comes to tools, oh, how stingy and
saving they are. There is no investment which will
biing such a good return as first-class tools do to a
mechanic. The old maxim, "A mechanic is known
by the tools he uses," is true. Many of the tools used
in the shop can be made by the smith. If less time is
spent in the stores and saloon there will be more time
for making tools.

I shall, in this chapter, give a few pointers how to
make some of the tools used. I will not spend any
time in explanation about the more intricate tools like
drill presses and tools of that kind, because no smith
has experience or facilities to make tools of this char-
acter that will be worth anything. I shall simply give
a few hints on the most common tools used, with illus-
trations that will be a help to new beginners. Before
we go any further let me remind you of the golden
rule of the mechanic, "A place for everything and

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 31

everything in its place." Some shops look like a
scraj) iron shed, the tools strewn all over, and one-
tentn of the time is spent in hunting for them. I shall
first -ay a few words about the shop and give a plan.
This plan is not meant to be followed minutely, but
is sii. ,ply a hint in that direction.

THE SHOP

In building a shop care should be taken in making it
convenient and healthy. Most of the shops are built
with a l«igh floor. This is very inconvenient when
machinery of any kind is taken in for repairs, as well
as in taking in a team for shoeing. Around the forge
there should be a gravel floor. A plank floor is a
great nuiLance around the anvil. Every piece cut off
hot is to be hunted up and picked up or it will set fire
to it. I know there will be some objection to this kind
of floor but if you once learn how to keep it you will
change your mind. To make this floor take sand and
clay with fine gravel, mix with coal dust and place a
layer where wanted about four inches thick. This
floor, when a little old, will be as hard as iron, pro-
vided you sprinkle it every night with water. The
dust and soot from the shop will, in time, settle in with
it and it will be smooth and hard. It will not catch
fire; no cracks for small tools or bolts to fall through;
it will not crack like cement or brick floors. If your
shop is large then make a platform at each end, and a
gravel floor in the center, or at one side, as in figure

c52

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

I. This floor is cool in summer and warm in winter,
as there can be no draft. The shop should have plenty
of light, skylights if possible. .The soot and dust will,
in a short time, make the lightest shop dark. The
shop should be whitewashed once a year. Have

o
o

*wt

P/anA Floor

Fig. I.

■i-TZ-t

o
c

"tzj^

plenty of ventilation. Make it one "fetory only if con-
venient to do so, as an upper story in a blacksmith
shop is of very little use. The shop is the place where
the smith spends most of his time and he should take
just as much care in building it, as a sensible house-
keeper does in the construction of her kitchen.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

THE FORGE

The forge can be made either single or double,
square or round. The square is the best as it can be
placed up against the wall, and you will then have
more room in front of it. The round forge will take
more room, if it is placed in the center of the floor
there will be no room of any amount on any side and
when the doors are open the wind will blow the fire,
cinders and smoke into the face of the smith. This is
very uncomfortable. The smokestack, if hung over
the fire will sometimes be in the way. Of course the
hood can be made in halves and one half swung to the
side, but it will sometimes be in the way anyhow, and
it seldom has any suction to carry away the smoke and
cinders.

THE ANVIL

The anvil should not be too close to the forge, as is
often the case in small country shops. Make it six
feet from center of fire to center of anvil. The anvil

34 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

should not be placed on a butcher block with the tools
on, but on a timber the same size as the foot of the
anvil. Set the timber down in the ground at least
three feet. For heavy work the anvil should stand low
in order to be able to come down on it with both ham-
mer and sledge with force. When the smith has his
hands closed the knuckles of his fingers should touch
the face of the anvil and it will be the right height for
all-around blacksmithing.

COAL BOX

Close to the forge under the water tank or barrel
should be a coal box 18x24x16 inches, this box to be
dug down in the ground and so placed that one end
will protrude from under the barrel or tank far enough
to let a shovel in. This opening can be closed with a
lid if the tools are liable to fall into it. In this box
keep the coal wet. In figure i a plan is given from
which you can get an idea of a shop and how to place
the tools and different articles needed.

TOOL TABLES

On the right hand of the anvil should be a tool bench
or tool table 20 x 20, a little lower than the anvil.
Outside, on three sides and level with the table, make
a railing of i}{ inch iron, about i^ inch space between
the table and railing, this makes a handy place for

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

tools and near by. Many blacksmiths have no other
place than the floor for their tools, but there is no
more sense in that than it would be for a carpenter to
throw his tools down on the floor all around him.
There ought to be "a place for every tool and every
\ool in its place."

TOOL TABLE.

THE HAMMER

When a lawyer or a minister makes his maiden
speech he will always be in a great hurry on account
of his excitement. The sentences are cut shorter,
broken, and the words are sometimes only half pro-
nounced. After a few years' practice he will be more

36 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

self-possessed and the speech will be changed from
unintelligible phrases to logical oratory. When the
carpenter's apprentice first begins to use the saw, he
will act the same way — be in a great hurry — he will
run the saw at the speed of a scroll saw, but only a
few inches of stroke; after some instructions and a
few year's practice the saw will be run up and down
steady and with strokes the whole length of the blade.
When the blacksmith's apprentice begins to use the
hammer he acts very much the same way. He will
press his elbows against his ribs; lift the hammer only
a few inches from the anvil and peck away at the
speed of a trip hammer. This will, in most cases, be
different in a few years. He will drop the bundle —
that' is, his elbows will part company with his ribs, the
hammer will look over his head, there will be full
strokes and regular time, every blow as good as a
dozen of his first ones. Some smiths have the foolish
habit of beating on the anvil empty with the hammer,
they will strike a few blows on the iron, then a couple
of blind beats on the anvil, and so on. This habit has
been imported from Europe, free of duty, and that
must be the reason why so many blacksmiths enjoy
this luxury.

THE SLEDGE

In Europe great importance is laid upon the position
taken by the apprentice and the manner he holds the
sledge. The sledge is held so that the end of it will
be under his right armpit, when the right hand is next

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 37

to the sledge, and under his left arm when the left
hand is nearer the sledge. In this unnatural position
it is next to impossible to strike hard and do it for any
time. This is another article imported free of duty,
but few Americans have been foolish enough to use
it. In this country the apprentice will be taught to
use the tools in a proper way.

The end of the sledge-handle will be to one side ; at
the left, if the left hand is at the end of the handle,
and at the right if the right hand is at the end of the
handle ; and be down between his feet when the
handle's end must be low. The apprentice should
stand directly in front of the anvil.

In swinging, the sledge should describe a circle
from the anvil close down to the helper's feet land up
over his head and down to the anvil; this is a perpen-
dicular circle blow. Be sure not to give it a horizon-
tal start ; that is, with one hand close to the sledge the
apprentice starts out either in the direction of the
horn or the butt end of the anvil, and then up while
both hands should clasp the extreme end of the handle
close together the sledge should be dropped down to
the feet then up. The hold taken should not be
changed, but the hands held in the same place. (See
figure 4.)

For ordinary use a nine-pound sledge is heavy
enough, a large sledge will give a bump, while a small
one will give a quick good blow, it is only occasion-
ally and for special purposes a large sledge is needed,
even an eight-pound sledge will do. Try it, and you
will be surprised how nice it works.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

With these preliminary remarks we shall now begin
to make a few tools. We will begin with the black-
smith's tongs. I shall only give an idea how to forge
the jaws, and every man that needs to make them has

Fig. 4.

seen enough of this simple tool to know what kind is
needed, and what he has not seen will suggest itself
to every sensible smith.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

BLACKSMITH'S TONGS

Take a piece of one-inch square Swede iron, hold
the iron diagonally over the anvil, with your left hand
a little towaid the horn, the end of the iron to reach
out over the outside edge of the anvil. Now strike so
tliat the sledge and hammer will hit half face over the
anvil and the other half of the sledge and hammer out-

1 1

side of the anvil. Hammer it down to about three-
eighths of an inch thick. Now pull the iron towards
you straight across the anvil, give it one half turn
toward yourself so that this side which was up, now
will be towards yourself; the end that first was outside
the anvil now to rest over the inner edge of the anvil,
push the jaw up against the anvil until it rests against
the shoulder made in the first move. Now hammer
this down until it is the thickness of the jaw that is
desired. Next, turn it over, with the bottom side up
or the side that was down, up; push it out over the

40 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

outside edge of the anvil again so far that the shoulder
or set down you now have up, will be about an inch out-
side and over the edge of the anvil, now give a few
blows to finish the jaw, then finish the shanks and weld
in half inch round iron to the length desired. The
jaws should be grooved with a fuller, if you have none
of the size required take a piece of round iron and ham-
mer it down in the jaws to make the groove. Tongs
grooved this way will grip better. Next, punch a hole
in one jaw, place it over the other in the position
wanted when finished, then mark the hole in the other
jaw, and when punched rivet them together, the jaws
to be cold and the rivet hot. The following story will
suggest to you how to finish it. An apprentice once
made a pair of tongs when his master was out, and
when he had them riveted together could not move the
jaws. As he did not know how to make them work
he laid them away under the bellows. At the supper
table the apprentice told his master the following
story: An apprentice once made a pair of tongs and
when he had them riveted together he could not move
the jaws, and as he did not know what to do he simply
threw them away, thinking he must have made a
mistake somehow. "What a fool," said the master,
"Why didn't he heat them." At the next oppor-
tunity the apprentice put his tongs in the fire and
w^hen hot they could be worked very easily.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 41

HOW TO MAKE A HAMMER

Take a piece of tool steel i }^ inches square, neat it
red hot. Now remember here it is that the trouble
begins in handling tool steel. If, in the process, you
ever get it more than red hot, it is spoiled, and no
receipt, or handling or hammering will ever make it
good again. The best thing in such a case is to cut
off the burnt part in spite of all proposed cures. This
must be remembered whenever you heat tool or spring
steel. Tf the burnt part cannot be cut off, heat it to a
low heat, cool it in lukewarm water half a dozen
times, this will improve it some, if you can hammer it
some do so. Now punch a hole about two inches from
the end with a punch that will make a hole i}ix ys.
If the punch sticks in the hole, cool it off and put a
little coal in the hole that will prevent the punch from
sticking. This is a good thing to do whenever a deep
hole is to be punched. Be sure that the hole is made
true. Next, have a punch the exact size of the hole
wanted when finished, drive it in and hammer the eye
out until it has the thickness of about ^ of an inch on
each side and has a circle form like No. 2, Figure 5.

In order to do this you may have to heat the eye
many times, and upset over it with the punch in the
eye. This done put in the bottom fuller and with the
top fuller groove it down on each side of the eye, like
the cut referred to. Now dress down the face then
the peen-end. When finished harden it in this way:
Heat the face-end first to a low red heat, dip in water
about an inch and a half, brighten the face and watch

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

for the color. When it begins to turn blue cool off
but don't harden the eye. Wind a wet rag around the
face end and heat the peen-end, temper the same way.
With a piece of iron in the eye, both ends can be
hardened at the same time, but this is more difficult,
and I would not recommend it.

Fig. 5.

For ordinary blacksmithing a flat peen hammer is
the thing, but I have seen good blacksmiths hang on
to the machinist's hammer as the only thing. See No.
I, Figure 5. This hammer is more ornamental than
useful in a blacksmith shop. The hammer should be
of different sizes for different woik, light for light
work, aTxd for drawing out plowshares alone the ham-
mer should be heavy.

For an ordinary smith a hammer of two up to two
and one-half pounds is right. Riveting hammers

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 43

should be only one pound and less. No smith should
ever use a hammer like No. 3, in Figure 5. This
hammer I have not yet been able to find out what it is
good for. Too short, too clumsy, too much friction in
the air. I have christened it, and if you want my
name for it call it Cain's hammer. It must surely
look like the hammer used by him, if he had any.

HOW TO MAKE CHISELS

A chisel for hot cutting, see Figure 5, No. 4. This
chisel is made of ij{ square tool steel. Punch a hole
i^ X i^ X }^ about three inches from the end, the eye
should be narrow in order to leave material enough on
the sides to give it strength. When eye is finished,
forge down below it, not on the head-end, with top
and bottom fullers, like cut. This gives the chisel a
better shape. Now dress down the edge, then heat
to a low cherry red, and harden, brighten it and when
the color is brown cool off.

COLD CHISELS

Use same sized steel as above referred to, make it
like No. 5, Figure 5. To distinguish it from the hot
cutting chisel, and to give it more strength, in harden-
ing this chisel, draw the temper until it is blue. This
is the right temper for all kinds of cold chisels.

44 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

SET HAMMER

One might think that anybody knows how to make
a set hammer, if every smith knows it, I don't know,
but I do know that there are thousands of smiths who
have never had a set hammer nor know its use. To
make one : Take a piece of tool steel 1 34^ x 1 1^ inches,
punch a hole about two inches from the end, the hole
to 'be 1 34^ X ^. Now cut off enough for head. Make
the face perfectly square and level, with sharp corners,
harden and cool off when the temper turns from brown
to blue. This is a very important little tool and for
cutting steel it is a good deal better than the chisel.
Plow steel of every kind is easier cut with this hammer
than any other way. In cutting with the set hammer
hold the steel so that your inner side of the set ham-
mer will be over the outside edge of the anvil. Let
the helper strike on the outside corner of the set ham-
mer and it will cut easy. The steel to be cut should
be just a little hot, not enough to be noticed. If the
steel is red hot the set hammer cannot cut it. The
heat must be what is called blue heat. I would not be
without the set hammer for money, and still I often
meet smiths who have never seen this use made of the
set hammer. Plow points, corn shovels, and seeder
shovels are quicker cut with this tool than any other
way, with the exception of shears.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 45

TWIST DRILLS

Twist drills are not easy to make by hand, as they
should be turned to be true, but a twist drill can be
made this way. Take a piece of tool steel roimd and
the size of the chuck hole in your drill press. Flatten
it down to the size wanted, heat, put the shank in the
vise, take with the tongs over the end and give one
turn to the whole length, turn to the left. When
finished be sure that it is not thicker up than it is at
point, and straight. Now harden, heat to a low cherry
red, cool off in luke-warm water — salt water, if
you have it — brighten it and hold over a hot bar of
iron to draw temper, cool off when brown, the whole
length of the twist should be tempered.

Another way to make a drill is to just flatten the
steel and shape to a diamond point and bend the
shares forward. This is a simple but good idea and
such drills cut easy. In cooling for hardening turn
the drill in the water so that the edge or shares are
cooled in proportion to point, or the shares will be
too soft and the point of such a drill too hard. Our
trade journals, in giving receipts for hardening drills,
often get watch-makers receipts. This is misleading:
watch-makers heat their drills to a white heat. Now,
remember, as I have already said, when your drill or
tool of this kind is heated to this heat the best thing
to do is to cut that part off. It is different with watch-
makers, they do not look for strength, but hardness.
They run their drills with a high speed, cut chips that
cannot be discerned with the naked eye, and must

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

have a drill that is hard like a diamond. For drilling
iron or steel the drill does not need to be so very hard,
but tough rather, because of the slow speed and thick
chips. Few smiths have been able to master the sim-
plest tempering, and they think if they could get a
complicated receipt they would be all right. We are
all more or less built that way. Anything we do not

Fig. 6.

understand we admire. Simple soft water and the
right heat is, in most cases, the only thing needed for
hardening. I had occasion to consult a doctor once
who was noted for his simple remedies. A lady got
some medicine and she wanted to know what it was so
she could get it when the doctor was not at home, but
he refused to reveal it to her. When the lady had left
the doctor told me the reason why. "This lady," said
the doctor, "does not believe in simple remedies which
she knows, but believes in those remedies she knows
nothing about." 1 think it is better for us to try to

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 47

understand things and not believe much in them
before we understand them.

S WRENCH

See Figure 6, No. 3. This wrench is for ^ nut on
one end and ^ on the other, just the kind for plow
work. To make one, take a piece of tool steel i)^ x ^,
start as you see in No. 4, Figure 6. Set the jaws down
with the fullers, punch a round hole as in end No. 4,
cut out from hole and finish the jaws to make the right
length, now bend it in S shape and finish. This makes
the best wrench. Do not heat over a red heat.

ROCK DRILLS

Few blacksmiths know how to make a rock drill.
Take a piece of round or octagon steel, the desired
length and thickness, shape it, but it must be remem-
bered that if during the process you ever get it over a
red heat there is no use to proceed, but just cut off
that much and start again, no hardening will prevail
if it is burnt. The trouble begins when you put the
steel into the fire, and you must watch until you have
it finished. When ready to harden heat it to a cherry
red heat, cool in water not too cold, brighten and
watch for temper. When it is yellow, cool it off, but
not entirely, take it out of the water before it is quite

48 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

cold and let it cool slowly, this will make the drill both
hard and tough. By this simple process I have been
able to dress drills and get such a good temper than
only two per cent would break. Another way to
harden is to heat to a very low heat and cool it off
entirely at once. A third way is to temper as hrst
stated and when yellow set the drill in water only one
half an inch deep and let it cool. By this process a
good per cent will break just at the water line.

Be sure yon are right then go ahead.'''' — Davy Crocket.

CHAPTER III

HOW TO STRIKE AND TURN THE IRON-
RULES FOR SMITH AND HELPER

|HE smith should never turn the iron
on the helper's blow, he should turn
on his own blow, that is, never turn
the iron so that the helper's blow will
hit it first because he is not prepared
for it and cannot strike with confi-
dence, but the smith will not be
bothered by turning the iron for himself as he knows
when he turns and is prepared for it. The smith
should strike the first blow in starting, or signal the
helper where to strike, in case the smith cannot strike
the first blow. The smith calls the helper by three
blows on the anvil with his hammer, and when the
smith wants the helper to cease striking he taps with
the hammer twice on the anvil. The helper should
strike the blow he has started when the smith signals
him to stop. The helper should watch the time of the
smith's hamaier; if fast, keep time with it, if slow,
keep time with it. The helper should strike where
the smith strikes or over the center of the anvil. The
helper shouM always lift the sledge high, in order to
give the smith a chance to get in with the hammer.

M0U1:RN BLACKSxMltHiN(j

THE FIRE

It is proper before we go any farther to say a few
words about the fire.

An old foreman in the blacksmith department of a
factory told me once in a conversation we had about

'CORRECT POSITION AT THE ANVIL

the fire, that he had come to the conclusion that very
few blacksmiths have learned how to make a good
fire. It takes years of study and practice before the
eye is able to discern a good fire from a bad one. A
good fire must be a clear fire, the flame must be con-
centrated and of a white color. Even the nose must

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 51

serve to decide a bad fire from a good one. A strong
sulphur smell indicates a poor fire for welding. In
order to get a good fire there must be, first, good coal ;
second, plenty of it. - It is no use to pile a lot of coal
on an old fire, full of cinders and slag. The fire-pot
must be clean. Many blacksmiths are too saving
about the coal. They take a shovel of coal, drop it on
the forge in the vicinity of the fire and sprinkle a
handful of it in the fire once in a while. In such a
case it is impossible to do good work and turn it out
quick. Have a scoop shovel and put on one or two
shovels at a time, the coal should be wet. Then pack
it in the fire as hard together as you can. Sprinkle
the fire with water when it begins to spread. In this
way you get a hard fire. The flames are concentrated
and give great heat. Saving coal is just like saving
feed to a horse, or grub to your apprentice. Neither
will give you a good day's work unless he has all he
wants to eat. The fire, of course, should be in pro-
portion to the work, but in every case should the fire
be large enough to raise it up from the tuyer iron as
much as possible. In a small fire the blast strikes
directly on the iron and it begins to scale off; in a
good fire these scales melt and make it sticky, while
in a low and poor fire the scales blacken and fall off.
This never happens if the fire is full of good coal and
high up from the tuyer iron.

Good strong blast is also necessary for heavy work.
There is an old whim about the fire that everybody,
farmers and others, as well as blacksmiths, are infected
with, and that is, if a piece of brass is put in the fire it

52 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

renders the fire useless to weld with. Now, while it is
a fact that brass is not conducive to welding it takes a
good deal of it before the fire is made useless. One
smith will not dare to heat a galvanized pipe in his
fire, for fear it will spoil it, while another smith will
weld a piece of iron or steel to such a pipe without
difficulty. Don't swear and curse if the fire is not
what you expect it to be, but simply make it right.
Some smiths have the habit of continually poking in
the fire, if they weld a piece of iron they never give it
rest enough to get hot, but turn it over from one side
to another and try to fish up all the cinders and dust
to be found in the fire. This is a bad habit. Yellow
colored fire is a sign of sulphur in the fire and makes a
poor fire for welding. Dead coal makes a poor fire.

TUYER IRON

One of the chief reasons for a poor fire is a poor
blast. No patent tuyer will give blast enough unless
you run it by steam and have a fan blower. Ninety
per cent of the blast is lost in transmission through
patent tuyers. The only way to get a good blast is to
have a direct tuyer, and one with a water space in.

