, 1888-09-12
HOW A SWORD IS MADE.
FROM The CRUDE IRON TO THE
HIGH TEMPERED BLADE.

er-Completion.
Here you are" he said. See if you
can knock a piece out of tho sword on
hat stone.
took the handle in both hands and
struck the stone with all my might. But
to my establishment a piece flew off the
stone, while the sword did not show even
the least evidence of the blow.
Every Il of these weapons has to
stand that test, - | was informed, "or wo
do not put the mark of our firm on it,
nor do we deliver it as "a first class
weapon"
went all through the factory, which
employs over 1000 men exclusively in the
manufacture of fine They are
now filling an order for the German gov
eminent for q new bayonet. Eight hun
dred thousand are to be made, and the
firm delivers 1000 a day. The weapon is
twelve inches long, and the government
pays six marke for each of them hen
finished.
Before q piece OF steel is converted into
such an instrument of war it has to go
through quite a process. To show me
this Mr.. Koch took me into a large space
at one end of the factory, where | at once
noticed pieces of steel varying in length
from ten to twenty feet, standing all
around the walls. In the center of the
room stood a large machine, where one
man and a boy were occupied.
THE RAW MATERIAL.
This is where the steel is cut before it
has received a stroke yet toward the
shape of asword, so we might call this
the storeroom for raw material" Thus
my kin informant began his explanation.
The long pieces of steel, which were
about q inches wide. were then put under
the machine and by the turning of a crank
pieces of aboue twelve inches fell one
after the other into a basket. The 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 /
guessed that we must nave arrived at the
FORCES. And so it was. Each one of
these pieces of steel was put into the
fire, n when it was white with heat, a
man put it under a steam hammer, which
struck the heated steel in rapid success
sion about twenty times on every particle
of its surface. When it was pulled out,
the pieces was about eighteen inches
long. 1t was now thrown into a large
barrel filed with water. Now the 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 | had my at
tention called to n big coke fire. This fire
was stirred up to nm enormous heat, and
then the pieces of steel were one by one
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 it comes under the roll, from where
it 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, mt this time they go to the center
presses, where they are put under a con
trivance which cuts the margins off the
steel, and when they leave here you can
see that the thing looks like a sword.
Hitherto, however, you have seen moth
ing but a dark blue piece of dirty steel,
whilo we now come into the departments
where the metal is frightened. There is
at first the grind mill" This is a large
place which looks like n barn. From ono
end of the room to tho other l 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 a grinder. He has a
little wooden seat, wears a wooden shirt,
no cap and a pair of overalls. But over
the latter up to his knees he has wooden
CATERS, made out of four pieces of wood.
His feet are also inclosed in wooden shoes.
The stones are turned by steam and
watered automatically. In the front of
this stone the man sits from @ o'clock in
the morning until 10 o'clock at noon.
Then he has an hour for dinner, when he
sits down again from l o'clock until G
o'clock in the evening. He has u boy who
brings him the instruments as he wants
them. The grinding department is tho
most important in the entire factory, and
the grinder has to be very skillful. He
has to have a keen eye; he must know
when to press the steel hard against the
stone and when not. A single scraping
of the stone too much spoils the whole
weapon, and it has to be thrown away.
Most of the other work is mechanical,
while here it is intelligence that does the
work satisfactorily.
From the grinding stone 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 IL to 10 years. In
this place there are a number of wheels,
but they are very small. Some Of them
are of stone, others are covered with
leather, which, If the article has to receive
a polish, is covered with a powder which
lends the blade a high polish. The knob
and the back of the handle are now bril-
liantly FURNISHED, and the weapon is al
ready very dangerous. But still it is un
finished. The different holes which are
made in the handle, the one which fastens
the blade on the gun and several others
are now bored. This is done, however,
by machinery, and takes but a very short
time. Then the handle is covered with
leather, and now that the blade itself is
thoroughly completed, it is taken to the
controlling room.
In this department we find, as a rule, q
number of old men who nave 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 see whether there.
is blemish anywhere. AS soon as he