Shoeing We are told by some learned veterinarians that the history of every horse is a record of human endeavor to mar his utility. This is a sweeping assertion, and means that every horseshoer is a bungler and does not understand his business. This may be true in many instances, but it is too exaggerated. […]
The blacksmith, as well as the curved charm-the horseshoe-has been recognized by poets and other great men and rulers. When Solomon built the temple, of which Jehovah was the architect, the king started out one day on a tour of inspection, and was amazed at the skill of the masons. Examining their tools, he asked, […]
Dish There has been some dispute in regard to the proper dish of a wheel. I do not intend to lay down any arbitrary rule for the proper dish a wheel should have, for there cannot be one measure for all kinds and sizes of wheels. When a carriage wheel has a dish of a […]
“Keep the shop and the shop will keep you.” Wood Axles To set wood axles is the most difficult piece of work that comes to the blacksmith or wagon shop of our time. In shops where wagons are built, they have their methods of setting the axles, but it is different in the repair shop. […]
How to Harden Plowshares Our trade journals are full of advice in regard to tongs and devices with which to hold plowshares so that they shall not spring in the hardening or during the process of sharpening. Let me state right here that all these devices are failures. Even in a factory where all shares […]
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes.” John Deere was the inventor of the modern steel plow. When, in 1837, John Deere located in Grand Detour, Ill., he discovered that a plow to scour in the dark, soft, alluvial soil must be a well-polished steel plow. In 1837, John Deere made […]
“The confession of ignorance is the road to wisdom.” To Write on Metals Cover the place you wish to inscribe with melted beeswax. After this is settled, write the inscription in the wax, but be sure that the writing will be with a sharp instrument that will lay the metal bare where written. Then fill […]
To Restore Burnt Steel The best thing to do with steel which has been overheated is to throw it in the scraps. However, if a piece which cannot be replaced without loss has been burnt, it may be improved by the following method: Heat to a low red heat, and cool off in water with […]
Twist Drills “Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy faults.” To make a twist drill for drilling iron, prepare the shank first, the part to be fitted in the drill chuck. Next flatten the steel, and make it fully as wide as the size you wish to have the drill when finished. Now heat […]
Rock Drills It is often observed that it is very difficult to find a blacksmith who knows how to harden and temper rock drills; but the trouble begins when the smith puts the steel in the fire. Overheating is the cause of all the mischief in tools of highly carbonized steel. For rock drills, good […]