To make a direct tuyer take a pipe i^^^ x 12 inches
long, weld around one end of this pipe an iron 3^ to
make it thick on the end that is in the fire, flare out
the other end for the wind pipe to go in and place it
borzontal in the fire and fill up around it with fireproof
clay. This gives the best fire. The only objection to

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

this tuyer is that where soft coal is used, as is mostly
the case in country shops, it gets hot and clogs up,
but with a strong blast and good hard coal it never
gets hot, provided the fire is deep enough. From five
to eight inches is the right distance from the tuyer to
the face of the fire. In factories this kind of tuyer is
used, and I have seen them used for ten years, and

WATER TUYER

never found Ihem to clog once. The tuyer was just as
good after ten years use as it was when put in.

To make a water tuyer take a pipe 1 1^^ x 12, weld a
flange on each end for water space, now weld another
pipe over this, and bore holes for % inch pipes in the
end, where the blast goes in. One hole on the lower
or bottom side should be for the cold water to go in
through, and one hole on the upper side for the hot
water to go out through. These pipes to connect with
a little water tank for this purpose. The pipes should

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

be watched so that they will not be allowed to freeze
or clog, as an explosion might follow. These tuyers
never clog. I now use one that I have made as above
described. The dealers now have them to sell. Any
smith can get them as they are hard to make by the
average smith.

BLOWERS

I have tried many kinds of blowers and I shall give
my brother smiths the advantage of my experience.

Portable forges run with fan blowers are fair blow-
ers if you are strong enough to pump away at high
speed, but it takes a horse to do that, and as soon as
you drop the lever the blast ceases. Root's blower
works easier, but the objection is the same, as soon as
you drop the crank the blast stops. Besides this
trouble, this blower is often in the way. I have never
found anything to beat the bellows yet, if you only
know how to use them.

Never take a set of bellows less than 48 extra long.
Cut the snout off so that it will give a hole ij^, and

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 55

with a water tuyer this blower cannot be beaten,
except by a fan blower run by steam. The bellows
should be hung over head to be out of the way. When
these bellows are full of wind they will blow long
enough after you have dropped the lever to do quite a
good many things around the forge, and to handle the
iron in the fire with both hands as is often necessary.

WELDING IRON

Welding iron is easy and no other welding compound
is needed than sand, unless it is a case when the iron
is liable to burn or scale off, borax will prevent this.
There are thiee kinds of welds, butt, lap and split.
The butt weld is most used in welding iron. The ends
should be rounded off a little so that the center will
weld first. Weld the ends this way either in the fire
or on the anvil, butting the ends while you strike over
and dress down the weld. In welding lap welds upset
the ends and make them a good deal heavier than the
size of the iron is ; then lap the ends with a short lap.
New beginners will always make a long lap. This is
wrong, for if the lap is long it will reach beyond the
upset part and the ends cannot then be welded down,
without you make it weak. If soft steel is welded cut
a short cut with the chisel in the center of the lap, as
shown in Figure 6, No. i. This cut will hook and
prevent the ends from slipping ^ if properly prepared
this weld will not show at all when done.

56 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

SPLIT WELDS

Split weld is preferable when steel is to be welded,
especially tool steel of a heavy nature, like drill bits
for well drillers.

If the steel is welded to iron, split the iron and draw
out the ends as thin as possible and make it the shape
shown in Figure 6, No. 2. Taper the steel to fill the
split made in the iron, when it fits perfectly cut beard
in it to catch in the lips of the iron when fitted in.
See Figure 6, No. 2. When finished heat the split end
and cool off the tapered end. Place the tapered end
snug up in the split and hammer it together with a
heavy sledge. If there is any crack or opening at the
end of the tapered end, plug it up with iron plugs, if
this is not done, these holes will be almost as they are,
because it is hard to weld a heavy shaft or drill, or
rather, it is hard to hammer them together so the
holes will close in. Now heat, but if you have tool
steel go slow, or your steel will bin*n before the iron is
hot enough. Weld the lips while the rod or drill is in
the fire. For this purpose use a hammer with an iron
handle in. When the lips are welded all around take
it out and let two good helpers come down on it with
all their might. When welded smooth it up with the
hammer or flat hammer.

WELDING STEEL

Welding steel is quite a trick, especially tool or
spring steel. The most important part to remember
is, to have a good clean fire, and not to oyer heat the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 57

steel. To a good smith no other compound is needed
than borax, but if this is not sufficient, take some
borings from your drill, especially fine steel borings,
and cover the weld with this and borax, and if a smith
cannot weld with this compound there is no use for
him to tr3^ Most of the welding compounds are
inferior to this, but some smiths would rather believe
in something they don't know anything about; another
will not believe in anything he can get for nothing.

BANDS OR HOOPS

When a round object is to be ironed or a hoop put
on to anything round, measure, that is, take the diam-
eter then multiply by three, add three times the
thickness of the iron (not the width), add to this one
time the thickness of the hoop for the weld and you
have the exact length of the iron needed ; in other
words, three times the diameter, four times the thick-
ness of the band. This is a simple rule, but I know a
good many old smiths who never knew it.

SEEDER SHOVELS

To weld seeder shovels is no easy job. Prepare the
shovel; shape almost to it proper shape, draw out the
shanks, weld the points first, heat shovel and shank
slow, then fit them together so that no cinders can get

58 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

in between. Now remember, if your fire is :iot at
least five inches up from the tuyer iron, and clear, it
is no use to try. Hold your shovel in the fire, shank
down. Heat slow, use borax freely and apply it on
the face side of the shovel to prevent it from burning.
When ready, weld it over the mandrill and the shovel
will have the right shape. If soft center, harden like
a plow lay.

DRILLING IRON

Every smith knows how to drill, sometimes it gives
even an old smith trouble. The drill must be true,
the center to be right, if one side of the drill is wider
than the other or the drill not in proper shape the hole
will not be true. For centuries oil has been used for
drilling and millions of dollars have been spent in
vain. It is a wonder how people will learn to use the
wrong thing. I don't think that I have ever met a
man yet who did not know that oil was used in drill-
ing. In drilling hard steel, turpentine or kerosene is
used as oil will then prevent cutting entirely. Nothing
is better than water, but turpentine or kerosene is not
as bad as oil ; if you think water is too cheap use tur-
pentine or kerosene. I had occasion once to do a little
work for a man eighty years old, and when I drilled a
hole, used water. The old man asked if water was as
good as oil, and when informed that it was better, said:
"I used to be quite a blacksmith myself, I am now
eighty years old, too old to do anything, but I am not

Modern blacksmithing 59

too old to learn." It ought to suggest itself to every
smith that while oil is used in boxes to prevent cut-
ting, it will also prevent cutting in drilling.

HOW TO DRILL CHILLED IRON

First prepare a drill which is thicker at the point
than usual, and oval in form, then harden it as fol-
lows : heat to a low cherry red heat and cool in the
following hardening compound: two quarts soft water,
one-half ounce sal-ammoniac, salt, three ounces. Don't
draw the temper, for if you have the right heat you
will get the right temper. Now drill and use water,
not oil. Feed carefully but so the drill will cut right
along. If you have no chance to get the compound,
harden in water but draw no temper, let it be as hard
as it will.

If the iron is too hard to be drilled and you can heat
the same do so, heat to a low red heat and place a
piece of brimstone just where the hole is to be; this
will soften the iron through, so the hole can be drilled.
Let it cool slowly.

STANDING COULTERS

Standing coulters are made of different materials
and of different shapes. Take a piece of iron 2}{ x }^,
twenty-eight inches long. Cut off the end after you

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

have thinned it out about 5 inches from the end, cut
diagonally Now weld the cut-off piece to the main
shank. The cut-off piece to be laid on the outside and
welded, bend the iron as soon as it is welded so that it
has the shape of the coulter, draw out a good point
and sharpen the iron just the same as if it was a fin-
ished coulter. This done, cut off a piece of steel, an
old plow lay that is not too much worn will do, cut

STANDING COULTER

the shape of the coulter you have now in the iron, and
let the steel be half an inch wider than the iron, but
on the point let it be as long as it will, because the
point ought to be quite long, say about nine inches.
Next draw the steel out thin on the upper end, heat
the iron red hot, place it on the anvil outside up, put
a pinch of borax on it at the heel, then a pinch of steel
borings, place the steel on top of this and keep in posi-
tion with a pair of tongs; now hold it on the fire heel
down, and heat slow. When it is hot let the helper
strike a pressing blow or two on it and it will stick
until you have taken the next weld. Put borings and

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 6i

borax between steel and iron for each weld. When
finished, the angle should be that of the square; that
is, when you place the coulter in the square the shank
should follow one end of the square and the foot of
the coulter the other. The edge of the outside side
should follow the square from the point up. When it
does it looks like a hummock in the coulter but it is
not. Old breakers will be particular about this as it
will cut a clean furrow if it is made in this way and it
will work easier. If the edge stands under the square
the coulter will wedge the plow out of land and make a
poor furrow. Next finish the chisel point, soft or hard
steel as you please; weld it to the coulter on the
inside, that is, the side next to the furrow.

Last punch or drill the hole in the heel. The coulter
should not be hardened except a little on and along
the point. There is no need of a double chisel point,
such a point will be too clumsy and run heavy. I have
received a premium on a coulter made in this shape.

MILL PICKS

Mill picks are very easily dressed and hardened, the
whole trick in this case, as in many others, lies in the
right heat of the steel. Be careful not to heat to a
higher than a red heat. Dress the pick and temper
with a low heat, when the color is dark yellow the
temper is right, if the steel is of the right kind. No
other hardening compound is necessary than water.
After a little experience any smith can do this work
first class.

62 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

A smith once wanted to buy my receipt for tem_per-
ing. He believed I had a wonderful prescription, or
I could not succeed as I did, I told him I used only
water, but he insisted that I was selfish and would not
reveal it to him.

If tools and receipts would do the work there would
be no need of experienced mechanics. Tools and
receipts are both necessary, but it must be a skilled
hand to apply them.

HARDEN FILES

The best way to harden files is to have a cast iron
bucket filled with lead. Heat it until the lead is red
hot, then plunge the file into this, handle up. 'This
will give a uniform heat and the file will not warp so
easy if the heat is right. In cooling the file off, use a
box four or five feet long with salt water in, run the
file back and forth endwise, not sideways, that will
warp the file, take it out of the water while yet siz-
zling. Now, if warped, set it between a device so that
you can bend it right. While in this position sprinkle
water over where you straighten until cold and the
file will be right.

HARDEN TAPS AND DIES

Heat the tap or die to a red cherry, cool off entirely
in water, brighten with an emery paper. Now, hold
over a hot iron until the tap or die has a dark straw
color, then cool off. If a light tap, the temper can be
drawn over a gaslight, using a blowpipe.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 63

BUTCHER KNIFE

To make a butcher knife, one smith will simply take
an old file, shape it into a knife, and harden. The
best way to make a knife is to first draw out a piece of
iron % inch wide and -^^ of an inch thick, twice the
length of the knife. Prepare the steel the same width
as the iron, ^ of an inch thick, weld this steel in
between the iron. This will make a knife that will
not break. When ready to harden heat to a low red
heat, cool off entirely in water. Brighten and hold
over a hot iron until brown, then cool off.

The steel should be good tool steel, a fiat file will
do, but the cuts must be ground or filed off entirely
before you touch it with the hammer, for if the cuts
are hammered in they will make cracks in the edge of
the knife, and the same will break out.

HOW TO REPAIR CRACKED CIRCULAR

SAWS

If a circular saw is cracked it can be repaired so that
the crack will go no further, and if the crack is deep,
it can be so remedied that there will be no danger in
using it. Ascertain the end of the crack, then drill
a j\-inch hole so that the crack will end in that hole.
Countersink on each side and put in a rivet. Don't
let the rivet stick its head over the face of the saw.

If the crack is deep put another rivet about half an
inch from the edge. If the saw is too hard to drill,
heat two irons about i % square or round, square up

64 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

the ends and set the saw between the ends so that
they will meet over the place where the hole is to be
drilled. When the saw is dark blue, the temper is
out. It might be a possibility that this will spring the
saw in some cases, therefore, I advise you to try drill-
ing the hole without any change in temper. Prepare
a drill that is harder than usual, use no oil, but water.

HOW TO PREVENT A CIRCULAR SAW
FROM CRACKING

The reason why a circular saw cracks is, in most
cases, incorrect filing. In filing a saw, never let a
flat file with its square corners touch the bottom of the
teeth you are filing; if you do, you will make a short
cut that will start the crack, The best way is to gum
the saw in a saw gummer or on an emery wheel, or
use a round-edged file.

HOW TO SEW A BELT

Belts can be riveted, sewed, or hooked together. A
new leather belt should not be riveted, because such
a belt will stretch and have to be cut out and sewed
over quite often at first. There are hooks made of
steel for belt sewing, these are all right when the pul-
leys are not less than six inches in diameter and the
speed is slow. In using these hooks be careful not to

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 65

bend them too sharp or drive the bends together too
hard; in so doing they will cut through the leather
and pull out. Lacing is the best for all kinds of belts.
In sewing a belt with lacing, first punch with a
punch made for this purpose, holes in proportion to
the width. Don't punch them too close to the ends.
Begin sewing in the center holes and start so that both
ends of the lacing will come out on the outside of the
belt. Now sew with one end to each side, and be
careful not to cross the lacing on the side next to the
pulleys. The lacing should be straight on that side.
When the belt is sewed punch a small hole a little up
in the belt to receive the last end of the lacing; the
last end should come out on the outside of the belt.
In this end cut a little notch about three-fourths
through the lacing close to the belt, and then cut the
lacing off a quarter of an inch outside of this notch.
This notch will act as a prong and prevent the lacing
from pulling out. Tap it lightly with a hammer above
the seam to smooth it down.

POINTS ON BELTS

In placing shafts to be connected by belts, care
should be taken to get the right working distance one
from the other. For smaller belts 12 to 15 feet is
about the right distance. For large belts, a greater
distance is wanted. The reason for this is that when
pulleys are too close together there is no sag in the

66 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

belts and they must therefore be very tight in order
to work.

Belts should not have too much sag, or they will, if
the distance between the pulleys is too far apart, pro-
duce a great sag and a jerking motion which will be
hard on the bearings. Never place one shaft directly
over another, for then the belts must be very tight to
do the work, and a tight belt will wear out quicker
and break oftener in the lacing than a loose one;
besides this the bearings will give out sooner.

If a belt slips use belt oil or resin, or both.

BOB SHOES

In repairing old bob sleds is is difficult to find shoes
to suit. But in every case the shoe can be fitted to
suit without touching the runner. The trick here as
in many other cases in the blacksmith business, lies in
the heating. Any shoe can be straightened or bent to
fit the runner if only heated right. A low cherry-red
heat and a piece if iron to reach from the crooked end
of the shoe and far enough back to leave a space
between where it wants to be straightened. Now pat
it in the vise and turn the screws slowly and the shoe
will stand a great deal. If too straight, put the shoe
in between a couple of beams so that you can bend it
back to the right shape. Remember the heat.

I have put on hundreds and never knew of a shoe
that broke when the heat was right. I must confess,

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 67

however, that my two first shoes broke, but I think I
learned it cheap when I consider my success after
that. The shoe should fit the runner snug. Ironing
bobs is a very simple and easy thing, every black-
smith, and even farmers sometimes, are able to iron
their own sleds fairly well, and I don't think it will be
of much interest for the readers of this book to treat
that subject any further.

AXES AND HATCHETS

Dressing axes is quite a trick and few blacksmiths
have mastered it. It is comparatively easy when one
knows how. I have several times already warned
against over heating and if this has been necessary
before, it is more so now in this case. In heating an
ax do not let the edge rest in the center of the fire, it
will then be too hot at the edge before it is hot enough
to hammer it out. Place the edge far enough in to let
it over the hottest place in the fire. Go slow. When
hot, diaw it to the shape of a new axe, don't hammer
on one side only. In so doing the ax will be flat on
one side and curved up on the other. If uneven trim
it off; trim the sides also if too wide; don't heat it
over the eye; be sure you have it straight. When
ready to harden, heat to a low red heat and harden in
luke warm water. The heat should be only brown if
it is a bright sunny day. Brighten and look for the
temper. You will notice that the temper runs uneven;

68 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

it goes out to the corners first, therefore dip them (the
corners) deeper when cooling, and with a wet rag
touch the place on the edge where the temper wants
to run out. Some smiths, when hardening, will smear
the ax with tallow instead of brightening it, and hold
it over the fire until the tallow catches fire, then cool
it off. This is guess work, and the axe is soft in one
place and too hard in another. The best way is to
brighten the ax and you can see the temper, then
there is no guess work about it. When blue cool it
partly off and then while the ax is still wet you will
observe under the water or through the water a copper
color. This color will turn blue as soon as the ax is
dry, and is the right color and temper. Cool it slowly,
don't cool it off at once, but let it cool gradually, and
it will be both hard and tough.

By this simple method I have been very successful,
breaking only three per cent, while no new ax of any
make will ever do better than ten per cent. Some
will even break at the rate of twelve and thirteen per
cent.

The ax factories, with all their skill and hardening
compounds, have to do better yet to compete with me
and my simple method.

WELL DRILLS

Well drills are made of different sizes and kinds.
Club bits and Z bits. How to dress: heat to a low red
heat. If nicked or broken, cut out, otherwise draw it

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 69

out to the size wanted. The caliper should touch the
lips of the bit when measured diagonally so that the
bit has the size on all corners. Heat to a low red heat
and harden, the temper to be from dark straw color
to blue according to the kind of drilling to be done.
The trick, in two words, low heat.

GRANITE TOOLS

By granite tools is meant tools or chisels used by
granite or marble workers for cutting inscriptions on
tombstones.

When a man understands how these tools are used
it is easier to prepare them. These are the kind of
tools where an unusual hardness is required. The
hammer used in cutting with this chisel is very small,
and the blow would not hurt your nose, so light it is,
therefore they will stand a high heat and temper.
The chisels should be very thin for this work. When
dressed and ready to harden, heat to a red heat and
harden in the following solution: one gallon soft
water, four ounces salt. Draw the temper to a straw
color.

A blacksmith once paid a high price for a receipt for
hardening granite tools. The receipt was, aqua, one
gallon; chloride of sodium, four ounces. This receipt
he kept as a secret and the prepared compound he
bought at the drug store, thus paying 50 cents for one
gallon of water and four ounces of salt. The real
worth is less than a cent. It is said he succeeded

70 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

remarkably well with his great compound, which he
kept in a jug and only used when anything like granite
tools were to be hardened. The reason why he suc-
ceeded so well was because of his ignorance concerning
his compound, not because it was not good enough. I
hold that it is one of the best compounds, in fact, the
best he could get. People in general like to be hum-
bugged. If they only get something new or something
they don't know anything about, then they think it
wonderful.

Salt and water should be called salt and water, and
be just as much valued. Let us " call a spade a spade, ' '
the spade will not be more useful by another name,
nor will it be less useful by calling it by its proper
name.

The Sultan, the Arch Polygamist and Emperor William in the

same carriage.

CHAPTER IV

jHEN vehicles were first used is hard
to tell, but we know that they have
been used for thousands of years
before the Christian era. It is easy
to imagine how they looked at that
time, when we know how half-
civilized people now make wagons.
The first vehicle was only a two-wheeled cart called
chariot. Such chariots were used in war and that it
was a case of "great cry and little wool" is certain.

The blacksmith used to be the wagon and carriage
maker. Now it is only a rare case when a blacksmith
makes a carriage, and when it happens most of the
parts are bought. In 1565 the first coach was made in
England.

Now there are hundreds of factories making wagons
and carriages and parts of them for repair use by
blacksmiths and wagon makers. It is no use for any
blacksmith or wagon maker to compete with these
factories. We have neither the means nor the facili-
ties to do it, and have to be content with the repairs
they need. The mo'st important repairs are the set-
ting of tire, welding and setting axle stubs.

72 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

SETTING TIRE

Wagon tire is often set so that more harm than good
is done to the wheel.

