Connecticut western news., 1872-10-11
SALISBURY. CONN. Friday Morning, Oct. Il, 1872.
COLLINS COMPANY WORKS, COL-
 LINSVIELE, CONN.

COLLINS COMPANY WORKS, COL r
 LINSVILLE, CONN.
 Continued from last week.
 MAKING AXES.
 The polls or heads of ordinary Yankee axes were forme rly made by drawing down | 8 bar of iron from the middle, leaving the thick part for the head and the thin parts | for the eye, the portion below being weld | ed. But this welded portion was always liable 10 split by the blows on the bitt or steel, which acted continually as a wedge. | This result has been noticed undoubtedly by raany of our readers. The Collins Com pany determined on different style. and undertook to make the axe polls from a solid block Mir E. K. Root, now deceas- ed, so long we'll known as vice president of Colts works, in Hartford, when super intendent of the Collins Company pro- jected and built eight head machines, that formed the polls from a solid piece. punch es the holes for the handles and leaving solid mass on either end of the hole with out the necessity of welding and conse- quently without ''cold shut" The opera tors of these machines take bar of iron and heat It in furnace, draw it back to pair of shears, clipping off just enough to sake the axe, and an attendant places the hunk under double. punch that forces its
  an oblong hole for the reception of the handle, the hole being finished by a sup plementary punch, and 1hvn ;bc sides be ing formed by set of dies when the axe drops, still red hot, ready for the rece ption of the steel and after finishing of the head both of which operations are done by or dinary forging, except that the trip banl- ner takes the place of the striker, whols in this case merely helper. The axe thus formed is ready for the
 HARDENING AND TEMPERlNG
 which IS carried on in this establishment in unique and singular manner. The axes are sent to the hardening and tempering room, which i5 conveniently darkened by means of blinds and curtans, so that mo- glare of sunshine shall mislead the work man, who depends largely on the organ of sight for perfection in his work. The hardening ovens are circular in form, hav- ing vertical shaft in the center, to which are attached rotary tables, on which the axes are laid with the edges outside. A fire, or series of fires alternating with open spaces, burns continually and the rotating table turns slowly, bringing the axes con- tinually over the alternate fires and space. When of the proper heat the axes are talk en out and hung on hooks on revolving frame so that they dip their pitts in tank of brine, that by means of a pump from a
 
 ton. Being hardened the steels of the axes are like glass and must needs be drawn to temper, This is effected in rotary ovens similar to those in which the heating is effected, only the fire is of charcoal in- stead of anthracite Of the two hundred axes put in at one time in each of the two drawing furnaces one>is left frightened and this is test of all tho others, as the color is the determination of the degrees of ha uyipr Tho action nf the circles on which the axes are placed insures perfect uniformity of heat, so that if the frightened axes show proper color all the others are likewise at the right heat. From this drawing or annealiDg oven the axes are put into cold water, and they are ready for the finishing process. This IS done by actual breakage, and from the fracture and force the actual character ot the steel IS determined. Cast steel is tough as well as hard, and both qualities are required in all axe, which is not alone cutting instru ment but is also used as prY like mOr- Using cbisel The toughness of cast stee as compared with wrought iron is as 15C tot84, the best wrought iron having ten sile strength of S4,OO0 pounds and cast steel l5O,0O0 pounds to the square inch The grinding and polishing require no par ticular notice the stones used are from Nova scotia, ranging in diameter from sev.
 
 ter and from ten to fourteen inches thick
 SPANISH MAToHETEs.
 The blades of these queer implement are made of cast steel, rolled into ribbon like bars, either by hand or by means o cam rollers, of a peculiar patented con struction, which form the taper from heel t. point and from back to edge. They ar hardened by heating singly in fire ant plunging in tank of oil. They are drawl to temper singly, as are adzes and mum Der of other implements. The test is sucl as to determine that the blade will no crack under the most violent blow, nor re tains it's curvature when bent No blad or tool of any kind is allowed to pas piled to it's kind.
 SCREW wRENCHEs
 of the Jordan & Smith patent are largel manufactured by this company. The cas ings are from the maleable iron works c Futile 6 Whittemore, of Naugatuck. Tn peculiar advantage of this wrench is ths the strain in use does not come upon th thread of the screw or upon the handle but is received by gland or step betwee the screw and the handle. The work 0 these wrenches is done by machiner mainly, consisting of milling and drillin! preaching and dressing, and every part case hardened.
 ITEMS.
 s The handling of the machstes is GU; ous process. The handles are either hol or leather. In the former case slabs horn are sawed out and rivited to the tar or shank of the blade, then immersed hot water until softened, and while in 2 most plastic state are placed in dies und screw presses which give form to the ha dies. They are finished by means of CT mery wheels and belts The leather ha dles are made from scrap leather cut in discs, and perforated for receiving u tang, on which they are placed as beads a string, and subjected to powerful pre- sure in lever press. They are held place by a mob on the end of the handl Other materials, such as ivory, bone, fro etc, are sometimes used to fill special c ders.
 The concern has it's own foundry which there is made blow two or thr times a week, and 8 we'll appointed m chine, with one lathe, that swings five fe between centers, and number of oth lathes, plauers, upright drills, milling m chimes, gear cutter, etc. There are thr steam hammers, the largest having cYli der of Is inches with 30 inch stroke, bui by William Sellers 6 Go. of Philadelphi The dies for the hammers are of cast stee made by the company. The repairs of u concern, together with the frequent add tions to it's machinery, require the consta service of two experienced pattern maker The power used is furnished by sixtet turbine water wheels and the seventy-f horse power engine before mentioned. III water power orininates in pond in Ot Massachusetts, covering an area of 10 acres to the average depth of fifteen twenty feet. The dam at the village