Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1886-03-15
MAKING NAILS.
From the Metal in the Ore to the Nails in
the Kcg.

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
naces in cars and carts, and ut GER
tain place is broken in halves, weighed
and apportioned to the puddlcrs. The
iron is placed In the furnaces, blast
of hot air is driven over it by means
of fan, and as it melts the puddler
stirs it continually with long iron in
strument called. a puddle tool. 'This
process is kept up until every vestige of
impurity is driven out. Then the
workman gradually cools down his
furnance by dampng the fire, being
careful to note the consistency of the
mass. Then he rolls into ball shape,
withdraws it from the furnace and by
means of a ponderous pair of tongs
running freely on an overhead railway
mechanism worth describing. In form
or times the suueezer resembles the
jaws of monster crocodile, from
which it derived its name. Now the
apparatus is called Il "coifee mill
squeczer," and, indeed, it looks very
much like big coffee mill. The ball
is tossed into squeezer, which seizes
it and seIds it rolling around and
| n nd hn
as the outcome is approached. When
at last the mass emerges it has taken
the shape of roll of cotton batting.
A man on the lookout" for it grasps
it with tongs, and the overhead rig
ging is again brought into play to car
ry the "bloOm," as it is now called, to
the rolls. The rolls are contracted
with numerous grooves graduated to
the size of the bar desired to be made.
Tie "bloOm" has now gone
through the puddle rolls and is
| fiat, say four inches wide, three-quar-
ters of an inch thick, and twelve
feet long; it is termed puddle 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 a de-
partment. the "shcct- MILL" This mill
has within it several heating furnaces
and two trains of rolls-one to break
down the pile and another to finish
the sheet. The heaters arrange the
piles OF iron on the furnaces precisely
rs the baker does his loaves in the
oven. When it is suilic entity heated
it is conveyed by means Of the ever
useful overhead railway to the rolls,
there to be again llattened and drawn
into long thin sheets. Now we have
come to the nall factory. The sheets
are taken to the Sitter" 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 large-sized nails are
cut hot, and for the purpose of heat
ing the plates Il furnace is ut hand IN
charge of Il man whose business is to
supply the nailers with iron. Now we
have reached the last process of this
intricate manufacture. We hear the
busy hum of 120 machines, which in
the course of eleven hours cut l, 100
kegs OF nails, An invention of recent
date, which at one time threatened to
revolut onize the cutting OF nails, has
been introduced in this factory. 1t is
called self-feeder, but as t only cuts
middle sizes the trade of the nail feed
er is not yet jeopardize. The ingenious
machines are almost human in their
working An attendant takes up
nail plate, prizes open the stiff jaws OF
his nippers, places one end of the plate
within and by skillful thrust has set
the machine going. 1t certainly is more
accurate in its action than any feeder
can be. One person can, if diligent,