In setting- tire the first thing to do is to mark the
tire. Many blacksmiths set tires without marking the
tire. This is poor work. In order to do a good job
the tire should be set so that it is in the same place it
had. There are generally some uneven places in the
fellows and when the tire is set the first time, it is hot
all around and will settle down in these low places.
Now, if the tire is not marked and set back in its exact
bed, it will soon work loose again, and it is liable to
dish the wheel too much as it don't sink into its place,
but is held up in some places. Another thing, when
a tire is worn so that it becomes thin it will settle down
on the outside, especially when the wheel is much
dished. Now if you reverse the tire it will only touch
the fellow on the inner edge of the wheel, and leave
an open space between the fellow and the tire on the
outside. When a wheel has bolts every smith knows
that it will make trouble for him if he don't get the
tire back where it was. In every case take a file or a
chisel and cut a mark in the tire near to the fellow
plates, cut also a light mark in the fellow. These
marks are to be on the inside of the wheel: i, because
it will not be seen on that side; 2, because in putting
the tire on, the wheel should be placed with that side
up. If there are nails in the tire cut them off with a
thin chisel so that it will not mark the fellow, or drive
them into the fellow with a punch. Next, measure

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 73

the wheel with the gauge (the wheel is supposed to be
right, not fellow bound nor any spokes loose in the
tenon). This done, heat the tire and shrink it. If
the wheel is straight give it half an inch draw, some-
times even five-eighths if the wheel is heavy and
strong. But if the wheel is poor and dished, do not
give it more than one-fourth-inch draw. One tire only
with a little draw can be heated in the forge, but if
there is more than one tire heat them outside in a fire
made for this purpose, or in a tire heater.

There are different ways of cooling the tire. Some
smiths have a table in a tank, they place the wheel on
the table and with a lever sink both wheel and tire in
the water. There are many objections to this, i, You
will have to soak the whole wheel; 2, it is inconven-
ient to put the tire on; 3, in order to set the tire right,
it is necessary to reach the tire from both sides with
the hammer; 4, when spokes have a tendency to creep
out, or when the wheel is much dished, the wheel
should be tapped with the hammer over the spokes.
Now, to be able to perform all these moves, one must
have, first, a table; this table to be about twelve
inches high and wide enough to take any wheel, with
a hole in the center of table to receive the hub. On
one side you may make a hook that will fall over the
wheel and hold the tire down while you get it on.
Close to this table have a box 5^ feet long, 12 inches
wide and 12 inches deep. On. each side bolt a piece of
two by six about three feet long. In these planks cut
notches in which you place an iron rod, run through
the hub. On this rod the wheel will hang. The

74 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

notches can be made so that any sized wheel will just
hang down enough to cover the tire in the water. In
this concern you can give the wheel a whirl and it will
turn so swift that there will be water all around the
tire. It can be stopped at any time and the tire set
right, or the spokes tapped. With these accommoda-
tions and four helpers I have set six hundred hay rake
wheels in nine and one-half hours. This was in a
factory where all the tires were welded and the wheels
ready so that it was nothing but to heat the tires and
put them on. I had three fires with twelve tires in
each fire. An artesian well running through the water
box kept the water cool.

If the fire is not hot enough to make it expand a tire
puller is needed. A tire puller can be made in many
ways and of either wood or iron. Buggy tire is more
particular than wagon tire and there are thousand of
buggy wheels spoiled every year by poor or careless
blacksmiths. In a buggy tire one-eighth of an inch
draw is the most that it will stand, while most wheels
will stand only one-sixteenth. If the wheel is badly
dished don't give it any draw at all, the tire should
then measure the same as the wheel, the heat in the
tire is enough.

If the wheel is fellow-bound cut the fellows to let
them down on the spokes.

If the spokes are loose on the tenon wedge them up
tight.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 75

BACK DISHED WHEEL

For a back dished wheel a screw should be used to
set the wheel right. Place the wheel on the table
front side up. Put wood blocks under the fellow to
raise the wheel up from the table. Place a two by
four over the hole under the table; have a bolt long-
enough to reach through the two by four and up
through the hub. a piece of wood over the hub for the
bolt to go through; screw it down with a tail nut.
When the wheel is right, put the tire on. The tire for
such a wheel should have more draw than for a wheel
that is right.

If a buggy wheel has been dished it can be helped a
little without taking the tire off. Place the wheel on
the anvil so that the tire will rest against the anvil.
Don't let the tire rest lengthwise on the anvil. If you
do, the tire will be bent out of shape when you begin
to hammer on it. Use the least surface possible of the
anvil and hammer on the edge of the tire ; the stroke
of the hammer to be such that the blow will draw the
tire out from the fellow. A tire too tight can be
remedied this way.

When bolting a wheel the tire will be out of place
unless the tire has been shrunk alike on both sides of
the fellow plates. A smith used to setting tires will
be able to get the holes almost to a perfect fit. If a
tire is too short, don't stretch it with a sharp fuller
that will cut down into the tire, when the tire is a little
worn it will break in this cut. Draw it out with a wide
fuller and smooth it down with the hammer. If it is

16 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

much too short, weld in a piece. This is easily done.
Take a piece of iron i^-inch thick, the width of the tire
and the length needed, say about three inches. Taper
the ends and heat it to a red heat. Place it on the tire
in the fire and weld. This will give material for
stretching.

If the wheel has a strong back dish it cannot be set
right to stay with the tire alone, as a bump against the
fellow is apt to throw the dish back. It is therefore
safer in all back dished wheels to take the spokes out
of the hole and set them right by wedges in the end of
the spokes. These wedges should not be driven from
outside in but be placed in the end of the spoke so that
they will wedge into the spoke when the same is
driven back into its place. Use glue.

HOW TO PUT ON NEW TIRE

When you have the bar of either steel or iron for the
tire, first see if it is straight, if not be sure to make it.
Next place the tire on the floor and place the wheel on
top of the tire, begin in such a way that the end of the
fellow will be even with the end of the tire. Now roll
the wheel over the tire. If a heavy tire cut it three
inches longer than the wheel, if a thin tire, two inches.
Now bend the tire in the bender. Measure the wheel
with the gauge, then measure the tire ; if it is a heavy
wagon tire and a straight wheel cut the tire one-fourth
of an inch shorter than the wheel. If it is a buggy
tire cut it the size of the wheel. In welding these
tires they will shorten enough to be the size wanted.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 77

HOW TO WELD TIRES

There are many different ideas practiced in welding
tires. One smith will narrow both ends before weld-
ing; another will cut the edges off after it is welded.
This is done to prevent it from spreading or getting
too wide over the weld. I hold that both these ideas
are wrong. The first one is wrong because when the
ends are narrowed down it is impossible to make them
stay together until the weld is taken, especially if it is
a narrow tire. The second idea is wrong because it
cuts off the best part of the weld and weakens it.
Some smiths will split the tires, others will rivet them
together. "This is done to hold the tire in place until
it has been welded. There is no need of this trouble,
but for a new beginner a rivet is all right.

I shall now give my experience in welding tire, and
as this experience has been in a factory where thou-
sands of wheels are made yearly, I suppose it will be
worth something to the reader.

When the tire is ready to weld draw down the ends
and let them swell as much as they want to. Now let
the helper take the end that is to lay on top and pull it
towards the floor, the other end to rest on the anvil.
This will give that end a tendency to press itself
steadily against the lower end. Next place this end
on top of the other end. The ends must now be hot
enough to allow them to be shaped. You will now
notice that the top end is wider than the tire, so is the
lower end. The tire is to be so placed that the swelled
parts reach over and inside of each other a little. Now

78 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

give a couple of blows right over the end of the under
tire. Next tap the swelled sides down over the tire.
This will hold the tire together so that it cannot slip
to either side, and the swelled end of the under tire
will prevent it from pulling out. If the top end has
been so bent that it has a tendency to press down and
out a little, the tire will now be in a good shape to
weld.

Before you put the tire into the fire, let me remind
you of what I have said before about the fire. Many
blacksmiths are never able to weld a tire tight on the
outside because of a poor, low, and unclean fire. If
the fire is too old or too fresh it will not give a good
heat for welding tire. If you have a good big fire high
up from the tuyer, then you are all right. Place your
tire in the fire and proceed as follows: No matter
whether it is an iron or soft steel tire, sand is the best
welding compound and nothing else should be used;
but if you lose the first heat then borax might be used
as it will prevent the tire from scaling and burning.
When you have the right heat, place the tire on the
anvil this way ; let the tire rest against the inside edge
of the anvil. If the lower end of the tire is allowed to
come down on the anvil it will cool off and can never
be welded that way. Now hold the tire this way until
you have the hammer ready to give the first blow.
Then let the tire down and strike the first blows
directly on top and over the end of the under end.
This is important and if the first blows are not directed
to this very place the lower end will be too cool to
weld when you get to it. Next weld down the upper

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 79

end, this done turn the tire on edge and while it is in
a welding heat come down on it heavy with hammer,
if a buggy tire, and with a sledge and hammer if a
heavy wagon tire. Hammer it down until it is con-
siderably narrower over the weld as it will swell out
when dressed down. This way the weld has all the
material in the iron and the lapped lips will help hold
the weld together. A very poor smith can weld tires
to stay in this manner. The edges should be rounded
off with the hammer and filed to make the tire look the
same over the weld as in the iron. If there should be
any trouble to weld a steel tire place a little steel
borings over the weld and use borax.

A blacksmith in Silver Lake, Minn., working for a
wagon maker of that place, when welding a tire failed
entirely after half a dozen attempts, and he got so
angry that he threw the tire down on the floor with all
his might. It happened to crush the wagon makers
big toe. This was more than the otherwise good-
natured man could stand, and instantly the smith was
seen hurled through an open window — the wagon
maker attached. Result: separation and law suit.
All this because the smith had not read my book.

When a light buggy tire is to be set mistakes are
often made in measuring the tire. The tire is too
light in itself to resist the pressure of the gauge. The
smith tries to go it light and if there is not the same
pressure in measuring the tire there was in measuring
the wheel, it will not give the same results; and when
the tire is put on it is either too tight or too loose.
I worked for many years on a tool to hold the tire

So MODERN BLACKSMITHING

Steady in order to overcome this trouble. The only
device that I have ever seen for this purpose before is
the anvil close up to the forge, one side of the tire on
the forge, the -other on the anvil. This arrangement
would crowd the smith, roast his back and expose him
to ridicule, but it will not help to ruin the tire.

The tool I invented is a tire holder made of cast
iron. It consists of a standard or frame with a shank
in to fit in the square hole in the anvil; in the stand-
ard is a slot hole from the bottom up. On the back of
the standard are cogs on both sides of the slot hole.
Through this goes a clutch hub with cogs in to corre-
spond with the cogs in the standard. On the outside
of the standard is an eccentric lever. Through this
lever is a tapered hole to fit over the clutch hub. This
lever is tapered so that it will fit different thicknesses,
while the cogs and eccentric lever will adjust it to dif-
ferent widths. This device is so cheap that any smith
can afford to have it.

Next time you buy a quart of whisky sit down and
figure out which will do 3"ou more good, my tire holder
or the whisky. Figure 7 is an illustration of my
holder. This tool is better than an advertisement in
your local paper, of which the following story will
convince you. A blacksmith in a prohibition county
in a northern Iowa town got into the habit of going
over to a Minnesota town for a keg of beer every
month. On one of his periodical visits to this place
he saw a crowd of men standing around a road grader
in the road. As he approached he found that, the
grader had a serious break-down and the men were

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

just discussing the possibilities of getting the grader
repaired in the village shops. One said no smith
could do it, another thought they could if they only
had tools. "I know a man," said one in the party,

Fig. 7
holmstrom tire holder

"that can if any man can, and he has tools I am sure.
I was over to his shop the other day to have my buggy
tire set, and mind you, he had the slickest tool you
ever saw to hold the tire in ; I never saw a tool like
that before." *'Well," said one, "that has nothing to
do with this case." "Yes it has," said the road boss,

8i' MODERN BLACKSMITHIN(j

"my father always used to say, 'A mechanic is known
by the tools he uses,' and when a smith has good tools
in one line, he has them in another, and I shall give
this man a chance."

Our traveling smith had heard enough. This was a
temperance and tool lecture to him, he began to think
of all the trips he had made to this town. Twelve
trips a year, three dollars a trip for liquor and the time
lost must be worth two dollars per day. He figured
it out and would have turned back if he had not been
so close to the place. He took a glass of beer but it
didn't taste as usual and he asked for a cigar. With
this he returned, and on the road home swore off for
good. He bought a tire holder at once to start in
with, and by this time he is one of the best smiths in
the country, always at his stand ready to do the work
brought to him, and his customers now know that he
is to be found in his place, with tools of all kinds and
a sober hand to use them with. Do thou likewise.

TIRE IN SECTIONS

Many of us remember the time when tires were
made in sections and nailed on, at this time the wheels
were more substantially made, because the tire could
not be set as tight as it is now, and the wheel had to
be made so that it would stand the usage almost
independent of the tire. Our endless tire is a great
improvement over the tires made in sections. The
wagon tires as they are made now are, I think, as near

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

right as they can be, in regard to size of iron, in pro-
portion to the wheel. But it is different with buggy
tires. I hold that they are all made too light to be of
any protection to the fellows. I understand the reason
why they are made this way, but if a man wants a
light rig, let that be the exception and not the rule.

Tire should not be less than one-fourth of an inch
thick for seven-eighths wide, and five-sixteenths for
an inch wide and over.

EXPANSION OF THE TIRE

A tire four feet in diameter will expand two inches
and a quarter, or three-sixteenths of an inch to the
foot. Steel tire expands less. This is the expansion
of red heat. If heated less it expands less, but it is no
trouble to make the tire expand for all the draw it
needs.

84 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

A furnace for tire heating comes handy in cities
where there is no chance for making a fire outside, but
every smith that has room for a fire outside will do
better to heat the tire that way. Don't build a tire-
heating furnace in the shop if wood is to be used for
fuel, because the heat and smoke will turn in your
face as soon as the doors of the furnace are opened.

WELDING AXLES

When a worn buggy axle is to be stubbed, proceed
as follows: First, measure the length of the old axle.
For this purpose take a quarter inch rod of iron, bend
a square bend about an inch long on one end. With
this rod measure from the end of the bearing, that is,
let the hook of your rod catch against the shoulder at
the end where the thread begins, not against the
collars, for they are worn, nor should you measure
from the end of the axle, for the threaded part is not
of the same length. Now place your stub on the end
of the axle and mark it where you want to cut it off.
Cut the axle one-fourth inch longer than it should be
when finished. Next heat the ends to be welded and
upset them so that they are considerably thicker over
the weld; lap the ends like No. i. Figure 6, weld and
use sand, but if the ends should not be welded very
well then use borax. These stubs are made of soft
steel, and will stand a higher heat than tool steel, but
remember it is steel. If the ends have been upset
enough they will have stock enough to draw down on,

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 85

and be of the right length. If this is rightly done
one cannot tell where the weld is. Set the axle by
the gauge, if you have one, if not, by the wheels.

AXLE GAUGE

A gauge to set axles by can be made in this way:
When you have set an axle by the wheels so that it is
right, take a piece of iron ij{xj^, six feet long, bend
a foot on this about six inches long, with a leg on the
other end. See No. 5, Figure 8; the leg to be mov-
able and set either with a wedge or a set screw to fit
for wide and narrow track. The gauge to be set
against the bottom side of the axle. The pitch to be
given a set of buggy wheels should be from one to one
and one-half inches. I would recommend one and a
half inches. This will be enough to insure a plumb
spoke when the vehicle is loaded. It will also insure
safety to the rider from mud slinging. By pitch, I
mean that the wheels are one and a half inches wider
at the upper rim than they^are down at the ground.
Every smith ought to have a gauge of this kind, it is
easy to make and it saves a lot of work, as there is no
use of the wheels being put on and an endless measur-
ing in order to get the axle set right.

GATHER GAUGE

By gather I mean that the wheels should be from
one-fourth to one-half an inch wider back than in
front Don't misunderstand me now. I don't mean

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

that the hind wheels should be wider than the front
wheels, I mean that a wheel should have a little gather
in front, as they are inclined to spread and throw the

Fig. 8

bearing on the nut, while, if they have a little gather,
they will run right, and have a tendency to throw the
bearing on the collars of the axle. If they do they will

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 87

run more steady, especially when the axle is a little
worn.

A gauge for this purpose can be made like Figure 8,
No, 6. This gauge to be fitted to the front side of the
axle when you make it. It can be made of i x ^
about three feet long, the forked end to reach the cen-
ter of the axle. With these two gauges axles can be
set right without the wheels.

' ' The sluggard will not plow by reason of cold; therefore he
shall beg in harvest and have nothing,'' — Proverbs.

CHAPTER V

HOW TO MAKE PLOWSHARES

'HERE are two kinds of shares: lip shares

and bar shares, and they must be treated

differently. We will first treat of bar

shares. The first thing to do when a

plow is brought for a new lay is to look

over the condition of the landside. By

landside is meant the bar to which the share is welded.

Now if this bar is worn down so that you think it too

weak to stand for a new share, then make a new one.

HOW TO MAKE A LANDSIDE

For a 14-inch plow take 2^ x ^, or 2^ x y\. For a
16-inch plow, use 2^ X y\, or 3 x ^^ common iron.
Cut the iron diagonally at the point. This will prepare
a point on each side of the cut; that is, you had better
cut out two landsides at a time. But if you do not
want to do that, then cat the iron off square. Next
take a piece of common iron Z'^V\> ^3 inches long for a
shin; cut this diagonally, and it will make shins for
two. Some plow factories use steel for shins, but that

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

is not necessary, for it will not make the plowshare
any better, but, on the other hand, will be quite a

JOHN DEERE, THE INVENTOR OF STEEL PLOWS

bother when you want to drill a hole for a fincoulter if
it is hardened. Place this shin on the land side of the
landside, and weld. In preparing the shoulder of the

90 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

shin for the plate use a ship upsetter. See No. 3,
Figure 8.

Not one out of 500 blacksmiths have this tool. E very-
smith should have one. You cannot do a good and
quick job without it.

When you shape the point of the landside hold it
vertical, that is, the edge straight up and down, or
plumb. If you don't do this, there will be trouble in
welding, especially if you have held it under. Then
it will lean under the square when welded, and in such
a case it is hard to get a good weld, and if you do you
will break it up when you attempt to set it to the
square. Another thing, don't make much slant on the
landside up at the joint, for, if you do, you can never
weld the share good up there. Give more slant
towards the point. Be sure to have the right curve.
It is very important to have the landside right: i,
Because it is the foundation for the plow; 2, if the
landside is right the start is right, and then there is no
trouble to get the share right. When finished place
the old landside on top of the new, with the upper
edges even; don't go by the bottom edges, as they are
worn. Now mark the hole. You may leave the front
hole for the foot of the beam this time. When holes
are drilled, then put a bolt through the hole of the foot
of beam and landside ; now place the plow on the land-
side and measure 14 inches from the floor up to the
beam. In this position mark the front hole of the foot
of the beam. If the beam has been sprung up you
will now have remedied that. So much about a new
landside. On the other side, if the old landside is not

Modern blacksmithing 91

too much worn to be used, then repair as follows:
Take a piece of ^-inch thick flat iron the width of the
landside about ten inches long. Cut one end off diag-
onally, this end to be flattened down. Why should this
end be cut diagonally? This piece of iron is to be
placed on the inner side of the landside and as far back
as to cover the hole that holds the plate. Now, if this
iron is cut square off, and left a little too thick on that
end, it will cut into the landside and weaken it ; but if
cut diagonally and drawn out thin it will not weaken,
nor can it break when cut in this manner. To be sure
of a good strong weld, upset over the weld. I hold
that this is the most important thing in making a new
lay. "No hoof, no horse" — no landside, no plow.
There are only a few blacksmiths recognizing this fact.
Most of the smiths will simply take a piece of iron
about half an inch square and weld it on top of the
point. This is the quickest way, but it is also the
poorest way, but they cannot very well do it in any
other way, for if you have no shin upsetter to dress
and shape the shoulder for the plate, then it is quite a
job to repair any other way. There are three reasons
why a landside cannot be repaired with a patch on top
of the point: i, The shin or shoulder in an old landside
is worn down sometimes to almost nothing, and the
only way to get stock enough to make a good shoulder
is to put a good-sized piece of iron on the inside, back
and behind this shoulder. If a new plate is to be put
on and this is not done, you will have to draw down
the plate to the thickness of the old shoulder, and in
such a case the plate will add no strength to the share.

02 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

2, The landside is, in many cases, worn down on the
bottom to a thin, sharp edge, and by placing the piece
on top the landside will be as it was on the bottom
side, where it ought to be as thick as you can make it.

3, The weakest place in the landside is just at the
shoulder of the shin, and by placing the piece on top it
will not reach over this weak place, and with a new
long point on, the strain will be heavier than before,
and the landside will either bend or break. I have in
my experience had thousands of plows that have been
broken or bent on account of a poorly-repaired land-
side. Blacksmiths, with only a few exceptions, are all
making this mistake.

The landside is to the plow what the foundation is to
the house. No architect will ever think of building a
substantial house without a solid foundation. No
practical plowsmith will ever try to make a good plow
without a solid landside.

For prairie or brush breakers, where no plate is
used, it will be all right to repair the landside by plac-
ing a piece of iron on top of it, provided it is not much
worn, and the patch reaches back far enough to
strengthen the landside. But even in such cases it is
better to lay it on the inner side.

