Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-01
oUN.MAKiSe
Tie Freezes Or Making esa-nsrreis. Both
Ansasns asa sseAsrn.

making " into Run.harrels may De elasseu
a. one Of the foe arts.
TIA thorough and reliable metal is wanted
for purposes independent OF gun-oarret,
how often we hear OF g,In-mctal being used.
The pact fifteen years has witnessed great
ehsnces aud wonderful improvements IN
the manufacture Of gnn.me'eL
AT one time English gunmakers depend.
cd entirely upon the supply OF scraps oil
nnc iron and mild steel. such as horseshoe
nails. old ccach-spriugs, clippings OF saws,
steel pin scrips, scraps, great aud small oil
all kinds.
The pieces were carefully sorted and
placed 10 q cylinder revolving slowly. whict
polished and cleaned them by attri.lon one
agaiust the other.
They were then cut In small picccs oi
uniform size and placed In the furnace un'
iii at q white heat, then gathered In 9
bloom, after which, being paced under The
iron.
This cube was rolled into bars cut into
lengths. and the number OF lengths re
quifed bundled together and again brought
10 white heat, then hammered into rods
Of five.sixteenihs inch square, or smaller OF
larger, as demanded by the barreLweldcr
for the work In hand.
At one time fine damascus barrels were
made almost entirely from old coach
springs. II was found thus would make
very strong aud fine barrels, and showed a
great freedom from "grays" (gray specks
that disfigured the barrels, but did not i'm
pssir their sircngtl). II was though the
peculiar wear the fine metal In the coach
springs had been subject 10 had tendency
10 peculiarly III IL for gun-barrcl metal.
BE this ~ Il may, there were certainly
fire tubes made from coach.spring metal.
As the years rolled on the demand ex-
ceedtd the supply, until at last gun-mctal
bad TO be made from pig-metal OF the very
best ores.
So far reference has been made only TO
the metal that goes into the makeup OF
fine damascus and ANIMATED barrels.
Inferior metal-scraps Of all kinds are used
for making the barrels OF the cheap guns.
This metal is graded and named sham
DAM "scelp," and " cbarcoal-irOn. y
Shamdam Is the poores;; from IL the cheap
twist. barrels are made. From scelp lami-
mated and coarse damascus figures are man
ufaciured, and make a very durable pair O.
barrels.
Charcoaliron Is made up into medium
and coarse figure damascus and Eliminated
barrels. This metal is composed Of old
files and pieces Of steel Of the same sort.
IL Is broken UP into small cubes, then put
in the furnace and worked into a bloom {;
the bloom is then heated and rolled into
bars ready for use.
This metal makes good and desirable
barrels. The use OF the above-described
materials has been almost entirely SUPER
teded by the more modern methods Of pre-
pairing gun.barrel metal right from the Pig.
The hest Of pig-IrOn Is obtained and
placed in the furnace aud reduced 10 a
fluid state. This operation cleanses it from
all drOss II is then al lowed 10 cool, and
while the temperature is going down it is
gathered and worked together in blooms.
and II then goes TO the steam.hammcr. I'M
der which II assumes the shape of square
blocks. II then passes through various
rolls until the diameter and length OF bar
required are attained. The hammeriEg has
condensed The metal and eliminated many
OF the Impurities.
The rolling has augmented its tenaciiy
and ductiluy, elongating and ramiiying the
fbers. The mid steel TO be used In con-
neetion with the fine iron is prepared in a
similar manner, and is made from best
Swedish pig-iTon, aud becomes very teGa-
flOus tEu tiHtilt lJt DttlluS, lttu-
mering. and rolling.
In these three operations there Is con-
slant loss Of metal. The loss In pudding
Is about 1G per cent. and rolling from IL to
10 per cent.
The bars being now ready are cut INTO
equal lengths and huddled together, put in
the furnace. heated and welded and
elongated by rolling into rods. This heat
ing, rolling. and hammering is gone
through with from five 10 seven times In
the operation Of making first quality
brands.
The quantity OF mild steel to be used in
connection with the iron having been de-
termined on, say IS per cent. OF mild steel
In rods, and 45 per cent. OF fine iron in
Iods flye-eighths inch square. II a tine.fg-
ured damascus Is wanted, four rods OF iron
and four Of steel are laid together, first one
OF steel. then one Of iron, then one OF steel,
and so on until all are bundled tOgeth r.
making eight in all. This bundle is then
brought TO q white heat, and the successive
layers Of steel and iron welded together and
rolled out IN rod the rod i again heated
brought out, placed in q machine for the
purpose, and twisted like a rope until il has
ten 10 fifteen turns to the inch, the number
OF tulns determining the fneness Of the
figure.
This severe twisting has shortened the
rod 10 the desired length and increased its
thickness 80 per cent.
Two Of these solid spine rods are now
placed side by side. with the twistings run
ming in opposite directions 10 each other.
rehcated and welded into one, and rolled
into fat rod Of say nine-siXteenths OF an
inch wide for the breech ends OF the bar
rels and eieycn.sixttenths OF an inch wide
for the muzzle ends. The barrels are made
in two parts, and in the last operation Of
welding, called dumping" they are
brought together In the middle.
These rods OF 9-16 aad Lille inches are
<gain heated and twisted in the form Of a
spiral tube; this tube is heated TO a white
heat, ard glowing uu,eI the mU.rcr manu-
sbya quick and def movement dumped"
on The anvil and the open coils welded to-
gether; they are then immediately placed
on groOyed rest and hammered lightly TO
round them mp.
All the coils for the muZzle and breech
ends Of the barrel having been thus weld.
cd. the next operation j. to Join the breech
and The muzz.c together. This is very
neat aud artistic piece Of work, but is
quickly and 2eT.eee:iy performed, and on
frst-Class damascus or animated barrels
would take the eye Of an expert TO detect
The .oiuipre, The whole ..,::LLc, from n:eech
TO muzEle. looks a. II made from one coil.
ING OF rods.
The ends Of the two coils are heated aud
ioine together; light tap on the anvil
and the Welding Is completed.
In ali these operations OF heeiip, I'm.
nering, twisting, and rolling, the lrn,
under each -. ..ul times. and
...anIpulaiion has grown purer,
stronger with increased density and due
tiliiv, resulting IN the strongest, aud at the
same time the most elastic, iron known,
With one exception, and that is the Wit
worth fluid compressed steel, OF which
mention will be made further on, il coming
within the scope of these articles.
The tensile strength Of high-class gun
metal IA ENORMOUS. Experiments made IN
testing variety Of rods show A rod GILT
inch wide by sic inch thick and ioo'
\. long was equal 70 tension =. over 1i,20'
bounds. Tbs mode Of proper th..skne.
ksrried out In gun.barrel would sustain
strain Of over C,JvO pounds TO the squsr
inch OF the barrel. It's, therefore, obviou
the barrel Is abundantly able to sustain th
pressure exerted by gunpowder gas.
The idea IL generally prevalent that Gun
barrels Of all kinds are made from one piec
Of iron or steel; that IL, solid bar OF mets
il prepared and hole bored through
from end TO end. fais ID true with som
OF the very cheap guns made from decaI