The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-11-21

This Process Traced from the Ore to the
Finished Nails In the Kex.

This Process Traced from the Ore to the
Finished Nails In the Keg.
Upon entering the works the first
thing which strikes one is the arrange
ment Of the pudding furnaces, they
being built so as to form a hollow
square. Each furnace is double-that
is. one stack is divided into two parts,
making two pudding furnaces. In
the space within the square is placed
the ''squeezer." the train of rolls. and
the engine. which latter furnishes the
power TO drive the machinery and sup
plies the blast for the furnaces. The
pig-iron is brought from the blast fur
mace in cars and carts, and at a certain
place is broken in halves. weighed and
apportioned to the puddlers. The iron
is placed into the furnaces, blast of
hot air is driven over il by means of a
fan. and as it melts. the puddler stirs it
continually with long iron instrument
called puddle tool. This process is
kept up until every vestige of impurity
has been driven out. Then the work
=
by damping the fire, being careful to
note the consistency of the mass. Then
he rolls il into ball shape, with
draws it from the furnace, and
by means of a ponderous pair
of tongs running freely on an
overhead railway conveys it to the
squeezer, piece of mechanism worth
describing. In former times the squeezer
resembled the jaws of monster croco-
die, from which it derived its name.
Now the apparatus is called coffee
mill squeezer, and, indeed, it looks
very much like big coffee mill. The
ball is tossed into squeezer. which
seizes it and sends it rolling around and
around, the space becoming narrower
as the outcome is approached When
at last the mass energies it has taken
the shape of roll of cotton batting. A
man on the lookout" for it grasps it
with tongs, and the overhead rigging is
again brought into play to carry the
BLOOM" as it is now called, to the
rolls. The rolls are constructed with
numerous grooves graduated to the
size of the bar desired to be made. The
''bloomn has now gone through the
public rolls aud is fat say four inches
wide, three-quarters of an inch thick.
aud twelve feet long; tits termed pud-
die or muck bar. When used for nail
making it must be cut into short lengths
of foot. These are piled in certain
manner, weighed and taken to sec
ond department, the ''sheet mill +"
This mill has within it several
heating furnaces and two trains of
rolls to break down the pile
and another to finish the sheet.
The heaters arrange the piles of iron
on tho furnaces precisely as a baker
does his loayes in the oven. When it is
sufficiently heated it is conveyed by
means of the ever-usetul overhead rail-
way to the rolls. there to be again
fattened and drawn into long thin
sheets. Now we have come to the nail
factory. The sheets are taken to the
.'slitter,n who cuts them into different
sizes. as the kind of nails desired to be
made requires. The nail-plates are
then packed in numbered boxes to be
delivered to the nail cutters. The larger
sized nails are cut hot, and for the pur-
pose of heating the plates furnace is
at hand in charge Of man whose
business it is to supply the nailers with
iron. Now we have reached the last
process of this rather intricate manu-
facture. We hear the busy hum of
one hundred and twenty machines
which in the course of eleven hours cut
one thousand one hundred kegs of nails.
An invention of recent date which at
one time threatened to reyolutionize
the cutting of nails. has been intro
duced in this factory. 1t is called q
self feeder, but as it only cuts middle
sizes the trade OF the nail-feeder is not
yet jeopardized. ii -.
The ingenious machines are almost
human in their working An attend
ant takes up nail-plate, prizes open
the stiff jaws OF his nippers. places one
end of the plate within, and by skill
full thrust has set the machine going.
1t certainly is more accurate in its ac-
ton than any feeder can be. One per-
son can, if dilligent, attend two self
feeding machines. Each machine con-
ssts of cutting knife, heading
machine. bed-plate, flywheel, and splnt
and miss-cut separator.
There is another process to be told
about and that is blueing. This is
done in an inclined revolving cylinder.
pierced with holes. and kept at dull
red heat The nails are poured in at
the elevated end, and as they slowly
roll down the incline, take on the pretty
blue tint we have SO often admired. The
nails are now taken to the packer
who weighs them, packing one hundred
pounds in each key. The packing is
done by means of a machine which, by
an ingenious application of mechanics,
has vertical as well as revolving
motion. The key is placed between the
knees of the packer, y and as it dances
up and down, he gradually fills it from
lage iron weighing-scoop. The key
is now turned over to the header, who
deity inserts the head, applies the top
hoops. drives nail here and there into
the chimes, gives it whirl, and away
it goes TO the brander, who numbers it
and stencils the firms name and trade
mark And now our nails are sent to
the warehouse to be put into cars des-
tined for every part of our own country,
and, indeed as far off as Australia. =
Mining Engineer.