LANDSIDE POINT FOR SLIPSHARE

We have now learned how to prepare the landside
for a solid or long bar share. We shall now learn how
to make a landside point for slipshares. There are

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 93

smiths that will take the old worn-out stub of a slip-
share point, weld a piece to it, and then weld the share
on. This is very ridiculous and silly. There is noth-
ing left in such a point to be of any use. Make a new
one; be sure to make it high enough — at least half an
inch higher than the share is to be when finished.
This will give you material to weld down on. If the
landside is not high enough the share will be lower —
that is, the joint of the lay will be lower than the joint
of the mouldboard, and it should be the other way.

PLOW OF 200 YEARS AGO

On this point many an old smith and every beginner
makes mistakes, and not only in this case, but in every-
thing else. Whatever you have to make, be sure to
have stock enough to work down on, and you will be
all right. It is better to have too much than not
enough.

In shaping the point remember to hold it perpendic-
ular, and give very little slant up at the joint, but
more towards the point. If too much slant up at the
joint there will be difficulty in welding it. Remember
this. Don't make the point straight like a wedge; if
you do the share will be above the frog. Give it the
same circle it had, and the share will rest solid on the
frog. This is another important point to remember:

94 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

The lay will not have the full strength if it don't rest
on the frog, and it will not be steady, and the plow will
not run good, for in a few days the share flops up and
down.

When a 14-inch share is finished the point, from the
joint of the share to the extreme end of the point,
should be II inches, not longer, and for a 16-inch lay,
12 inches, not longer. The point acts as a lev^er on the
plow, and if it is too long the plow will not work good,
and it is liable to break. Shape the point so that when
you hold it up against the plow it will be in line with
the bottom of the landside, but about half an inch
wider than the landside to weld on. If it is a plow
where, the point of the mouldboard rests on the land-
side point, and it is a double shin, then cut out in the
landside point for the point of the mouldboard to rest
in. See No. i, Figure 9. This will be a guide for you
when welding the share, and it will slip onto the plow
easier when you come to fit it to the same. I think
enough has been said about the landside to give the
beginner a good idea of how to make one. And if the
landside is right, it comes easier to do the rest. In
making a plowshare there are many things to remem-
ber, and one must be on the alert right along, for it
will give lots of trouble if any point is overlooked.

We will now weld a share to a long bar landside.
The landside having been finished and bolted to the
beam or its foot, or to a standard, the share is to be
shaped to fit. Hold the share up to the plow. First
look if the angle for the point is right in the share; if
not, heat the share, and if under the angle wanted

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

upset up at the joint; if over the angle wanted, drive
it back at the point. In doing this hold the edge of
the share over a wooden block instead of the anvil, so
as not to batter the thin edge of the share. If the
share has been upset so that it has a narrow rib along
the point where it is to be welded, draw this down and
make it level. In most blank shares the point should

Fig. 9

be raised to fit the landside point, so that when the
same is placed on the floor the edge of the share will
follow the floor or leveling block (if you have it), from
the heel right up to the point, then it will be easy to
make the edge come down to the square in finishing it
up. If this is not done the edge of the share from the
throat back will generally be too high.

In Figure 9 two shares are represented, one with the
landside point on ready for welding. In this share the
point of the same has been raised so that the share

96 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

comes down to the square in the throat. The other is
a blank share, straight in the point between Nos. 4 and
5, resting on the extreme heel and point with gap
between the edge of share and floor at No. 3. In most
blank shares the point is too straight, and the point
too much bent down at No. 4. Bend the share so that
the whole length from heel to point will follow the
floor. When the share is held in a position as shown
in this cut, don't fit the share to the brace, for in most
old plows the brace has been bent out of shape. Fit
the share to the square, and then fit the brace to the
share, and you are right. Many a blacksmith will
never think of this, but it is important.

Next joint the share; that is, if the joint does not fit
the joint of the mouldboard, make it fit either by filing
or grinding. This done, make the holes, and when you
center-punch for same draw the holes a trifle; that
means make the center mark a little towards the inner
side of the mark, especially for the hole next to the
point. This is also an important point overlooked by
most blacksmiths. The holes that hold the joints
together should act as a wedge. If they don't the
joints will pull apait and leave a gap between, where
dirt and straw will gather, and if a slipshare the share
will soon work loose and the plow will flop.

The holes having been punched and countersunk,
the share should be bolted to the biace. Next put on
the clamp. It is not necessary that the clamp should
be put on while the share is on the plow. I never do
that. I used to for many years, but there is no need
of doing it, for if the share has the right angle it must

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 97

come to its place when even with the point on the out-
side, and a cut. should be made in the landside just at
the place where the point of the mouldboard rests on
same, this cut will also be a guide.

Now a few words concerning the clamp. Figure 8,
No. 7 illustrates a clamp for this purpose. The set
screw at the bottom serves to hold the landside from
leaning over or under, while the setscrew at the upper
end holds the share against the point. If this clamp is
rightly made it works splendid. The clamp should be
placed over the plowshare up at the joint, because the
first heat or weld should be on the point. Some smiths
— well, for a fact, most smiths — take the first weld up
at the joint. This is wrong. The point should be
wielded first. Then you have a chance to set the share
right and fit it snug to the point the whole way up.
You cannot make a good weld if the share does not fit
snug against the landside point, to prevent air and cin-
ders from playing between. Further, the share should
be upset over the weld, when this is not done in the
blank share; the lower corner of the share will pro-
trude over the landside. This should be dressed down
smooth. The next weld should be taken up at the
joint. For welding compound use steel borings and
scales from either steel or iron.

After you have moistened the place where the weld
is to be taken with borax, then fill in between the share
and point with steel borings, and on top of this a little
steel or iron scales. Do not buy any welding com-
pound of any kind, because if you learn to know what
you have in the shop you will find that there never was

98 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

a welding compound made to excel borax, steel scales,
steel or iron boiings, and powdered glass. All these
you have without buying.

In heating go slow. If you put on too strong blast
the share will burn before the iron is hot enough to
weld. When ready to weld let your helper take with
a pair of tongs over the share and landside to hold
them tight together while you strike the first blow.
Use a large hammer and strike with a pressure on the
hammer the first blows, until you are sure it sticks;
then come down on it with force.

I have made it a practice, no matter how good this
weld seems to be, to always take a second weld. This
weld to be a light one. The share and landside are
after the first weld settled, so it takes very little to
weld them then. On the other hand, the first weld
might look to all appearances solid, but it is not
always. With this precaution I never had a share that
ripped open in the weld, while it is a rare thing to find
a share made by a blacksmith that does not rip. Now,
then, weld down toward the point. The point should
not be allowed to have any twist, for if it does, it will
turn the plow over on the side. Now set the edge
right, beginning at the heel. If the share is made for
hard fall plowing give more suction than for a share
for soft spring plowing. Grind and polish before you
harden, and after it is hardened touch it up lightly
with the polish wheel. Much polishing or grinding
after hardening will wear off the case hardening.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 99

SLIPSHARE

We shall now weld a slipshare. When the point is
finished hold it to the plow with a pair of tongs while
you fit the share. When the share is fitted take the
point off from the plow and fasten it to the share with
the clamp. As I have said before, there is no need of
fastening the share to the landside point with the plow
as a guide. If the landside and share are right there
cannot be any mistake, and it comes easier to screw
them together over the anvil. Now proceed as with a
long bar share, and when the weld up at the joint has
been taken, fit the share to the plow while hot. Some
smiths in preparing the landside point for a slipshare
will place the share so that the point is a little too
short back where it rests against the end of the plate.
This is a bad idea. It is claimed that, in welding, the
landside point will swell enough to make it reach up
against the plate. This is true, if the landside point is
only high enough; but if it is low and you lose a heat
in welding, as most smiths do, then your landside point
will be both too low and too short. Thousands of
shares are made every year that have this fault.
Therefore, whatever you are doing have stock enough.
It is easy to cut off from the landside while yet hot,
but it is difficult to repair if too short. No share will
work steadily if the point does not rest right against
the plate.

In blacksmithing, every beginner, and many an old
smith, makes the mistake of providing less stock than
is needed for the work to be done. It is essential to

lOO

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

have material to dress down on ; and if a heat is lust,
or a weld, it will make the stock in the article weaker,
and to meet these exigencies there must be material
from the start, enough for all purposes. There is also

a wide difference of opinion as to whether the share
should be welded at the point or at the joint first.
While I was yet a young man and employed in a plow
factory, I had an opportunity to see the different ideas
set to a test. In the factory the practice was to weld

MODERN BLACKSMITHING loi

the point first. A plowman from another State was
engaged, and he claimed that it would be better to weld
the share first up at the joint. He was given a chance
to prove his assertion, and the result was that 3 per
cent of his shares broke over the inner side of the
landside at the joint in the hardening, and 10 per cent
ripped up in the weld at the same place. These are
results that will always follow this method.

The first, because the share was not upset over the
weld; the second, because a good weld cannot be
taken unless the share is dressed down snug against
the point when hot. As far as the number of shares
welded per day was concerned, this man was not in it.
Still, this man was a good plowman, and was doing
better than I ever saw a man with this idea do before.
For it is a fact, that out of one thousand plowshares
welded by country blacksmiths, nine hundred and
ninety will rip up. I have been in different States,
and seen more than many have of this kind of work,
but, to tell the truth, there is no profession or trade
where there is so much poor work done as in black-
smithing, and especially in plow work. Blacksmiths
often come to me, even from other States, to learn my
ideas of making plowshares. On inquiring, I gener-
ally find that they weld a piece on the top of the old
landside and proceed to weld without touching the
share or trying to fit it at all. We need not be sur-
prised at this ignorance, when we know that it is only
fifty years since John Deere reformed the plow industry
entirely and made the modern plow now in use. It is
impossible for blacksmiths in the country to have

I02 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

learned this part of their business, in so short a time,
successfully. Still, I have seen blacksmiths prosper
and have quite a repiitation as plowmen, while, for a
fact, they never made a plowshare that was, from the
standpoint of a practical plowman, right.

' 'He that tilteth his land shall be satisfied.''' — Proverbs,

CHAPTER VI

HOW TO HARDEN A PLOWSHARE

share is of soft center steel,
harden as follows: First,
;at the whole point to a
very low red heat; then
turn the share face
down, with the heel
over the fire, and the
point in such a posi-
tion that it is about two inches higher than the heel.
This will draw the fire from the heel along towards
the point, and the whole length of the share will be
heated almost in one heat. Be sure to get an even
heat, for it will warp or crack if the heat is uneven.
When the share has a moderate red heat take it out,
and you will notice that it is sprung up along the edge.
This is the rule, but there are exceptions, and the share
is then sprung down. In either case set it right; if
sprung up set it down a little under the square; if
sprung down set it a little over the square. You can-
not with any success set it by a table or leveling block,
because this will, first, cool off the edge, second, it

103

I04 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

mtist be either over or under the square a little.
Therefore, you must use your eye and set the share
with the hammer over the anvil. This done, hold
the share over the fire until it has a low red heat, as
stated before; then plunge it into a tub of hardening
compound, such as is sold by the traveling man, or
sprinkle the share with prussiate of potash and plunge
it into a barrel of salt water.

You will notice that the share will warp or spring
out of shape more in the heating than it does in the
cooling, if the heat is right. Some smiths never look
at the share when hot for hardening, but simply plunge
it into the tub, and then they say it warped in harden-
ing, while it was in the heating. If the share is too
hot it will warp in cooling also.

HOW TO POINT A SHARE

Points are now sold by dealers in hardware, and
every smith knows how they are shaped. There is,
however, no need of buying these; every smith has old
plowshares from which points can be cut, provided you
don't use an old share too much worn. The points
sold are cut with the intention that most of the point
is to be placed on top of the plow point. This is all
right in some instances, while it is wrong in others.
When you cut a piece for a point make it the same
shape at both ends. Now, when a plow needs the
most of the point on top bend the end to be on top
longer than the end to go underneath, and vice versa,

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

105

when the point wants to be heaviest on the bottom
side. I hold that in ordinary cases the most of the
point should be on the bottom side. If it is it will
wear better and keep in the gTOund longer, for as soon
as the point is worn off underneath it comes out of the
ground.

Don't monkey with old mower sections or anything
like them for points, for, although the material is good,
it is not the quality alone but also the quantity that

JAPANESE PLOW

goes to make up a good point. It takes only a few
hours' plowing to wear off a section from the extreme
point of the share, and then there is only the iron of
the plow point left to wear against, and your time
spent for such a point is lost. Another thing, it takes
just as much time to put on such a point as it does to
put on a good one for which you charge the regular
price.

In putting on a point of thin material you must go
unusually slow, or you will burn the steel before the
plow point is hot.

io6

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

Smiths, as a rule, draw out a lound back point.
They seem to be afraid of coming down on the point
with the hammer for fear it will spring the point
towards the land. This can be remedied by using a
wooden block for anvil. Then you can set the point
back without battering the edge of the share. The

BENCH FOR HOLDING PLOWS WITHOUT BEAM

suck of a point should be one-eighth of an inch. Don't
split the steel of the point of a share open and wedge
a point in. Make one long enough to reach around
the point, say from 8 to lo inches long, and you will
have a good substantial job. There is too much
experimenting in putting on points yet, but the method
just described is the only good one.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 107

HOW TO SHARPEN A PLOWSHARE

If the share to be sharpened is a hardened share, and
it is the first time it is sharpened, then be careful not
to heat it too far towards the joint, so as to leave the
temper as much the same as possible. For my part, I
never follow this rule. I heat it as much as is needed
to draw it out good, and then harden it over again.
But beginners can sharpen a new share once without
hardening it over, if the temper is not entirely out of
the share. To sharpen a share without springing it
some is an impossibility. No device will prevent this,
and the only way to set it right is to heat it all over.
In sharpening a share it is drawn out on one side, and
it is natural that that side is made longer, and as a
result the share must warp. In a circular saw it takes
only a couple of blows on one side to get it out of
shape; then what else can we expect in a plowshare,
when all the hammering is done on one side?

Some smiths turn the bottom side of the share up
and hammer on that side, but this is wrong; first,
because in so doing you unshape the share; second,
the scales on the anvil will mark tha face of the share
just as bad as the hammer, so nothing is gained by
this. Place the share on the anvil, face up, and use a
hammer with a big round face, and when you get used
to this, the best result is obtained. D n't draw the
edge out too thin. There is no need of a thin edge on
a plow that has to cut gravel and snags, but for sod
breaking a thin edge is wanted, and the smith has to
use his best judgment even in such a case.

io8 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

HOW TO PUT ON A HEEL

Cut a piece of steel about eight inches long, three
inches wide on one end, and pointed down to a sharp
point on the other. Draw out one side thin to noth-
ing. Next, draw out the heel of the share. Now
place the heel piece on the bottom side of the share,
and hold it in place with a pair of tongs and tong rings.
Take the first heat at the pointed end of the piece,
next heat at the heel, share down, then turn the share
over, heel down; go slow, use borax freely, and place
a little steel borings between the heel piece and the
share. After a little practice almost any smith ought
to be able to put on a heel, while now it is only a few
smiths that can do it. I never put on a heel yet but
the owner of the plow would tell me that other smiths
tell him it cannot be done. When welded good be sure
to get the right shape in the share. Grind and polish
carefully, as the dirt is inclined to stick to the share in
this place more easily than in any other.

HOW TO REPAIR A FLOPPING PLOW

When a plow is flopping or going everywhere so that
the owner don't know what is the matter the fault
should be looked for first in the beam. If the beam is
loose the plow will not run steady, but the reason for
this trouble, in most cases, is in the share. If the
point has too little "suction," and the edge of the share
is too much rolling the plow generally acts this way.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 109

To remedy this, sharpen the share, set the point down,
and the edge of the lay from the point all the way back
to the heel, and the plow will work right.

HOW TO SET A PLOW RIGHT THAT TIPS

ON ONE SIDE

If a plow is inclined to fall over on the right handle,
the fault is in the share. The share in such a case has
too much suction along the edge. Heat the whole
share and roll the edge of it up and the plow will work
all right.

If a plow tips over on the left side handle, the share
in such a case is too much rolled up. Heat it all over
and set the edge down to give it more suction.

WHEN A PLOW RUNS TOO DEEP

There are two reasons for a plow running too deep :
I, If the beam is more than fourteen inches high from
the floor up to the lower side of it, then the beam
should be heated over a place as far back as possible,
and the same set down to its proper place. 2, If the
point of the share has too much suction the plow will
also run too deep. The right suction to give a
plowshare is from )4 to j\ of an inch. If a plow
don't run deep enough with this much as a draw, there
must be something else out of shape; or, if it goes too
deep, the f^ult must be looked for in the beam or in

no MODERN BLACKSMITHING

the tugs with small-sized horses. The point of a share
should never be bent upwards in order to prevent the
plow from going too deep. Set the share right, and if
the plow then goes out of its proper way the fault must
be found somewhere else.

WHEN A PLOW TAKES TOO MUCH LAND

If a 14-inch plow takes too much land the fault is
either in the point of the share or in the beam. The
point of a share should stand one-eighth of an inch to
land, and the beam should stand about three inches to
the right. Tliis will be right for a 14-inch plow and
two horses. If for a 16- inch plow and three horses,
the beam should be in line with the landside.

HOW TO FIX A GANG PLOW THAT RUNS

ON ITS NOSE

When a gang or sulky plow runs on its nose and
shoves itself through the dirt, the fault is with the
share or in the beam. In most cases this fault is a set
back beam, but it might also be the result of a badly-
bent-down and out-of-shape landside point. If it is in
the beam, take it out and heat it in the arch, then
bend it forward until the plow has the right shape, and
it will run right.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING iil

HOW TO HARDEN A MOULDBOARD

To harden a mouldboard is no easy job in a black-
smith's forge, and it is no use trying this in a portable
forge, because there is not room enough for the fire
required for this purpose. First, dig the firepot out
clean, then make a charcoal fire of two bushels of this
coal, have some dry basswood or wood like it, and
when the charcoal begins to get red all over then pile
the wood on the outside corners of the fire. Heat the
point of the mouldboard first, because this being
shinned, it is thicker and must be heated first or it will
not be hot enough ; then hold the mouldboard on the
fire and pile the wood and hot coal on top of it. Keep
it only until red hot in the same place, then move it
around, especially so that the edges get the force of the
fire, or they will be yet cold while the center might be
too hot.

HOW TO PATCH A MOULDBOARD

When the mouldboard is red hot all over sprinkle
with prussiate of potash, and plunge into a barrel of
ice or salt water. A mouldboard will stand a good
heat if the heat is even; otherwise it will warp or
crack. Another way to heat a mouldboard: if you
have a boiler, then fill the fire place with wood and
heat your mouldboard there. This will give you a
very good heat. If it is a shinned mouldboard the
point must be heated first in the forge, then place it
under the boiler for heating. This must be done to

112

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

insure a good heat on the point, which is thicker than
the mouldboard and therefore would not be hot enough
in the time the other parts get hot.

When a mouldboard is worn out on the point a patch
can be put on, if the mouldboard is not too much worn
otherwise. Cut a piece of soft center steel to fit over
the part to be repaired. Draw this piece out thin
where it is to be welded to face of mouldboard. Hold

NO. I.

iiiiimiiimiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHliilllliniMlliniilimiiiitiHtiiniiiiHniiiiminr

NO. Z.

Fig. II

this piece in position while taking the first weld, with
a pair of tongs. Weld the point first, then the edges,
last the center. The patch should be welded to face
of mouldboard. When the last weld is taken place the
mouldboard face up, with some live coal over it, in the
fire ; use borax freely, and, when ready to weld, weld
the patch while the mouldboard is in the fire, using a
^ rod of round iron as a hammer with one end of it
bent for this purpose. When the patch is thus welded
in its thinnest place then take it out and weld on the
anvil. In heating for the weld never place the patch
down towards the tuyer, for there the blast will make

MODERN BLACKSMITHING ii^

it scale, and it will never weld this way. Remember
this in all kinds of welding.

Figure iiA represents two shares. No. i represents
a share set for spring plowing, when the ground is soft.
Notice the heel of the share following the square for
about one inch at c, while the heel in No. 2 rests with
the extreme edge on the square, and is set for fall
plowing, when the ground is hard. The line between
a and b shows the suction at d, which is not more than
an eighth of an inch. Breaking plows and large plows
which are run shallow should have a wide bearing at c.
In breaking plows the heel will sometimes have to be
rolled up a little at this place.

'The reason inosi men do not accomplish more is because they

do not atte?nj>t more.**

CHAPTER VII

MOWER SECTIONS

N filling a sickle bar there are two ways to
remove the old sections. One way is to
punch the rivets out, but in every case
where the back of the section sticks out
over the sickle bar they can be removed
easier in this way : Just open the vise enough to receive
the section, then strike with the hammer on the back
of the section, and this blow will cut the rivets off.
You can cut out ten to one by this method to any other.
Sometimes the sickle bar is bent out of shape in the
fitting. To straighten it place the sickle on the anvil,
sections down ; now strike with the hammer so that it
will touch the bar only on one half of its face, the blow
to be on the inner side of the curve.

