Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-09-08
HOW A SWORD IS MADE.
FROM THE CRUDE IRON TO The
HIGH TEMPERED BLADE.

Testing the Finished wespcn On stoss.
Precsss Of Preparing the stcei-Ths
''Grind Slur'--ercat skin Of the Grind
sr-ccmpietion.
Here you are" he said. "See II you
can knock piecs out Of the sword on
that stone"
took the handle In both hands and
struck the stone with ali my might. But
to my establishment . piece few of the
stone, while tho sword did not show even
the least evidence Of the blow.
Every one Of these weapons has to
stand that test" was informed, "or We
do not put tho mark Of our firm ON Il,
nor do We deliver It ~ . first class
weapon"
went all through the factory, which
employs over !, 600 men exclusively In the
manufacture Of fine weapons. They arc
now filing an order for the German Gov-
ernment for new bayonet. Eight hun.
dred thousand are to be made, and the
firm delivers 1900 day. The weapon Is
twelve inches long. and the government
pays six marke for each Of them when
6nished.
Before piece of steel is converted into
such an instrument Of war II has to 20
through quito process. To show mo
this Mr.. Koch took me into largo space
at one end of the factory, where l at once
noticed pieces Of steel varying In length
from ten to twenty feet, standing all
around the walls. In tho center Of the
room stood large machine, where ono
man and boy were occupied.
THE RAW MATERIAL.
This is where the steel is cut before it
has received stroke yet toward the
oh 81 l~rsA
the storeroom for raw material" Thus
my kind informant began his explanation.
The long pieces of steel, which were
about ~ inches wide, e,were then put under
the machine, I'd by the turning Of crank
pieces of aboue twelve inches fell one
after the other into basket. Tho boy
then handed the man another piece OF
steel, put an empty basket under the
machine and carried the short pieces into
an adjoining apartment. We followed,
and from the number Of fires all around l
guessed that we must have arrived at tho
forges. And 80 IL was Each one Of
these pieces of steol was put into tho
fire. and when II was white with heat, q
man put 1t under a steam hammer, which
struck the heated steel In rapid success
sion aboat twenty times on every particle
OF its surface. When 1t was pulled out,
tuc ptECco WUS uUOuB GkHntttu lntncS
long IL was now thrown into large
barrel filled with water. Now tho would
be sword had gone through the harden.
ing process, and a number of boys
gathered them again into baskets to carry
them to the rolling department. In the
front OF each Of these rolls l had my at
tention called to big coke fire. This FIRE
was stirred up to an enormous heat, and
then the pieces Of steel were one by ono
put into the fire. There are two men oc-
cupied at each roll, viz.--the roller and
his helper. As soon as the steel Is hot
again 1t comes under the roll, from where
1t energies about one eighth Of an inch
thick. and the eventual shape of the
sword stamped on It,
Again the pieces of steel are carried
off, and this time they go to the center
presses, where they are put under con-
trivance which cuts the margins off tho
steel, and when they leave here you can
see that the thing looks like sword.
Hitherto, however, you have seen moth
ing but dark blue piece Of dirty steel,
while We now come into the departments
where the metal is frightened There ID
at first the grind mill" This Is largo
place which looks like barn. From one
end of the room to the other I observed
rows of immense grindstones, some Of
them eight feet in diameter.
THE GRINDERS SKILL.
In this factory l saw forty stones, and
IN front OF each sat grinder. He has q
little wooden seat, wears woolen shirt,
no cap and O pair Of overslls. But over
the latter up to his knees he has wooden
CATERS, made out Of four pieces of wood.
His feet are also incloscd In wooden shoes.
The stones are turned by steam and
watered automatically. In the front Of
this stone the man sits from 0 o'clock In
tho morning until 10 o'clock at noon.
Then he has an hour for dinner, when he
sits down again from / o'clock until O
o'clock in the evening. He has a boy who
brings him fhe instruments as he wants
them. The grinding department Is the
most important In the entire factory, and
the grinder has to be very skillfui He
has to have q keen eye; he mu know
when to press the steel hard against the
stone and when not. A single scrapinR
OF tho stone too much spoils tho whole
weapon, and 1t has to be thrown away.
Most of the other work is mechanical,
while here 1t is intelligence that does sthe
work satisfactorily.
From the grinding stono the piece Of
steel comes bright and sharp. 1t is now
taken to the furnishing rooms. This part
of the work is chiefly performed by boys,
who vary in age from 12 to 10 years. In
this place there are number of wheels,
but they are very small. Some Of them
are of stone, others are covered with
leather, which, il the article has TO receive
q polish, is covered with powder which
lends the blade high polish. Tho knob
and the back of the handle are now bril-.
liantly FURNISHED, and tho weapon is al.
ready very dangerous. But sti1l II Ia un.
finished. The different holes which are
made in the handle, the one which fastens
the blade on the gun and several others
arc now bored. This is done, however,
Iby machinery, and takes but very short
time. Then the handle is covered with
Heather, and now that the blade itself is
thoroughly completed. it Is taken to the
controlling room.
In this department we find, as rule,
number of old men who have been at
work for the firm for long years. They
are not able to do actual hard work, but
still in this department their services are
Indispensable. Their duty Is, in fact, TO
examine the article and sec whether thero
IL q blemish anywhere. As soon as no
detects flaw he knows where it was
done, whether in the furnishing, the
grinding. the rolling. or any other de-
partment, and the man who Is found to
have made the mistake has to make 1t
good, or. in other words, he has to pay
for the danape -Solinpen ((iermanyl Cor