The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-02-08
STEEL BAKED AND PICKLED
Strange Sights and Sounds in the
Bit Factories OF Connecticur.

Strange Sights and Sounds in the
Bit Factories OF Connecticut.
There are in the United States four
teen bit factories, and eleven of them
are in Connecticut, and here in the town
of Chester, within a radius of two miles
can be found no less than six of these
eleven. The visitor here is sure to have
his curiosity aroused by the din ofmany
trip hammers. On visiting one of the
factories he will first enter the forging
room on the ground floor, where a busy
and curious spectacle is presented. His
sense of hearing at once become useless.
as the clatter and clang of a multiplicity
of heavy running machinery makes con-
versation impossible except for a man of
strong lung power. From the ceiling
are suspended long rows OF
heavy shafting filled with driving pull
legs from six inches to as many feet in
diameter. Instead of a floor the visitor
walks on clay, packed rs hard aud
smooth az cement, and on which are
carelessly thrown in heaps tons and tons
Of red-hot bits. He sees long bars of
cold steel placed between strong shears,
which cut them into appropriate lengths
as easily and quickly as a lady would cut
a piece of string with her scissors. Here
a line of sturdy men stand beside glow
ing FORCES In which these bars of steel
are placed until they are heated to a
white heat. when they are immediately
put under trip hammers, which striking
hundreds of blows in a minute, hammer
the bars fiat on one End. round III the
the center, and square on the other end.
The bit has now started into existence,
and is called In this form a "plate." 1t
is next passed to the crimpers, who again
heat it to Wilderness and run it through
machines which twist the fiat end into
q pod or spiral of beautiful regularity.
The "swedgersp seize it now, and again
under the influence of the blowpipe the
steel is BOZ red hot, when one blow
from a powerful drop fashions the square
end into q shank properly beyeled for
the bit brace: again it Is heated and
passed under another drop which stamps
on it's shank a figure telling the size of
the hole 1t will bore when finished.
Once more it endures the fiery ordeal,
and, glowing red, passes through the
heading presses, which, with q hug and
q squeese, crush two inches ofthe twisted
Clku lubO n MASS III WIiGh NOA tHll1tIy
discern the point spurs and cutting edges
of the future bit. 1t is next carried into
the a~nnealing room, where, with thou
sands of others, it is buried beneath
heaps of charcoal and thoroughly baked
until the steel is we'll softened or a
npaled. Next it is picked for several
hoursin watts containing a strong solution
Of sulphuric acid, which eats off all the
scale left by the many previous heatings
in the iorges.
The bit now passes int the machine
ROOM, where the rasplng machine cuts
out all aupsrfluous stock in the head,
forming and cutting edges. The milling
machine cuts the point smoothly to the
correct level, ready for the screw to be
made upon it. This leyeling machine
smoothS the bottom of the blades, the
facing. back machine cuts the edges of
the blades straight, the screw-cutting
machine forms the threads on the point.
and the sizing machine cuts the boring
end TO the exact diameter required. And
still the bit is but half made.
You pass into another department,
and there you see long row of skilled
mechanics seated upon high stools, each
man having in front Of him a heap of
bits and q lot Of files of various sizes and
forms, known as Square" round"
"hat." ..half-round," "humpback,"
ground off," and feather edge" and
each Of these is used in turn to form and
smooth the various parts and cutting
surfaces Of the bit. The squeaking of q
hundred files of almost as many sizes
and shapes fills the air with shrill notes
and sets -FOUR teeth ON edge.
You pause for q moment to watch q
couple OF men, who, seated in front of
tiny FORCES, are heating the bits to q
cherry red color and then dipping them
in dishes OF oil and water. You learn that
they are tempering them to the proper
degree of hardness for cutting. You
also learn that although they can control
the temper of the steel, they cannot
control tLeir own-when they burn
their fingers.
You now open q door lettered POLISH
ing Room and start back IT the scene
which meets your gaxe. A living re-
production of Dante's dream is before
you. Men with faces blackened by
charcoal dust and emery stand In long
rows, while q sheet Of fire five or six
feet long plays from the hand of each.
lighting MP their biackened features and
making them look like yeritabie de-
mons. Each man holds In his hand a
Lit and presses 1t upon the polishing