BABBITING

When a box is to be babbited the first thing to do is
to clean the box If it can be placed over the fire the
old babbit with melt out easily. If the box cannot be
hsld over the fire, then chisel the old babbit out. At

114

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 115

each end of the box there is a ridge to hold the babbit
in the box; that is, in cast iron boxes. On top of this
ridge place a strip of leather as thick as you want the
babbit to be. This done, place the shaft in the box.
Pour the babbit in level with the box. Be careful
about having the box dry; if any dampness is in the
box the babbit will explode. Now place a thick paper
on each side of the box and put on the top box, with
the bolts in to hold it in place tight, then close up at
the ends with putty. In some cases it is best to heat
the box a little, for if the box is cold and there is little
room for the babbit it will cool off before it can float
around. In such a case the boxes should be warm and
the babbit heated to a red heat. Now pour the babbit
in through the oil hole.

In cases where there are wooden boxes, and the
babbit is to reach out against the collars, the shaft
must be elevated or hung on pieces of boards on each
side with notches in for the shaft to rest in. Use putty
to fill up and make tight, so that the babbit must stay
where wanted. For slow motion babbit with a less-
cooling percentage (tin) ; for high speed, more-cooling
(tin). Grooves may be cut in the bottom box for oil.
When a shaft is to be babbited all around in a solid
box the shaft is inclined to stick in the babbit. To
prevent this smoke the shaft a little and have it warm.
When cool it will come out all right. Or wind thin
paper around the shaft, the paper to be tied with
strings to the shaft.

ii6 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

ANNEALING

By gradually heating and cooling steel will be soft-
ened, brittleness reduced, and flexibility increased. In
this state steel is tough and easiest drilled or filed.
Tool steel is sometimes too hard to drill or file without
first annealing it; and the best way to do this is to
slowly heat to a red heat, then bury the steel in the
cinders and let it cool slowly. To heat and let the
steel cool exposed to the air will do no good, as it cools
off too quick, and when cool the steel is as hard as
ever. This is air temper.

HOW TO REPAIR BROKEN COGS

Cogs can be inserted in a cogwheel in different ways.
If the rim of the wheel is thick enough a cog can be
dovetailed in. That is, cut a slot in the rim from the
root of the cog down, this slot to be wider at the bot-
tom. Prepare a cog the exact size of the cogs, but just
as much deeper as the slot. Before you drive this cog
in, cut out a chip on each end of the slot, and when the
cog is driven in you can clinch the ends where you cut
out. This will make a strong cog, and if properly
made will never get loose.

Another way: If the rim is thin, then make a cog
with a shank on, or a bolt cog. If the rim is wide
make two bolts. The cog can be either riveted or
fastened with nuts. If only one shank is made, the
same must be square up at the cog, or the cog will

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 1 17

turn and cause a breakdown. But a shallow slot can
be cut in the rim to receive and hold the cog, and then
a bolt shank will hold it in place, whether the shank is
round or square.

HOW TO RESTORE OVERHEATED STEEL

H steel has been burnt the best thing to do is to
throw it in the scraps; but if overheated it can be
improved. Heat to a low red heat, and hammer
lightly and cool off in salt water, while yet hot enough
to be of a brown color. Repeat this a half a dozen
times, and the steel will be greatly bettered. Of
course, this is only in cases when a tool or something
like it has been overheated which cannot be thrown
away without loss. By this simple method I have
restored tools overheated by ignorant smiths, and in
some cases the owner would declare that it was "bet-
ter than ever."

HOW TO DRESS AND HARDEN STONE

HAMMERS

Care must be taken in heating stone hammers not to
overheat them. Dress the hammer so that the edges
are a little higher than the center, thus making a slight
curve. A hammer dressed this way will cut better
and stay sharp longer than if the face is level. Dress
both ends before hardening, then harden face end
first. Heat to a red heat, and cool off in cold water

ii8 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

about one inch up, let the temper return to half an
inch from the face, that is, draw the temper as much
as you can without changing the temper at the face.
There it should be as hard as you can make it. When
heating the peen end keep a wet rag over the face to
prevent it from becoming hot. This end should not be
tempered quite as hard as the face.

HOW TO DRILL CHILLED CAST IRON

Chilled cast iron can be easily drilled if properly
annealed, but it cannot be annealed simply by heating
and slowly cooling. Heat the iron to a red heat and
place it over the anvil in a level position ; place a piece
of brimstone just where the hole is to be drilled, and
let it soak in. If it is a thick article place a piece on
each side over the hole, as it will better penetrate and
soften the iron. Next, heat it again until red, then
bury it in the cinders, and let it cool slowly. To heat
and anneal chilled iron is of no avail unless it is allowed
to remain hot for hours. Chilled iron will, if heated
and allowed to cool quick, retain its hardness. The
only way to anneal is to let it remain in the fire for
hours. Brimstone will help considerably, but even
with that it is best to let cool as slowly as your time
will admit.

HOW TO DRILL HARD STEEL

First, make your drill of good steel, oval in form,
and a little heavier than usual on point, and temper as

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 119

hard as it will without drawing the temper, the heat to
be a low red cherry. Diluted muriatic acid is a good
thing to roughen the surface with where you want the
hole. Use kerosene instead of oil, or turpentine. The
pressure on the drill should be steady so that it will
cut right along as it is hard to start again if it stops
cutting, but if it does, again use diluted muriatic acid.
The hole should be cleaned after the use of the acid.

FACTS ABOUT STEEL

I have repeatedly warned against overheating steel.
Don't heat too fast, for if it is a piece of a large dimen-
sion the outside corners will be burnt, while the bar is
yet too cool inside to be worked. Don't let steel
remain for any length of time in the fire at a high heat,
for both steel and iron will then become brittle. This
is supposed by some to be due to the formation of oxide
disseminated through the mass of the metal, but many
others believe that a more or less crystalline structure
is set up under the influence of a softening heat, and is
the sole cause of the diminution in strength and tenac-
ity. The fiber of the steel is spoiled through over-
heating; ■ this can, to some extent, be remedied by
heavy forging if it is a heavy bar.

Steel is harder to weld than iron, because it contains
less cinders and slag, which will produce a fusible fluid
in iron that will make it weld without trouble. Steel
contains from 2 to 25 per cent carbon, and varies in
quality according to the per cent of carbon, and it is

I20 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

claimed that there are twent}" different kinds of steel.
To blacksmiths only a few kinds are known, and the
sturdy smith discards both "physical tests and chem-
ical analysis," and he thinks he knows just as much as
do those who write volumes about these tests.

To weld tool steel, or steel of a high per cent of car-
bon, borax must be used freely to prevent burning and
promote fusing. Steel with less carbon, or what smiths
call "soft steel," "sleigh steel," should be welded with
sand only. This soft steel stands a higher heat than
the harder kinds.

Good tool steel will break easy when cold if it is cut
into a little with a cold chisel all around, and the bar
then placed with the cut over the hole in the anvil, the
helper striking directly over the hole. If it is good
steel it will break easy, and the broken ends are fine
grain, of a light color. If it* shows glistening or glit-
tering qualities it is a bad sign.

Good steel will crumble under the hammer when
white hot.

To test steel draw out to a sharp point, heat to a red
heat, cool in salt water; if it cuts glass it is a steel of
high hardening quality.

For armor piercing, frogs, tiles, safes, and crushing
machinery, alloy steel is used. This steel contains
chromium, manganese or nickel, which renders it
intensely hard. Tungsten is another alloy that is used
in iron-cutting tools, because it does not lose its hard-
ness by friction. Smiths should know more about
steel than they do, and we would have steel to suit
every need. As it is now, any poor stuff is sent to the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 121

smith. The same can be said of iron. The American
wrought iron is the poorest iron that ever got the name
of iron, but there are thousands of smiths using this
stuff with great difficulty without ever a word said as a
protest against the manufacture of the rotten material.
We often get iron that is too poor to bend hot with-
out breaking. Let us register a kick, and if that has
no effect let us try to abolish the tariff, and there will
be good iron manufactured in this country, or the
Swedish and Norwegian iron will be used. But the
result will be the same with iron as with the matches:
the American manufactories will make good iron when
they have to. We get iron and steel that is both
"cold-shot and hot-shot." The former breaks easy
when cold, the latter when hot. We have meat and
wheat inspectors; where is the iron inspector? Farm-
ers know enough to ask for protection, but blacksmiths
will never say a word. They use the cold-shot or hot-
shot iron, and when they have spent half a day in com-
pleting a little intricate work it breaks in their hands
because of iron that is either cold or hot shot, "'^nsist
on good iron, and the steel will also be good. Deduct
a little every year from the amount due your jobber for
poor iron, and you can be sure if this is done by a few
thousand smiths it will have effect.

HOW TO WELD CAST IRON

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as welding
cast iron. The best that can be done is to melt it
together; but this is simply accidental work, and when

122 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

done don't amount to anything. Still, I have never
met a blacksmith yet who could not weld cast iron, but,
at the same time, I have j^et to meet the man that can
do it; and I will give twenty-five dollars to the smith
that will give me a receipt for welding cast-iron shoes
that will be useful when welded. All receipts I have
seen for this purpose are simply bosh.

Malleable iron is a different thing. Many smiths
weld malleable iron and think it is cast iron. "The
wish," in such a case, "is the father of the thought,"
but to weld malleable iron is not more difficult than to
weld soft steel. Malleable iron when good, and steel
when soft, are about the same thing. I would there-
fore advise smiths to spend no time in welding cast
iron. Nothing will be gained even if you should suc-
ceed in sticking it enough to haug together. It will in
most cases be useless, because it will not be of the
same shape as before.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

123

handle is broken use rock
salt and powdered glass
as a welding- compound.
Stick the ends together in
the fire. When they are
about ready to melt tap
lightly on one end while
your helper holds the
other end steady. In
one case out of a hun-
dred it will stick enough
to hang together. If
you have nothing else to do this will be a nice thing to
kill time with

CASE HARDENING

Iron and steel may be case hardened with either of
the following compounds: Prussiate of potash, sal-
ammoniac of equal parts. Heat the iron red hot and
sprinkle it with this compound, then heat again and
sprinkle, and plunge it while yet hot in a bath of salt
water.

Another: Cyanide of potassium; grind it into a fine
powder and sprinkle over the iron while red hot, and
plunge into a bath of salt water. This powder will

1^4 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

coagulate if it is held against the fire so it gets warm.
Be careful with this powder, as it is a strong poison.
It is the best thing that I have ever tried for case hard-
ening iron. It will case harden the softest iron so that
it cannot be touched with any tool. It is also good for
plows, especially where it is hard to make a plow
scour. The only objection is the price, as it costs more
than prussiate of potash or other hardening com-
pounds.

HOW TO HARDEN SPRINGS

Heat to a heat that will be discerned in the dark as
a low red heat. Plunge into a bath of lukewarm
water. Such a heat cannot be noticed in a light sunny
day, but it is just the heat required. Of course, it is
the smith with practice who succeeds, as with every-
thing else.

Another way: Heat to a low red heat and bury the
spring in cold sand. Another : Heat to a low red heat
in the dark, and cool in oil.

TO MAKE STEEL AND IRON AS WHITE AS

SILVER

Take i pound of ashes from white ash bark, dissolve
in soft water. Heat your iron red, and cool in this
solution, and the iron will turn white as silver.

UODERN BLACKSMITHINC^ 125

TO MEND BROKEN SAWS

Silver, 15 parts; copper, 2 parts. These should be
filed into powder and mixed. Now place your saw
level with the broken ends tight up against each other;
put a little of the mixture along the seam, and cover
with powdered charcoal; with a spirit lamp and a
blowpipe melt the mixture, then with the hammer set
the joint smooth.

TO MEND A BAND SAW

If a band saw is broken file the ends bevel, and lap
one end over the other far enough to take up one
tooth ; place the saw in such a position that the saw
will be straight when mended ; use silver, copper and
brass; file into a fine powder; place this over the joint
and cover with borax. Now heat two irons one inch
square, or a pair of heavy tongs, and place one on each
side of the joint, and when the powdered metal is
melted have a pair of tongs ready to take hold over the
joint with while it cools. File off and smooth the
sides, not leaving the blade any thicker than in other
places.

126

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

TO WRITE YOUR NAME ON STEEL

AKE of nitric
acid 4 ozs. ;
muriatic acid,
. Mix together,
cover the place
wish to write on
beeswax, the
teswax to be warm
when applied.
When it is cold,
write your name
with a sharp instru-
ment. Be sure to write
so that the steel is dis-
cernible in the name.
Now apply the mixture
with a feather, well fill-
ing each letter. Let the
mixture remain about five
minutes or more, according
to the depth desired; then wash off the acid; water
will stop the process of the same. When the wax is
removed, the inscription is plain.

"Z>^ man who confesses his ignorance is 07t the road to

wisdom,*'

CHAPTER VIII

HOW TO PATCH A BOILER

By H. Moen, Machinist, Cresco, Iowa.

^pHEN the leak or weak place in the
boiler is found, take a ripping chisel
and cut out all of the weak, thin and
cracked parts. This done, make the
patch. The patch must be large,
not less than an inch lap on all sides,
but if double rows of rivets are wanted the lap
should be two inches on all sides. Bevel or scrape the
patch on all edges to allow calking. The bolt holes
should be about two inches apart and countersunk for
patch bolts, if patch bolts are used. Next, drill two
holes in the boiler shell, one on each side of the patch,
and put in the bolts. These bolts should be put in to
stay and hold the patch in position while the rest of
the holes are drilled and bolted. When the bolts are
all in, take your wrench and tighten the bolts one after
the other, harder and harder, striking at the same
time on the patch around its edges. At last strike
light on the bolt heads when you tighten and draw the
bolt until its head breaks off. These bolts are made

127

128 Modern bi^acksmithino

for this purpose and in such a shape that the head will
break at a high strain. This done use the calking
iron all around the patch.

The patch should be put on the inside of the boiler,
especially if on the bottom of a horizontal boiler. If
the patch is put on the outside in this place the sedi-
ment or solid matter which the water contains will
quickly fill up over the patch and there is danger of
overheating the boiler and an explosion may follow.

HOW TO PUT IN FLUES

The tools necessary to retube an old boiler are, first,
a good expander of the proper size ; a roller expander
preferred; a crow foot or calking iron, made from good
tool steel. A cutting-off tool can be made to do very

TUBE TO BE WELDED

good service, in the following manner: Take a piece
of steel, say 3^ x i}^, about ten inches long. Draw one
end out to a sharp point and bend to a right angle of a
length just enough to let it pass inside of the flue to be
cut. A gas pipe can be used for a handle. In cutting
the flues set this tool just inside the flue sheet and
press down on the handle. If this tool is properly
made it cuts the old flues out with ease. After both
ends have been cut the fl.ues will come out.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 129

Next, cut the tubes about ^ of an inch longer than
the flue sheet. After the tubes are cut the proper
length, and placed in the boiler, expand the same in
both ends with a flue expander. After the flues are
expanded until they fit the holes solid, tuin them over
with the peen of a hammer to make them bell shaped.
Now take a crows-foot, or calking tool, and turn the

TUBE EXPANDER

ends in a uniform head and tight all around. If the
flues should leak, and there is water on the boiler take
a boiler expander and tighten them up. But never
attempt to tighten a flue with the hammer if there is
water on the boiler.

HOW TO WELD FLUES

In welding flues or putting new tips on old flues, you
must find out how far the old tubes are damaged, and
cut that part off. Next clean the scales off in a tumb-
ling box; if you have none, with an old rasp.

Now take a piece of tubing the size of the old, and
scarf the ends down thin, the new tube to go over the
old and drive them together. In welding a rest can be
made in the forge to push the tube against while weld-
ing, to prevent the pieces from pulling apart. A
three-eighths rod, with thread on one end and a head

I30 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

on the other, run through the flue will be found handy
for holding the pipes or flues together. In welding
these together don't take them out of the fire and
strike with a hammer, but take a rod ^-inch round,
and bend one end to serve as a hammer. Strike with
this hammer lightly over the lap, at the same time
turning the flue around in the fire. Use borax to pre-
vent the flue from scaling and burning.

FOAMING IN BOILERS

There are many reasons for foaming in boilers, but
the chief reason is dirty water. In some cases it is
imperfect construction of boiler, such as insufficient
room for the steam and a too small steam pipe or dome.
When a boiler is large enough for the steam and clean
water is used there is no danger of foaming. When
more water is evaporated than there is steam room or
heating surface for, then the boiler will foam. When
a boiler is overworked more steam than its capacity
will admit is required, and the engine is run at a high
speed, the steam will carry with it more water than
usual.

When a boiler foams shut the throttle partly to
check the outflow of steam and lessen the suction of
water, because the water is sucked up and follows the
sides of the dome up.

If the steam pipe in the dome sticks through the
flange a few inches the water will not escape so easy.
A boiler that is inclined to foam should not be filled

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 131

too full with dirty water; if it is it is best to blow off a
little. Foul water can be cleaned by different meth-
ods before it enters the boiler, so as to prevent foam-
ing and scaling.

BLOWING OUT THE BOILER

A boiler should not be blowed out under a high
steam pressure, because the change is so sudden that
it has a tendency to contract the iron, and if repeated
often the boiler will leak. If it is done when there is
brickwork around the boiler and the same is hot it will
in a short time ruin the boiler. In such a case the
boiler should not be blowed out for hours after you
have ceased firing.

'A trained 7na7i will 7nake his life tell: without training we
are left on a sea of luck, where thousands go down
while one ?neets with success,'' — Garfield.

CHAPTER IX

AA— ^ATTT-^

THE HORSE

jHE horse must have been one of the
first animals subjected to the use
of man, but there is no record made
of it before the time of Joseph, dur-
ing the great famine in Egypt, when
Joseph exchanged bread for horses.
During the exodus horses were used
more extensively, and in consequent wars we find the
horse used especially by great men and heroes. This
noble animal has always been held in high esteem by
civilized people. In wars and journeys and exploits,
as well as for transports, the horse is of immeasurable
value. No people cared for and loved this animal as
did the Arabs. The care and breeding of horses was
their main occupation, therefore their horses were
noted for intelligence, high speed and endurance.
The English and American thoroughbred has an
infusion of blood of the Arab horse, which has set the
price on these animals. Pedigrees were first estab-
lished by the Arabs.

Each country has its own breed of horses. Horses

132

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

^33

of a cold climate are smaller in size, as also are the
horses of the tropics. The best horses are found in
the temperate zone. In Germany the horses are large,
well formed and strong. Norway and Sweden have a

Fig. 3.

race of little horses, and not until a few years ago did
the people of these countries know anything about
pedigrees; their horses are spirited and stronger in
porportion to the size than any other race of horses.
In Sweden and Norway the farmer, with wife and
children, will walk many miles Sunday to church,

134

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

while the horses roam in. the pasture or stand in the
stable. Some farmers will not hire out their team for
money. The horses of these countries are better taken

FIG. 51.

-TOE AND SIDE WEIGHT AND PLAIN RACING PLATES, AS
MANUFACTURED BY BRYDEN HORSE SHOE CO.

care of than anywhere else, of course with the excep-
tion of American race horses.

HORSE-SHOEING

The horse in a wild state needs no shoes, the wear
and tear that the feet are subjected to while the horse
is hunting- for his food in a wild country on soft mead-
ows, is just right to keep the hoofs down in a normal
condition. But when the horse is in bondage and must
serve as a burden-carrying animal, traveling on hard

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

135

roads or paved streets, the horse must be shod to pre-
vent a foot wear which nature cannot recuperate.
Horseshoes were first -made of iron in 480 A. D.
Before that time, and even after, horseshoes have
been made of leather and other materials.

FIG. 52. — TOE AND SIDE WEIGHT AND PLAIN RACING PLATES, AS
MANUFACTURED BY BRYDEN HORSE SHOE CO.

ANATOMY

It is necessary in order to be a successful horse-shoer
to know something- about the anatomical construction
of the feet and legs of the horse. Of course, any little
boy can learn the names of the bones and tendons in
a horse's foot in an hour, but this does not make a
horse-shoer out of him. No board of examiners should

136

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

allow any horse-shoer to pass an examination merely
because he can answer the questions put to him in
regard to the anatomy of the horse, for as I have said
before, these names are easily learned, but practical

FIG. 53. — TOE AND SIDE WEIGHT AND PLAIN RACING PLATES, AS
MANUFACTURED BY BRYDEN HORSE SHOE CO.

horse-shoeing is not learned in hours ; it takes years of
study and practice.

It is not my intention to treat on this subject. I could
not; first, because there is not room for such a dis-
course, second, there are nuinerous books on the sub-
ject better than I could write, available to every

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 137

horse-shoer. I shall only give a few names of such
parts of the anatomy as is essential to know. What
the horse-shoer wants to know is the parts of the foot
connected with the hoof, as his work is confined solely
to the foot.

FIG. 54. —TOE AND SIDE WEIGHT AND PLAIN RACING PLATES, AS
MANUFACTURED BY BRYDEN HORSE SHOE CO.

THE WALL

The wall or crust is the horny sheath incasing the
end of the foot, in the front and on the sides from the
coronet to the ground. It is through this crust the
nail is driven, and it is upon this crust the shoe rests.
In front it is deepest, towards the quarter and heel it
becomes thinner. It is of equal thickness from the
upper end to the ground (from top to bottom). The
white corored wall is the poorest, while the iron col-
ored wall is the toughest. The growth of the wall is

138 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

different at different ages. It grows more in a young
horse and colt than in an old horse ; in a healthy foot
and soft, than in a diseased foot and hard. In a young
horse the hoof will grow about three inches in a year
and even more, while it grows less in an old horse.
The wall is fibrous, the fibers going parallel to each
other from the coronet to the ground.

THE SOLE

The horny sole is the bottom of the foot. This sole
is fibrous like the wall The sole is thickest at the
border, where it connects with the wall, and thinnest
at the center. The sole when in a healthy condition
scales off in flakes. This scale is a guide to the farrier
whereby he can tell how much to pare off. There are
different opinions in regard to the paring of the sole,
but that is unnecessary, for nature will tell how much
to cut off in a healthy foot. In a diseased foot it is
different ; then the horse-shoer must use his own good
judgment. It is, however, in very few cases that the
shoer needs to do more than just clean the sole.
Nature does the scaling off, or paring business, better
than any farrier.

THE FROG

The frog is situated at the heel and back part of the
hoof, within the bars; the point extending towards the
center of the sole, its base filling up the space left
between the inflection of the wall. This body is also
fibrous. The frog is very elastic and is evidently
designed for contact with the ground, and for the pre-
vention of jars injurious to the limbs.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 139

CORONET

Coronet is the name of the upper margin of the foot,
the place where the hair ceases and the horny hoof
begins.

THE QUARTER

The quarter means a place at the bottom of the wall,
say, about one-third the length from the heel towards
the toe.

THE BARS

By the bars we mean the horny walls on each side of
the frog, commencing at the heel of the wall and
extending towaids the point of the frog.

Any blacksmith or horse-shoer desiring to study
more thoroughly the anatomy of the horse should pro-
cure a book treating on this subject.

HOW TO MAKE THE SHOE

It is only in exceptional cases that the shoer turns or
makes a shoe. The shoes are now already shaped,
creased and partly punched, so all that is needed is to
weld on the toe calk and shape the heel calks.

Heat the shoe at the toe first, and when hot bend
the heels together a little. This is done because the
shoes will spread when the toe calk is welded on, and
the shoe should not be too wide on the toe, as is mostly
the case. If the shoe is narrow at the toe it is easier
to fit the same to the foot and get the shoe to fill out
on the toe. Many smiths cut too much off from the

140 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

toe. Before the toe calk is driven onto the shoe bend
it a little so as to give it the same curve the shoe has,
and the comers of the calk will not stick out over the
edge of the shoe. Now place the shoe in the fire, calk
up. Heat to a good low welding heat, and use sand
for welding compound. Don't take the shoe out of the
fire to dip it in the sand, as most shoers do, for you
will then cool it off by digging in the cold sand, of
which you will get too much on the inner side of the
calk. The same will, if allowed to stay, make the calk
look rough. You will also have to make a new place
for the shoe in the fire, which will take up a good deal
of time, as the new place is not at once so hot as the
place from which the shoe was taken; besides this,
you might tear the calk off and lose it. When hot
give a couple of good blows on the calk and then draw
it out. Don't hold the heels of the shoe too close to
the anvil when you draw out the calk, for if you do the
calk will stand under, and it should be at a right angle
with the shoe. Do not draw it out too long, as is
mostly done. Punch the hole from the upper side
first. Many first-class horse-shoers punch only from
that side, while most shoers punch from both sides.

There is no need of heating the shoe for punching
the holes. Punch the holes next to the heel first, for
if you punch the holes next to the toe when the shoe is
hot, the punch will be hot, upset and bent. If it is a
large shoe, punch only two holes on each side for the
toe calk heat. These holes to be the holes next to the
toe when the shoe is hot, and then punch the other two
when you draw out the heel calks, and the shoe is hot

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 141

at the heel. The heel calks should be as short as you
can make them ; and so should the toe calks. I know
but a few hoise-shoers that are able to weld on a toe
calk good. The reason for their inability is lack of
experience in general blacksmithing. Most shoers
know not how to make a fire to weld in. They are too
stingy about the coal; try to weld in dirt and cinders,
with a low fire, the shoe almost touching the tuyer
iron. I advise all horse-shoers to read my article
about the fire.

I have made a hammer specially for horse-shoeing
with a peen different from other hammers. With this
hammer the beginner will have no trouble in drawing
out the calks. See Figure 8, No. 8. The hammers as
now used by most smiths are short and clumsy; they
interfere too much with the air, and give a bump
instead of a sharp cutting blow that will stick to the
calk.

The shoe should be so shaped at the heel as to give
plenty of room for the frog; the heels to be spread out
as wide as possible. This is important, for if the shoe
is wide between the heels the horse will stand more
firm, and it will be to him a comfortable shoe. The
shoe should not be wider between the calks at the
expense of same, as is done by some shoers, for
this is only a half calk, and the heel is no wider. The
shoe should not be fitted to the foot when hot, as it
will injure the hoof if it is burned to the foot.

142 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

HOW TO PREPARE THE FOOT FOR THE

SHOE

The foot should be level, no matter wh^t the fault is
with the horse. The hoof should not be cut down
more than the loose scales will allow. In a healthy
condition this scale is a guide. When the foot is dis-
eased it is different, and the shoer must use his own
judgment.

The frog never grows too large. It should never be
trimmed more than just to remove any loose scales.

The frog in its functions is very important to the
well-being of the foot. In the unshod foot it projects
beyond the level of the sole, always in contact with the
ground; it obviates concussion; supports the tendons;
prevents falls and contraction. The bars are also of
importance, bracing the hoof, and should never be cut
down as has been the practice for centuries by igno-
rant horse-shoers.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

143

FORGING

Forg-ing or overreaching is a bad habit, and a horse
with this fault is now very valuable. This habit can
be overcome by shoeing; but it will not be done by
making the shoes short on the heel in front and short
in the toe behind. Never try this foolish method.

"To overcome forging the shoer should know what
forging is. It is this: The horse breaks over with his

hind feet quicker than he breaks over with the front
feet; in other words, he has more action behind than
in front, and the result is that the hind feet strike the
front feet before they can get out of the way, often
cutting the quarters badly, giving rise to quarter cracks
and horny patches over the heel.

Some writers make a difference between forging and
overreaching, but the cause of the trouble is the same
— too much action behind in proportion to the front;
and the remedy is the same — retard the action behind,

144

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

increase it in front. There are different ideas about
the remedy for this fault.

One method is to shoe heavy forward and light
behind, but this is in my judgment a poor idea,
although it might help in some cases. Another way is

RIGHT FITTING

TOE TIP

WRONG FITTING

to shoe with side weight on the outer side behind, but
it is not safe, because it is difficult to get a horse to
throw the foot out to one side enough so as to pass by
the front foot except in a high trot.

The best way to shoe a forger or overreaching
horse is to make a shoe for front of medium heft, not
longer than just what is needed. The toe calk should

MODERN BLACKSMITHING ^^

be at the inner web of the shoe, or no toe calk at al"!.
or, toe weight, to make the horse reach farther.

It will sometimes be found that the hind foot is
shorter than the front foot. To find this out, measure
from the coronet to the end of the toe. The shorter
the- foot the quicker it breaks over. If it is found that
the hind foot is shorter than the front foot, then the
shoe should be made so that it will make up for this.
Let the shoe stick out on the toe enough to make the
foot of equal length with the front foot. It is well in
any case of forging to make the hind shoe longer on
the toe. If the hind shoe is back on the foot, as is
often done, it will only make the horse forge all the
more, for it will increase action behind, the horse
breaks over quicker, and strikes the front foot before
it is out of the way. Set the shoe forward as far as
possible, and make long heels. The longer the shoe is
behind the longer it takes to raise the foot and break
over.

Clack forging is meant by the habit of clacking the
hind and fore shoes together. This kind of forging is
not serious or harmful ; it will only tend to wear off the
toe of the hind foot and annoy the driver, possibly a
little fatiguing to the horse.

The position of the feet at the time of the clack is
different from that it is supposed to be. The toe of
the hind feet is generally worn off, while no mark is
made on the front feet. From this you will understand
that the hind feet never touch the heel of the front
feet, but the shoe. Just at the moment the fore foot
is raised up enough on the heel to give room for the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

liiiid foot to wedge in under it the hind foot comes
flying- under the fore foot, and the toe of the hind foot

strikes the web of the toe on the front foot. This is
the reason no mark is seen on the front foot, while the
hind foot is badly worn off.

INTERFERING

Interfering is a bad fault in a horse. It is the effect
of a variety of causes. In interfering the horse brushes
the foot going forward against the other foot. Some
horses strike the knee, others above it, the shin or cor-
onet,' but in most cases the fetlock.

Colts seldom interfere before they are shod, but
then they sometimes interfere because the shoes are
too heavy. This trouble disappears as soon as the
colt is accustomed to carrying the shoes. Weakness is

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

147

the most common cause. Malformation of the fetlock
is another cause. The turning in or out of the toes,
giving a swinging motion to the feet, is also conducive
to interfering.

The first thing to do is to apply a boot to the place
that is brushed. Next, proceed to remove the cause
by shoeing, or by feeding and rest in cases of weak-
ness. Nothing is better than flesh to spread the legs

NATURAL FOOT

with. Some old horse-shoers in shoeing for interfer-
ing will turn the feet so as to turn the fetlock out.
This is done by paring down the outside and leaving
the inside strong. This is a bad way of shoeing for
interfering, as it might ruin the horse. The foot
should be leveled as level as it is possible. The inner
side of the hoof should be scant; instead of being
curved it should be almost straight, as the horse gen-
erally strikes with the side of the hoof or quarter.
This is done to make a side - weight shoe, the side

148 " MODERN BLACKSMITHING

weight not to reach over the center of the shoe, but to
be only on one side. Put the shoe on with the weight
on the outer side. If the horse still interferes, give
more side weight to the shoe, and make the heel on the
outer side about one and one-quarter inch longer than
the inside heel; give it an outward turn. This heel
will prevent the horse from turning the heel in the
way of the way of the other foot when it goes by, so
as not to strike the fetlock.

Properly made and applied, side weight will stop
interfering almost every time. If the side weight is
heavy enough it will throw the foot out, and the
trouble is overcome.

There are only a few horse-shoers that have any
practical experience in making side - weight shoes,
which we understand from the articles in our trade
journals.

Some horse-shoers in shoeing to stop interfering will
make common shoes shorter than they ought to be and
set them far in under the foot, so that the hoof on the
inner side will stick out over the shoe a quarter of an
inch. These they don't rasp off, and everybody knows
that the hoof adheres to and rubs harder against the
leg than the hard smooth shoe. But, foolish as it is,
such shoers stick to their foolish ideas. I call all such
fads faith cures. •

The rule is to have the side weight on the outer side,
while the exception is to have the side weight on the
inner side of the foot. For old and poor horses ground
feed and rest is better than any kind of shoes. It will
give more strength and more flesh to spread the legs.

''Knowledge is of two kinds; we know a //ling ourselves^ or we

know where we can Jind i?tfor?nation upon

it. " — Z)r. Samuel Johnson.

CHAPTER X

HOW TO SHOE A KNEESPRUNG OR

KNUCKLER

...^"NEESPRUNG is the result of disease that
sometimes is brought about by bad shoe-
ing. In a healthy leg the center of gravity
is down through the center of the leg and
out at the heels. This is changed in a case of
kneesprung legs, giving the legs a bowed appearance.
This trouble always comes on gradually; in some cases
it will stop and never get worse, while in others it will
keep on until it renders the horse useless. A horse
with straight legs will sleep standing, but a knuckler
cannot; he will fall as soon as he goes to sleep, on
account of the center of gravity being thrown on a line
forward of the suspensory ligaments. The cause of
this trouble is sprain or injury to the back tendons of
the legs; soreness of the feet, shins or joints. In old
cases nothing can be done but just to relieve the strain
a little by shoeing with a long shoe and high heel
calks, with no toe calk. In cases not more than three
months old clip the hair off the back tendons when
there is any soreness, and shower them with cold water

149

I50

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

several times a day for a week or two, and then turn
the horse out for a long run in the pasture.

CONTRACTION

Contraction is in itself no original disease, except in
a few cases. It is mostly the effect of some disease.

FOOT PREPARED FOR CHARTIER TIP FOOT SHOD WITH CHARTIER TIF

Contraction follows sprains of the tendons, corns,
founder and navicular disease. When contraction is
the result of a long-standing disease of the foot or leg
it will be in only one of the feet, because the horse will
rest the affected leg and stand most of the time on the
healthy leg; thus the healthy foot receives more pres-
sure than the diseased, and is spread out more; the
foot becomes much uneven — they don't look like mates.
This kind of contraction is generally the result of some
chronic disease, but in most cases contraction is the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

151

result of shoeing and artificial living-. Before the colt
is shod his hoofs are large and open-heeled, the quar-
ters are spread out wide, and the foot on the under side
is shaped like a saucer. The reason of the colt's foot
being so large is that he has been running on the
green and moist turf, without shoes, and the feet have
in walking in mud and dampness gathered so much
moisture that the)^ are growing and spreading at every

IBadiiy contTzacted fbfft.

step. This is changed when the colt is shod and put
on hard roads, or taken from the pasture and put on
hard floors where the feet become hard and dried up.
A strong high heeled foot is predisposed to contrac-
tion, while a low heeled flat foot is seldom atflicted
with this trouble.

When contraction comes from bad shoeing or from
standing on hard floors, pull the shoes off, pare down
the foot as much as you can, leaving the frog as large
as it is. Rub in some hoof ointment once a day at the

152 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

coronet and quarters, and turn the horse out in a wet
pasture. But if the horse must be used on the road,
proceed to shoe as follows: First, ascertain if the frog-
is hard or soft. If soft, put on a bar shoe with open
bar. I have invented a shoe for this purpose. See
Figure 2, No. i. The idea of shoeing with an endless
bar shoe is wrong. In most cases contraction is
brought on by letting the shoes stay on too long,
whereby the hoof has been compelled to grow down

with the shape of the shoe. If an open shoe has
helped to bring on contraction, much more so will a
bar shoe, which will tie the hoof to the shoe with no
chance of spreading, no matter what frog pressure is
put on. Make the shoe as light as you can, with very
low or no calks; let the bar rest against the frog; keep
the hoofs moist with hoof ointment ; use an open bar
shoe.

Make a low box and fill it with wet manure, mud or
clay, and let the horse stand in it when convenient, to
soften the hoofs. Spread the shoe a little every week
to help the hoofs out, or the shoes will prevent what

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 153

the frog pressure aims to do, but this spreading mast
be done with care. If the frog is dried up and hard,
don't put on a bar shoe, as it will do more harm than
good. In such a case make a common shoe with low
or no calks; make holes in it as far back as you can
nail ; spread them with care a little every week. Let
the horse stand in a box with mud or manure, even
warm water, for a few hours at a time, and keep the
hoofs moist with hoof ointment. In either case do not
let the shoe stay on longer than four weeks at a time.
In addition to the above pack the feet with some wet
packing, or a sponge can be applied to the feet and
held in position by some of the many inventions for
this purpose.

No man can comprehend how much a horse suffers
from contraction when his feet are hoof -bound and
pressed together as if they were in a vise. The pain
from a pair of hard and tight boots on a man are noth-
ing compared to the agony endured by this noble and
silent sufferer. It must be remembered that there is
no such a thing as shoeing for contraction. Contrac-
tion is brought on by artificial living and shoeing. A
bar shoe for contraction is the most foolish thing to
imagine. The pressure intended on the frog is a dead
pressure, and in a few days it will settle itself so that
there is no pressure at all. If a bar shoe is to be used
it must be an open bar shoe like the one referred to.
This shoe will give a live pressure, and if inade of
steel will spring up against the frog at every step and
it can be spread. I will say, however, that I don't
recommend spreading, for it will part if not done with

154

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

care. It is better to drive the shoe on with only four
or five nails, and set them over often. Contraction

1- ^;;C^

JiinyBone

aflerHadd.

Splints.

Gcunxon.

Fore 'Arm.

JOiee.

SpUrttifone...^
Cannon hone.

St/jpenser^Y
Zitfantent: f

pertcrertus.

Elexor ^
oratas.

j'jt\/'erro

never affects the hind feet because of the moisture
they receive. This should suggest to every shoer
that moisture is better than shoes.

MODERN BLACKSMiTHING 155

CORNS

Corns are very common to horses' feet, a majority
of all cases of lameness is due to this trouble.

Corns are the result of shoes being- allowed to stay
on too long. The shoe, in such a case grows under
the foot and presses on the sole and corns are formed.
Even pressure of the shoe and sometimes too heavy
bearing on the heel causes corns. Gravel wedging in
under the shoe or between the bar and the wall is
sometimes the cause of corns. Leaving the heel and
quarters too high, whereby they will bend under and
press against the sole, is another cause of corns.

The seat of corns is generally in the sole of the foot
at the quarter or heels between the bar and the wall,
at the angle made by the wall and bar.

Anything that will bruise the underlying and sensi-
tive membrane of the sole will produce corn. This
bruise gives rise to soreness, the sole becomes blood
colored and reddish ; if bad it might break out, either
at the bottom or the junction of the hoof and hair or
coronet, forming a quittor.

Cut out the corn or red sole clear down. If the
corn is the result of contraction pare down the hoof
and sole, put the foot into linseed poultice that is
warm, for twenty-four hours, then renew it. If the
corn is deep, be sure to cut down enough to let the
matter out. It is a good thing to pour into the hole
hot pine tar. In shoeing the bearing should be taken
off the quarter or from the wall over the corn by rasp-
ing it down so that it will not touch the shoe. A bar

156

Modern blacksmithing

shoe is a good thing as it will not spring as much as to
come in contact with the hoof over the corn. Give
very little frog pressure. An open shoe can be used

A<772 ^

The clamp and itai/ remedies

4 ^

>7ctiiaZ //iichiess
oftva//s of /too f.

0/or/ercrar/<yrifh crosscut

and in such a case there should be no calk at the heel. .
A calk should be welded on directly over the corn and
the shoe will not spring up against the wall.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

157

QUARTER AND SAND CRACKS

Quarter and sand cracks are cracks in the hoof,
usually running lengthwise of the fibers, but some-
times they will be running across the fiber for an inch

The crack WdUr^mcyed to show

C/acke</ Jfaiis.

Sand Crack Clamp.

One effect of Quar4er Crack .

or more. Quarter cracks are cracks mostly on the
inside of the hoof, because that side is thinner and
weaker than the outside. The cause of it is a hard
and brittle hoof with no elasticity, brought on by poor
assimilation and a want of good nutrition to the hoof.
Hot, sandy or hard roads are also conducive to these
cracks. What to do: If the horse is shod remove the
shoes, and cut off the wall of the quarter to take off

15^ MODERN BLACKSMITHING

the bearing on both sides of the crack. If the crack
goes up to the coronet and is deep, cut off both sides
of the crack the whole length. About one inch below
the coronet, cut a deep cut clear through either with a
knife or hot sharp iron across the crack. This will
help to start a new hoof.

If the flesh sticks up between the cracks, let a veter-
inarian burn it off. In shoeing for this trouble, it is
best to use a bar shoe (endless) and shoe the horse
often.

SEEDY TOE

When shoes with a clip or a cap on the toe are used
it sometimes happens that the toe is bruised and it
starts a dry rot extending up between the wall and the
laminae. Remove the shoe, pare away the hoof at the
toe so as to take away the bearing from the toe. Any
white or meaty substance should be picked out. Apply
hot pine tar into the hole, and dip a little wad of tow
in the hole to fill up. Replace the shoe, but don't let
the clip touch the wall.

PRICKING

Pricking often happens in shoeing from a nail run-
ning into the quick, but the horse is often pricked by
stepping on a nail or anything that will penetrate the
sole and run into the quick. If the horse is pricked by
shoeing pull of the shoes and examine each nail, the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 159

nail which has gone into the quick is wet and of a blue
color.

If it is a bad case the sole or wall must be cut down
to let the matter out and the foot put into a boot of
linseed poultice. In milder cases a little pine tar put
into the hole will be enough.

STIFLED

Mistakes are often made by inexperienced men and
horse-shoers when a case of this kind is to be treated,
and I would advise every horse-shoer to call in a
veterinarian when he gets a case of this kind. Cramps
of the muscles of the thighs are sometimes taken for
stifle.

When stifle appears in an old horse, chree ounces of
lead through his brain is the best, but for a young
horse a cruel method of shoeing might be tried. Make
a shoe with heels three inches high, or a shoe with
cross bands as shown in illustration. Figure 8, No. 2,
for stifle shoe. This shoe must be placed on the well
foot. The idea is to have the horse stand on the stifled
leg until the muscles and cords are relaxed.

STRING HALT

String halt or spring halt is a kind of affection of
the hind legs, occasioning a sudden jerk of the legs
upward towards the belly. Sometimes only one leg is
affected.

i6o MODERN BLACKSMITHING

In some cases it is milder, in others more severe.
In some cases it is difficult to start the horse. He will
jerk up on one leg and then on the other, but when
started will sfo alonof all rig^ht.

For this fault there is no cure because it is a nervous
affection. If there is any local disorder it is best to
treat this, as it might alleviate the jerk. For the jerk
itself bathe the hind quarters once a day with cold
water. If this don't help try warm water, once a day
for two weeks. Rub the quarters dry after bathing.

HOW TO SHOE A KICKING HORSE

Many devices are now gotten up for shoeing kicking
horses. It is no use for a man to wrestle with a horse,
and every horse-shoer should try to find out the best
way to handle vicious horses.

One simple way, which will answer in most cases, is
to put a twist on one of the horse's lips or on one ear.
To make a twist, take a piece of broom handle two
feet long, bore a half-inch hole in one end and put a
piece of a clothes line through so as to make a loop six
inches in diameter.

Another way: Make a leather strap with a ring in,
put this strap around the foot of the horse; in the ring
of the strap tie a rope. Now braid or tie a ring in the
horse's tail and run the rope through this ring and
back through the ring in the strap, then pull the foot
up. See Figure i6. The front foot can be held up by
this device also, by simply buckling the strap to the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

i6i

foot and throwing the strap up over the neck of the
horse.

Shoeing stalls are also used, but they are yet too
expensive for small shops.

No horse-shoer should lose his temper in handling a
nervous horse and abuse the animal ; for, in nine cases

EASY POSITION FOR FINISHING

out of ten, will hard treatment make the horse worse,
and many horse owners would rather be hit themselves
than to have anybody hit their horse.

Don't curse. Be cool, use a little patience, aad you
will, in most cases, succeed. To a nervous horse you
should talk gently, as you would to a scared child.
The horse is the noblest and most useful animal to

l62

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

man, but is often maltreated and abused. Amongst
our dumb friends, the horse is the best, but few recog-
nize this fact.

HOW TO SHOE A TROTTER

In shoeing a trotter it is no use to follow a certain
rule for the angle, because the angle must vary a little
in proportion to the different shape of the horse's foot.

Every owner of a trotter will test the speed by hav-
ing shoes in different shapes and sizes, as well as
having the feet trimmed at different angles, and when
the angle is found that will give the best results the
owner will keep a record of the same and give the
horse-shoer directions and points in each case.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 163

The average weight of a horse-shoe should be eight
ounces. Remember this is for a trotter. Make the
shoe fit to the edges of the wall so that there will be
no rasping done on the outside. In farm and draft
horses this is impossible, as there is hardly a foot of
such a uniform shape but what some has to be
rasped off.
■ Use No. 4 nails, or No. 5.

Don't rasp under the clinches of the nails.

Make the shoes the shape of No. i, Figure 8.

HOW TO SHOE A HORSE" WITH POOR OR

BRITTLE HOOFS

Sometimes it is difficult to shoe so as to make the
shoe stay on on account of poor and brittle hoofs. In
such a case the shoe should be fitted snug. Make a
shoe with a toe clip.

HOW TO SHOE A WEAK-HEELED HORSE

In weak heels the hoof is found to be low and thin
from the quarters back. The balls are soft and
tender. The shoes should not touch the hoof from the
quarters back to the heels. An endless bar shoe is
often the best thing for this trouble, giving some frog
pressure to help relieve the pressure against the heels.

i64 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

FOUNDER

Founder is a disease manifested by fever in the feet
in different degrees from a simple congestion to a
severe inflammation. It is mostly exhibited in the
fore feet, being uncommon in the hind feet. The
reason for this is the harder pressure, a much greater
amount of weight coming on the front feet, the strain
and pressure on the soft tissues heavier. The disease
is either acute or chronic, in one foot or both. When
both feet are diseased the horse will put both feet for-
ward and rest upon the heels so as to relieve the pres-
sure of the foot. If only one foot is affected that foot
is put forward and sometimes kept in continual motion,
indicating severe pain. The foot is hot, especially
around the coronary band. The disease, if not
checked, will render the horse useless. When such a
horse is brought to you for shoeing it would be best to
send him to a veterinarian.

How to shoe: Let the horse stand in a warm mud
puddle for six hours, then put on rubber pads or com-
mon shoes with feet between the web of the shoe and
the hoof, with sharp calks to take up the jar. It
would be best not to shoe at all, but let the horse loose
in a wet pasture for a good while-

"^ righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.'' — Solomon..

CHAPTER XI

N this chapter the author desires to give some
hints about the treatment for diseases
most common to horses.

COLIC

There are two kinds of colic, spasmodic and
flatulent.

Spasmodic colic is known by the pains and cramps
being spasmodic, in which there are moments of r: lief
and the horse is quiet.

Flatulent colic is known by bloating symptoms and
the pain is continual, the horse kicks, paws, tries to
roll and lie on his back.

For spasmodic colic give ^ ounce laudanum, ^
pint whisky, ^ pint water; mix well and give in one
dose. If this does not help, repeat the dose in half an
hour.

For flatulant colic give, ^ ounce laudanum, ^ ounce
turpentine, ^ pint raw linseed oil, ^ ounce chloro-
form, ^ pint water. Mix well and give in one dose.
Repeat in one hour if the pain is not relieved.

165

i66 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

BOTS

Sometimes there is no other symptom than the bots
seen in the dung, and in most cases no other treatment
is needed than some purgative.

MANGE

Mange is a disease of the skin due to a class of
insects that burrow in the skin, producing a terrible
itch and scab, the hair falling off in patches, and the
horse rubs against everything. After the affected
parts have been washed in soap- water quite warm,
dry and rub in the following: 4 ounces oil of tar, 6
ounces sulphur, one pint linseed oil.

LICE

JMake a strong tea of tobacco and wash the horse
with it.

WORMS

There are many kinds of worms. Three kinds of
tape worms and seven kinds of other worms have been
found in the horse. The tape worms are very seldom
found in a horse and the other kinds are easily treated
by the following: One dram of calomel, i dram of
tartar emetic, i dram of sulphate of iron, 3 drams of
linseed meal. Mix and give in one dose for a few
days; then give a purgative. Repeat in three weeks
to get rid of the young worms left in the bowels in the
form of eggs, but which have since hatched out.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 167

DISTEMPER

Distemper is a disease of the blood. The symptoms
are: Swelling under the jaws; inability to swallow;
a mucous discharge from the nose.

Give the horse a dry and warm place and nourishing
food. Apply hot linseed poultice to the swellings
under the jaws and give small doses of cleansing pow-
der for a few days.

HYDROPHOBIA

As soon as a case is satisfactorily recognized, kill
the horse, as there is no remedy yet discovered that
will cure this terrible disease.

SPAVIN

There are four kinds of spavin and it is difficult for
any one but a veterinarian to tell one kind from
another. In all cases of spavin (except blood spavin)
the horse will start lame, but after he gets warmed up
the lameness disappears and he goes all right until
stopped and cooled off, when he starts worse than
before.

There are many so-called spavin cures on the mar-
ket, some of them good, others worse than nothing.
If you don't want to call a veterinarian, I would advise
you to use "Kendall's Spavin Cure." This cure is
one of the best ever gotten up for this disease, and no
bad results will follow the use of it if it does not cure.
It is for sale by most druggists.

i68

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

In nearly all cases of lameness in the hind leg the
seat of the disease will be found to be in the hock-
joint, although many persons (not having had expe-
rience) locate the difficulty in the hip, simply because
they cannot detect any swelling of the hock- joint; buc

Spaidrv.

Spay in

in many of the worst cases there is not seen any swell-
ing or enlargement for a long time, and perhaps
never.

BONE SPAVIN

Bone spavin is a growth of irregular bony matter
from the bones of the joint, and situated on the inside
and in front of the joint.

Cause. — The causes of spavins are quite numerous.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 169

but usually they are sprains, blows, hard work, and, in
fact, any cause exciting inflammation of this part of
the joint. Hereditary predisposition in horses is a
frequent cause.

Symptoms. — The symptoms vary in different cases.
In some horses the lameness comes on very gradually,
while in others it comes on more rapidly. It is usually
five to eight weeks before any enlargement appears.
There is marked lameness when the horse starts out,
but he usually gets over it after driving a short dis-
tance, and, if allowed to stand for awhile, will start
lame again.

There is sometimes a reflected action, causing a little
difference in the appearance over the hip joint, and if
no enlargement has made its appearance, a person not
having had experience is very liable to be deceived in
regard to the true location of the difficulty. The horse
will stand on either leg in resting in the stable, but
when he is resting the lame leg he stands on the toe.

If the joint becomes consolidated the horse will be
stiff in the leg, but may not have much pain.

Treatment. — That it may not be misunderstood in
regard to what is mearit by a cure, would say that to
stop the lameness, and in most cases to remove the
bunch on such cases as are not past any reasonable
hopes of a cure.

But I do not mean to be understood that in a case of
anchylosis (stiff joint), I can again restore the joint to
its original condition; for this is an impossibility,
owing to the union of the two bones, making them as
one. Neither do I mean that, in any ordinary case of

170

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

bone spavin which has become completely ossified
(that is, the bunch become solid bone), that, in such a
case, the enlargement will be removed.

In any bony growths, like Spavin or ringbone, it will
be exceedingly difficult to determine just when there
is a sufficient deposit of phosphate of lime so that it is
completely ossified, for the reason that in some cases

Curb

\3oTie.
Spavin.

the lime is deposited faster than in others, and there-
fore one case may be completely ossified in a few
months, while in another it will be as many years.

The cases which are not completely ossified are those
that I claim to remove. One of this class which I have
seen lemoved was a large bone spavin of four or five
years standing, and I think that a large per cent of
cases are not fully ossified for seveial months or years.

I am well awaie that many good horsemen say that
it is impossible to cure spavins, and, in fact, this has

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 171

been the experience of horsemen until the discoveiy of
Kendall's Spavin Cure. It is now known that the
treatment which we recommend here will cure nearly
every case of bone spavin which is not past any rea-
sonable hopes of a cure, if the directions are followed,
and the horse is properly used.

OCCULT SPAVIN

This is similar to bone spavin in its nature, the
difference being that the location is within the joint,
so that no enlargement is seen, which makes it more
difficult to come to a definite conclusion as to its loca-
tion, and consequently the horse is oftentimes blistered
and tormented in nearly all parts of the leg but in the
right place.

The causes and effects are the same as in bone
spavin, and it should be treated in the same way.

These cases are often mistaken for hip disease,
because no enlargement can be seen.

BOG SPAVIN

The location of this kind of a spavin is more in front
of the hock-joint than that of bone spavin, and it is a
soft and yet firm swelling. It does not generally
?ause lameness.

BLOOD SPAVIN

This is similar to bog spavin but more extended, and
generally involves the front, inside and outside of the
joint, giving it a rounded appearance. The swelling

172

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

is soft and fluctuating. Young horses and colts,
especially if driven or worked hard, are more liable to
have this form of spavin than older horses.

SPLINT

This is a small, bony enlargement, and generally
situated on the inside of the foreleg about three or
four inches below the knee joint, and occurs frequently
in young horses when they are worked too hard.

SPRAIN

By this is meant the sudden shifting of a joint farther
than is natural, but not so as to produce dislocation.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 173

Every joint is liable to sprain by the horse's falling,
slipping", or being overworked. These cases cause a
great deal of trouble, oftentimes producing lameness,
pain, swelling, tenderness, and an unusual amount of
heat in the part.

Treatment. — Entire rest should be given the horse,
and if the part is found hot, as is usually the case,
apply cold water cloths, changing frequently, for from
one to three days until the heat has subsided, when
apply Kendall's Spavin Cure, twice or three times a
day, rubbing well with the hand.

If the fever is considerable, it might be well to give
fifteen drops of tincture of aconite root, three times a
day, for one or two days, while the cold water cloths
are being applied. Allow the horse a rest of a few
weeks, especially in bad cases, as it is very difficult to
cure some of these cases, unless the horse is allowed to
rest.

STAGGERS

A disease of horses, resulting from some lesion of
the brain, which causes a loss of control of vob^ntary
motion. As it generally occurs in fat horses which
are well fed, those subject to these attacks should not
be overfed. The cause is an undue amount of blood
flowing to the brain.

Treatment. — The aim of the treatment should be to
remove the cause. In ordinary cases give half a
pound of epsom salts, and repeat if necessary to have
it physic, and be careful about overfeeding.

174 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

In mad staggers, it would be well to bleed from the
neck in addition to giving" the epsom salts.

CERTAIN CURE FOR HOG CHOLERA

Take the following ingredients well mixed together,
and give one tablespoonful daily in food during sick-
ness, and as a preventative two or three times a week:

Powdered charcoal i pound

mandrake 2 "

resin i "

saltpeter 8 ounces

madder 8 "

bi-carbunate of soda. ... 6 pounds

TENSILE STRENGTH OF IRON AND OTHER

MATERIALS

Pounds required to tear asunder a rod one inch
square:

Cast steel 145, 000

Soft steel 115,000

Swedish iron 85,000

American iron 60,000

Russian iron 62,000

Wrought wire 98,000

Cast iron, best 45,000

Cast iron, poor 14,000

Silver 40, 000

Gold 21,000

Whalebone 8,000

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 175

Bone 8,000

Tin 5,000

Zinc 3,000

Platinum 40,000

Boiler plates. 50,000

Leather belt (Hn.) 350

Rope (manila) 10,000

Hemp (tarred) 14,000

Brass 40,000

HOW CORN IN THE CRIB AND HAY IN
THE MOW SHOULD BE MEASURED

As near as can be figured out, two cubic feet of corn
in the ear will make one bushel shelled. To find the
quantity of corn in the crib, measure length, breadth
and height, multiply the breadth by the length and
this product by the height; then divide this product by
two, and you have the right number of bushels of corn.

It is estimated that 510 cubic feet of hay in a mow
will make one ton. Multiply the length by the breadth
and the product by the height; divide this product by
510, and the quotient shows the tons of hay in the
mow.

GRAIN SHRINKAGE

Not often do the farmers gain any by keeping the
grain, for it will shrink more than the price will make
good. Wheat will shrink 7 per cent in seven months
from the time is is thrashed. Therefore, 93 cents a
bushel for wheat in September is better than $1 in

176 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

April the following year. Add to this the interest for
the money you could have used in paying debts, or
loaned, and it will add 4 per cent more, making it 11
per cent.

Corn will shrink more than wheat, and potatoes are
very risky to keep on account of the diseases they are
subjected to; the loss is estimated at 30 per cent for
six months.

VALUE OF A TON OF GOLD OR SILVER

A ton of gold is worth in money $602,799.21 ; a ton
of silver, $37,704.84.

AGES OF ANIMALS

Years.

Elephant i to 400

Whale 100

Swan 250

Eagle 100

Raven no

Stag 50

Lion 75

Mule 75

Horse 3°

Ox 30

Goose 75

Hawk 35

Crane 24

Skylark 20

Crocodile 100

Tortoise 150

Cow 20

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 177

Deer 20

Wolf ,. ... 20

Swine 20

Dog 12

Hare 8

Squirrel 7

Titlark 5

Queen bee 4

Working bee 6 months

RINGWORM

Ringworm is a contagious disease and attacks all
kinds of animals, but it often arises from poverty and
filth. It first appears in a round bald spot, the scurf
coming off in scales.

Cure: Wash with soap-water and dry, then apply
the following once a day. Mix 25 grains of corrosive
sublimate in half a pint of water and wash once a day
till cured.

BALKING

Balking is the result of abuse. If a horse is over-
loaded and then whipped unmercifully to make the
victim perform impossibilities, he will resent the abuse
by balking.

There are many cruel methods for curing balking
horses, but kindness is the best. Don't hitch him to
a load he cannot easily pull. Let the man that is used
to handling him drive him. Try to divert his mind from

17^ MODERN BLACKSMITHINa

himself. Talk to him; pat him; give him a handful
of oats or salt. But if there is no time to wait pass a
chain or rope around his neck and pull him along with
another horse. This done once all there is needed, in
most cases, is to pass the rope around and the horse
will start. It is no use trying to whip a balking horse,
because balking horses are generally horses of more
than common spirit and determination, and they will
resent abuse every time. Kindness, patience and
perseverance are the best remedies.

RATTLE-SNAKE BITE

When a horse has been bitten by a rattlesnake,
copperhead, or other venomous serpent, give the fol-
lowing: One-half teaspoonful of hartshorn, i pint
whisky, ^ pint of warm water. Mix well and give
one dose. Repeat in one hour if not relieved. Burn
the wound at once with a hot iron, and keep a sponge
soaked in ammonia over the wound for a couple of
hours.

HOOF OINTMENT

Rosin, 4 ounces; bees wax, 4 ounces; pine tar, 4
ounces; fish oil, 4 ounces; mutton tallow, 4 ounces.
Mix and apply once a day.

PURGATIVE

Aloes, 3 drams; gamboge, 2 drams; ginger, i dram;
gentian, i dram; molasses, enough to combine the

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 1/9

above. Give in one dose, prepared in the form of a
ball.

HINTS TO BLACKSMITHS AND HORSE-

SHOERS

Don't burn the shoe on.

Don't rasp under the clinchers.

Don't rasp on the outer side of the wall more than
is absolutely necessary.

Don't rasp or file the clinch heads.

Don't make the shoes too short. Don't make high
calks. Don't pare the frog.

Don't cut down the bars. Don't load the horse
down with iron.

Don't lose your temper. Don't hit the horse with
the hammer.

Don't run down your competitor. Don't continually
tell how smart you are.

Don't smoke while shoeing. Don't imbibe in the
shop. Don't run outdoors while sweaty. Don't know
it all. Always be punctual in attendance to your
business. Allow your customers to know something.
No man is such a great fool but that something can
be learned of him.

Be always polite. Keep posted on everything
belonging to your trade. Read much. Drink little.
Take a bath once a week. Dress well. This done,
the craft will be elevated, and the man respected.

{8o

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

ADVICE TO HORSE OWNERS

T is cruelty to ani-
mals to raise a colt
and not train him
for shoeing, and
the horse - shoer
must suffer for this
neglect also. Many a valuable horse
has been crippled or maltreated, and
thousands of horse - shoers suffer
hardships, and many are crippled,*
and a few killed every year for the horse owner's care-
lessness in this matter. A law should be enacted
making the owner of an ill-bred horse responsible for
the damage done to the horse-shoer by such an animal.
Every horse-raiser should begin while the colt is only
a few days old to drill him for the shoeing. The feet
should be taken, one after the other, and held in the
same position as a horse-shoer does, a light hammer or
even the fist will do, to tap on the foot with, and the
feet should be handled and manipulated in the same
manner the horse-shoer does when shoeing. This
practice should be kept up and repeated at least once
a week and the colt when brought to the shop for

MODERN BLACKSMITHING i8i

shoeing will suffer no inconvenience. The horse«
shoer's temper, as well as muscles, will be spared and
a good feeling all around prevails.
Horse-raisers, remember this.

ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN

In every profession and trade it is a common thing
to hear beginners say: I know, I know. No matter
what you tell them, they will always answer, I know.
Such an answer is never given by an old, learned or
experienced man, because, as we grow older and wiser
we know that there is no such thing as knowing it all.
Besides this we know that there might be a better way
than the way we have learned of doing the work. It
is only in few cases that we can say that this is the
best way, therefore we should never say, I know : first,
because no young man ever had an experience wide
enough to cover the whole thing; second, it is neither
sensible nor polite. Better not say anything, but
simply do what you have been told to do.

Every young man thinks, of course, that he has
learned from the best men. This is selfish and foolish.
You may have learned from the biggest botch in the
country. Besides this, no matter how clever your
master was, there ^will be things that somebody else
has a better way of doing. I have heard an old good
blacksmith say, that he had never had a helper but
what he learned some good points from him.

Don't think it is a shame, or anything against you,
to learn. We will all learn as long as we live, unless

i82 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

we are fcols, because fools learn very little. Better to
assume less than you know than to assume more.

Thousands of journeymen go idle because many a
master would rather hire a greenhorn than hire a
"knowing-it-all" fellow. Don't make yourself obnox-
ious by always telling how your boss used to do this or
that. You may have learned it in the best way possi-
ble, but you may also have learned it in the most
awkward way.. First find our what your master
wants, then do it, remembering there are sometimes
many ways to accomplish the same thing. Don't be
stubborn. * Many mechanics are so stubborn that they
will never change their ways of doing things, nor
improve on either tools or ideas.

Don't be a one-idea man; and remember the maxim,
*'A wise man changes his mind, a fool never."

Be always punctual, have the same interest in doing
good work and in drawing customers as you would
were the business yours. Be always polite to the
customers, no matter what happens. Never lose your
temper or use profane language, Don't tell your
master's competitors his way of doing business, or
what is going on in his dealings with people. You are
taking his money for your service, serve as you would
be served.

IRON CEMENT

A cement for stopping clefts or fissure of iron vessels
can be made of the following: Two ounces muriate
of ammonia, i ounce of flowers of sulphur, and i

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 183

pound of cast-iron filings or borings. Mix these well
in a mortar, but keep the mortar dry. When the
cement is wanted, take one part of this and twenty
parts of clean iron borings, grind together in a mortar.
Mix water to make a dough of proper consistence and
apply between the cracks. This will be useful for
flanges or joints of pipes and doors of steam engines.

HOW TO RUN A TURNING LATHE

(By a student of James College of Mechanic Arts, at
Ames, Iowa.)

Lathes, when first invented, were very rude affairs,
but they, like all other machinery, have experienced
improvem.ent from year to year until now some of them
are more complicated than a watch, and for that
reason should receive the best of care. They should
be kept clean and well oiled. While being used the
dust and shavings should be cleaned off at least every
night, and every half day is better.

When they are kept in a dusty place, as is very often
the case in a general repair shop, they should be kept
covered while not in use. Some cheap canvas makes
a good cover.

Every person who intends running a lathe should
first become acquainted with his machine; become
familiar with all the combinations that can be made, so
that when a piece of work comes in to be done he will
know just how to arrange the lathe to do that work.
For instance, a piece of work needs to be turned taper-

184 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

ing; this is done by shifting the tail stock to one side.
Or there are threads to be cut; know just how to
arrange the lathe to cut any number of threads to the
inch.

Next to care of lathe comes care of tools. When
there are a few minutes spare time see that the tools

are sharp. Keep them sharp. They will do the work
better, faster and with much less strain on the machine.
All cutting tools should be made diamond shape,
with either one side or the other, depending on the
way the carrier is to move, made a little higher; the
right side being highest when the carrier is moving to
the right, and vice versa. The sharp edge of smooth-
ing tools is made square across, like a plane bit, and
thread-cutting tools should be made the same shape as
the thread to be cut,

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 185

Water or oil should be kept on the iron or steel that
is being turned. It keeps the point of the tool from
getting hot when heavy chips are taken, and it makes
a smoother job when the smoothing tool is used.
There is no need to use either water or oil when turn-
ing cast iron.

The tempering of lathe tools is a very particular
piece of work, varying considerable with the kind of
steel used and the nature of the work to be done. For
slow heavy turning the tool must not be too hard, else
it would break ; while for light swift turning it should
be quite hard. For water tempering the temper color
varies from a dark blue to a very light straw color,
depending, as I have said before, on the nature of the
work to be done.

By way of illustration of a piece of work that repre-
sents a number of lathe combinations, I will take the
fitting of a saw shaft for our common wood saws. First
place the balance wheel in the lathe chuck, being sure
to get it in the center, so that when the hole is drilled
in the wheel it will be in the exact center. Take a
drill a sixteenth of an inch smaller than the hole to be
made, and drill out the hole. Use the inside boring
tool to make the hole the desired size. Turn a smooth
face on the hub of the wheel where it comes against
the box; then the wheel is ready for the key seat. To
cut the key seat in the wheel use a key-seat chisel the "
same size as the milling wheel used to cut the key seat
in the shaft.

Next take one of the saw collars; put it in the chuck,
being careful to get this in the center also, with the

i86 MODERN BLACKSMITHING

widest side next the chuck, and drill a hole in it the
same size as the hole in the saw. Turn off the end of
the collar to get it square. Prepare the other collar in
the same way.

Now cut the shaft off the length wanted, and turn
one end to fit tightly into the balance wheel. Turn
off a place next to where the wheel comes for the bear-
ing or box. Now turn the shaft around and fit the
other end for the collars. The collar that goes on the
inside or side next the bearing should be shrunk on.
To do this leave the shaft about one sixty-fourth of an
inch larger than the hole in the collar, then heat the
collar to a red heat, and slip it onto the shaft. It
should not be driven very hard, or it will break in cool-
ing. Let it cool of its own accord. When nearly cool
it can be put into water and cooled off.

The next step is to true up the inside of the collar,
leaving about one inch of surface to come against the
saw. Now turn the shaft down to the size wanted for
the thread, either i-inch or i^-inch, then with a cut-
off tool about ^-inch wide, cut in next the shoulder
the depth of the thread. If there is a die and tap handy
that will be the quickest way to cut the thread, but if
not handy then use the lathe. Now screw the nut on
and turn off the inside of the nut. For fitting the loose
collar there should be on hand a shaft about 14 or 16
inches long, turned a very little tapering ; then drive
the collar onto this shaft and finish it up. When ready
put this collar into place on the saw shaft and screw
the nut up tight. Now smooth off the outside of the
collars for loops. Cut the key seat in the shaft and

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 187

key the balance wheel on solid, being careful to get
the distance between the wheel and the saw collar the
exact distance between the outside of the boxes.

HOW TO BALANCE A PULLEY

When a pulley or balance wheel is to be balanced
you must first have a shaft that is of the same size as
the hole in the pulley. Of course, the wheel or pulley
must be turned and trued up so that it is finished
before you balance the same.

After the shaft has been put in and tightened, place
two pieces of angle iron or T-iron about two feet long
parallel on a pair of wooden horses. The irons must
be level. Now place the pulley between the irons so
that the shaft will have a chance to roll on the "T" or
angle iron, and you will notice that the heaviest side of
the pulley will be down. Start it rolling, and the
pulley will always stop with the heaviest side down.
Now, if the pulley or wheel, as the case may be, has a
thick rim, then bore out from the heaviest side enough
to balance, or you can drill a hole in the lightest side
and bolt a piece of iron to it just heavy enough to bal-
ance the wheel.

HOW TO PUT IN A WOODEN AXLE

One of the most difficult pieces of work to do in a
wagon shop is to put in a wooden axle.

In the first place, you must have well-seasoned tim-

i88

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

ber, hickory or maple. Take out the old axle. The
skeins will come off easy by heating them a little.
Now cut the timber the exact length of the broken
axle. In order to get the right pitch and gather, you
must cut off one-half inch from the back side of the
end of the timber and one-half inch from the bottom
side, this cut to run out at the inner end or collar of
the skein, as shown in Figure 14. Next take dividers
and make a circle in the end of the axle the size of the
old axle — in case new skein is put on, the size of the

bottom of the skein inside. This circle must be made
so that the lower side of it will go down to edge of the
timber, and the sides be of the same distance from the
edges. You will now notice that most of the hewing
will be done on top side, as it must in order to get the
right pitch, and as one-half inch has been cut froin the
back side it will throw the front side of the wheel in a
little; this is gather. If awheel has no gather the
wheel will be spread out against the nut of the skein,
and the wear will be in that direction, and the wheel
will rattle, as you know the skein is tapered ; but if the
wheel has gather, the pressure will be against the col-
lar of the skein, and the wheel will be tight, as it forces
itself up against the collar and the wider end of the
skein.

MODERN BLACKSMITHING 1^9

Some wagon-makers will use the old axle as a guide
and cut the new by the old. This is not safe, as the
old is mostly sprung out of shape.

In hewing the axle for the skein great care should be
taken not to cut off too much ; better go slow, because
it depends upon the fitting of the skein to get a good
job. When the axle is finished or ready to be driven
into the skein be sure to have the axle strong; that is,
a little too large to go in easy. Now warm — or heat,
if you will — the skein a little, not so much that it will
burn, and drive it onto its place by a mallet. In mak-
ing new wagons I think it would be wise to paint the
part of the axle that goes in the skein, but in repairing
I deem it unwise, because it will have a tendency to
work loose unless it will have time to dry before using,
and I have noticed paint to be still fresh in the skein
after years of use. There should be no gap left
between the collar of the skein and the axle, as water
will run in and rot the timber.

igb

MODERN BLACKSMITHINa

HOW TO PUT IN SPOKES

^^p&^

Jt VERY wagon-maker is supposed to know
■^4^^^'- l^ow-to put in spokes. Still, there are
sometimes wagon - makers, especially
beginners, that don't know. First
clean out the sliver left of the old
spoke, and make the mortise dry, and
in every case use glue. In a buggy
wheel take the rivet or rivets out, if there is any, and
be sure to have the right shape of the tenon to fit the
mortise in the hub, so as to make the spoke stand
plumb. Set the tenon going through the rim. Be
sure to have this tenon reach through. This is impor-
tant in filling a wagon wheel, because, if the tenons
don't reach through the fellow, then the heft will rest
against the shoulder of the tenon, and when the tire is
put on tight and the wagon used in wet roads, the
fellow will soften and the spokes settle into the rim.
The tire gets loose, and some one, either the wagon-
maker or the blacksmith, will be blamed — in most
cases the blacksmith. Of course, the tenon should not
be above the rim. After the spokes have been put in

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

191

rivet the flange of the hub, or so many rivets as you
have taken out. This should always be done before
the tire is set.

v...=*

1:92

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

WEIGHT OF ONE FOOT IN LENGTH OF
SQUARE AND ROUND BAR IRON

Size,

Square.

Round.

Size.

Square.

Round.

.209

.164

2}i

15.000

11.840

.326

.256

16.900

13 280

3/8

.469

.368

18.835

14.792

.638

.504

2y2

20.87 I

16.392

.833

.654

23.112

18. 142

9
16^

1-057

.831

25250

19.840

5/8

1-305

1.025

27.600

21.681

1.579

I. 241

30.065

23-650

1.875

1.473

3/^

32.610

25-615

2. 201

1.728

35-270

27.702

2.552

2.004

33/8

38.040

29.875

1 5

2.930

2.301

3>^

40,900

32. 160

3-340

2.625

39^

43.860

34470

i}i

4.222

3-320

46.960

36.890

5-215

4.098

3J/8

50.150

39.390

iVs

6.310

4.960

53.435

41.980

i>^

7-508

5.900

60.320

47.380

iVs

8.810

6.920

4>^

67.635

53.130

^Ya

10. 200

8.040

75-350

59-185

11.740

9. 222

83-505

65-585

13.300

10.490

120.240

94.608

Modern blacksmitHing^

i93

WEIGHTS OF ONE LINEAL FOOT OF FLAT

BAR IRON

Thick-

Width,

ness.

iX-

I'A.

i|^-

.416

.521

.624

.728

.625

.780

.938

1.090

.833

1.040

1.250

1. 461

1. 041

1. 301

1.560

1. 821

1.252

1.562

1. 881

2.190

1.462

1.822

2. 191

2-550

1.675

2.085

2.505

2.925

1.884

2.345

2.815

3-285

2.085

2.605

3.132

3.655

2.295

2.860

3.442

4 010

2.502

3.131

3.752

4.381

2.921

3.650

4.382

5.100

333^

4.170

5005

5.832

i}i

3-750

4.694

5.630

6.560

^Va

4.175

5.210

6.251

7.290

iVs

4.580

5-728

6.879

8.022

i>^

5005

6.248

7.502

8.750

5425

6.769

8.130

9.480

5-832

7.289

8.749

10.208

6.248

7.800

9-380

10.938

6.675

8 332

10.005

11.675

194

MobEkN BLACIvSMITMINO

WEIGHTS OF ONE LINEAL FOOT OF FLAT

BAR IRON

{Continued^

Thick-

Width,

ness.

2X-

2^-

2|^.

.832

9.370

1.040

I. 151

1-251

1. 410

1.562

1.720

1-675

1.878

2.080

2.290

2.081

2.342

2.000

2.862

3/8

2.502

2.811

3-135

3-445

1 ■
If

2.920

3.278

3.650

4.010

3-335

3-748

4-175

4.580

3-748

4.220

4.089

5.160

5/8

4.168

4.690

5. 211

5-730

1 1

T6^

4-578

5.160

5-735

6.150

5-005

5-630

6-255

6.880

5-830

6.558

7-395

8.025

6.668

7.500

8-332

9.170

i>^

7.498

8.441

9-382

10 310

^-ZZZ

9.382

10.421

11.460

9-775

10.310

11.460

12.605

i>^

10,000

11-255

12.505

^3-750

if^

10 835

12. 190

13-545

14-905

11.675

13.135

14-585

16.045

12.505

14.065

15-635

17-195

13-335

15.000

16.675

18.335

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

195

WEIGHTS OF ONE LINEAL FOOT OF FLAT

BAR IRON

(Continued')

Thick-

Width,

ness.

3X.

3K-

3^'

1.250

1-350

1.465

1.658

1.879

2.035

2.195

2-345

2-505

2.710

2.925

3-135

1¥

3-135

3.391

3.650

3.901

'^}

3-750

4.060

4.380

4.695

1
T6"

4.385

4.740

5-105

5-470

5.000

5.425

5.832

6.250

5-635

6.090

6.565

7.030

5/8

6.255

6.775

7.290

7-805

1 1
T6"

6.885

7.455

8.020

8.590

7.500

8.135

8.750

9.380

}i -

8.750

9.480

10.210

10.940

10.000

10.835

11.675

12. 500

lyi

11-255

12. 190

13.135

14.065

^}i

12.505

13.540

14.585

15.635

iVs

13.750

14.905

16.045

17.195

I>^

15.000

16.250

17.500

18.750

16.255

17.605

18.960

20.310

17.505

18.965

20.425

21.880

18.750

20.305

21.885

23.445

20.000

21.670

23-335

25.000

iq6

MODERN BLACKSMITHING

WEIGHTS OF ONE LINEAL FOOT OF FLAT

BAR IRON

{Continued)

Thick-

Width,

ness.

4X.

4K-

4^X'

1.670

1-774

1.887

1.989

2.500

2.658

2.811

2.971

3-331

3-538

3-750

3.960

4.168

4.430

4.689

4-950

3/8

5.000

5. 311

5.630

5.940

5.831

6.200

6.560

6.930

6.670

7.082

7.502

7.925

7.500

7.965

8.435

8.910

5/8

8.330

8-855

9.380

9.900

9.165

9.740

10.310

10.890

10.000

10.630

11.250

11.880

11.670

12.400

13-140

13.845

13.340

14.165

15.000

15.830

I>^

15.000

15.940

16.880

17.815

^yi

16.660

17.710

18.755

19.179

iji

18.335

19.480

20.650

21 770

^'A

20.000

21-255

22.505

23-750

21.675

23.025

24.380

25-730

23.335

24.790

26.240

27.710

25.000

26.560

28.140

29.000

26.670

28.33s

30.000

31.670

INDEX.

PAGE.

Advice to Horse Owners 180

Advice to Young Men 181

Anatomy of the Horse 135

Annealing 116

Anvil, The 33

Axle Gauge 85

Axes and Hatchets 67

Babbitting 114

Bands or Hoops 57

Back Dished Wheel 75

Belts, Points on 65

Blacksmith's Tongs 39

Blowers 54

Blowing out the Boiler 131

Bob Shoes 66

Case Hardening 123

Coal Box, The 34

Cold Chisels 43

Drilling Iron 58

Expansion of the Tire 83

197

198 INDEX.

PAGE.

Fire, The 50

Forge, The 33

Forging 143

Foaming in Boilers 130

Gather Grange 85

Grain Shrinkage 175

Hammer, The 35

Hints to Blacksmiths 179

Hints to Horseshoers 179

Horse, The 132

Horseshoeing 134

How to Measure Corn in the Crib and Hay in the Mow 175

How to Make a Landside 88

How to Harden Springs 124

How to Weld Cast Iron 121

How to Repair Broken Iron Pump Handles 123

How to Repair Broken Cogs 116

How to Restore Overheated Steel 117

How to Dress and Harden Stone Hammers 117

How to Drill Chilled Cast Iron. . . .' 118

How to Drill Hard Steel 118

How to Make Steel and Iron as White as Silver 124

How to Mend Broken Saws 125

How to Mend a Band Saw 125

How to Write Your Name on Steel 12G

How to Patch a Boiler 127

How to Put in Flues 128

How to AVeld Flues 129

How to Make the Shoe 139

How to Prepare the Foot for the Shoe 142

INDEX. 199

PAGE.

How to Shoe a Kicking Horse 160

How to Shoe a Trotter 162

How to Shoe a Horse with Brittle Hoofs 163

How to Shoe a Weak Heeled Horse 163

How to Shoe a Knee Sprung or Knuckler 149

How to Eun a Lathe 183

How to Balance a Pulley 187

How to Put in a Wooden Axle 187

How to Put in Spokes 190

How to Strike and Turn the Iron 49

How to Make a Hammer , 41

How to Make Chisels 43

How to Harden Files 62

How to Harden Taps and Dies 62

How to Make Butcher Knives 63

How to Repair Cracked Circular Saws 63

How to Prevent a Circular Saw from Cracking 64

How to Sew a Belt 64

How to Drill Chilled Iron 59

How to Make Plowshares 88

How to Put on New Tire 76

How to Weld Tires 77

How to Harden a Plowshare 103

How to Point a Share 104

How to Sharpen a Plowshare 107

How to Put on a Heel 108

How to Repair a Flopping Plow 108

How to Set a Plow Right 109

How to Correct Plow from Running too Deep 109

How to Fix a Grang Plow that Runs on Its Nose 110

2lO INDEX.

PAGE.

How to Harden a Mouldboard Ill

How to Patch a Mouldboard Ill

Incompetency 17

Interfering , . . . . 146

Intemperance 14

Iron Cement 182

Landside Point for Slipshare 92

Literature , 27

Mill Picks 61

Modern Guild 19

Mower Sections 114

Religion , 16

RockDrills 47

Rules for Smith and Helper 49

Setting Tire 72

Seeder Shovels 57

Set Hammer 44

Shoe, Right Fitting 144

Shoe, Wrong Fitting 144

Shop, The 31

Sledge, The , 36

Slipshare 99

Smith, The 9

Split Welds 56

Standing Coulters 59

Steel, Facts about , 119

S Wrench 47

Taxation 21

Tensile Strength of Iron and other Materials 174

INDEX. 201

PAGE.

Tire in Sections 82

Toe Tips ; 144

Tools, Granite 69

Tool Table 34

Tuyer Iron 52

Twist Drills 45

Vehicles 71

Wagon Making 71

Water Tuyer 53

Welding Axles 84

Welding Steel 56

Welding Iron 55

Weight of One Foot in Length of Square and Round

Bar Iron 192

Well Drills 68

Diseases of the Horse 165

Bots 166

Mange , 166

Lice 166

Worms 166

Distemper 167

Hydrophobia 167

Spavin 167

Bone Spavin 168

Occult Spavin 171

Ages of Animals 176

Ring Worms 177

Balking 177

Founder 164

202 INDEX.

PAGE.

Hoof Oiutment ; 178

Purgative 178

Horse, The Wall 137

Horse, The Sole ' 138

Horse, The Frog 138

Horse, The Coronet . . '. ; 139

Horse, The Quarter 139

Horse, The Bars 139

Contraction 150

Corns .' 155

Quarter and Sand Cracks 157

Seedy Toe 158

Pricking 158

Stifled 159

String Halt 159

Bog Spavin 171

Blood Spavin 171

Splint 172

Sprain.. 172

Staggers..., 173

Hog Cholera, Cure for 174

BOOKKEEPING
SELF-TAUGHT

e==== By PHILLIP C. GOODWIN ===-hi

FE W, if any of of the technical worka
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Frederick J. Drake & Co., Publishers

211-213 EAST MADISON ST., CHICAGO

Fred T. Hodgson*s New (1903) Books For Builders

STEEL SQUARE

A TREATISE OF THE PRAOTiGAL USES OF

By FRED. T. HODGSON, J^rchitect,

Mew and up-to-date. Published May 1st, 1903. Do not mistake this editiot.
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FREDERICK J. DRAKE (El CO.

PUBLISHERS OF SELF-EDUCATIONAL BOOKS
211 E. MADISON STREET ^ ^ CHICAGO

Webster FamMy Library of Veterinary Medicine
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at
Tufts University
200 Westboro Road
North Grafton, MA 01536

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