Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-02-22
HOW AXES ARE MADE.
What Reporter Saw In a Large
Pittsburgh Factory.

| patch- The principal building Is a
long, low, dingy structure utterly de-
void OF paint or ornament Not until
the visitor gets inside and begins TO
take an inventory OF his surroundings
does he begin TO be impressed by the
greatness OF the works. A glance into
the engine room, whence the motive
power is supplied to the various depart
ments, shows that the quantity OF ma
chinery must be enormous The en-
CINE is stately piece Of mechanism,
majestic in its movements and gigantic
in its proportions. The fy-wheel is
forty-two inches in the rim and twenty
eight feet in diameter, supplying con-
tinually force equal to four hundred
horse power and capable OF much more.
AS one enters the main workshop a
noise equal to that made by score or
more of heavy freight trains falls upon
the ear. This place is full of huge ma
chimes, glowing furnaces and busy work
men. But the most noticeable thing is
the ceaseless clatter, which only sub
sides in one quarter 10 break out with
renewed force in another. A few min
utes OF watching, however, shows that
the confusion is apparent rather than
real. The work progresses steadily,
methodically and orderly. At one side
OF the room man is thrusting into a
furnace straight, fiat pieces of bar iron,
which minute o. two later become
perfectly shaped axes. entirely complete
with the exception of the blade. How
Is the metal SO suddenly transformedp
Let us see.
The glowing bars leave the furnace
and are taken to powerful and some
what complicated machine. which per-
forms upon them four distinct opera
housekeeping the metal to form the
upper and lower parts of the axe, then
the eye, and finally doubling the piece
over so that the whole can be welded
together. A workman stands by, seiz-
ing the partially fashioned pieces one
after another with IA pair of tongs and
hammering the lower edges together.
Next the iron is put in u powerful ma
tural-gas furnace and heated to white
heat. Taken out, it goes under tilt
hammer and is welded together in
second. This done, one blow from the
drop" and the poll of the axe is COM
pleted and firmly welded. Two crews
OF men are doing this class of work,
and each crew can make 800 axes per
day
When the axe leaves the drop there
Is some superfuous metal still adhering
TO the edges and forming what is
technically known as fin" To get
rid OF this fin the axe is again heated
in a furnace and then taken in hand by
a sawyer, who trims the ends and edges.
This operation is most curious and in
teresting. The operator has glass in
front of him to protect his eyes from
the sparks which fly of by hundreds as
the hot metal is pressed against the
rapidly revolving saw. The iron part
of the axe is now complete.
The STEEL for the blade, after being
heated, is cut by machinery and shaped
with "a die. 1t is then ready for the
welding departments. A groove is cut
in the edge OF the iron. the steel for
the blade inserted, and the whole firm
ly welded by machine hammers. Next
comes the operation Of tempering. The
steel portion of the axe is heated by
being inserted in pots of molten lead,
the blade only being immersed. 1t is
then cooled by dipping in water and
goes TO the hands OF the inspector. An
axe is subjected to good many rigid
tests before it is pronounced perfect.
The steel must be OF the required tenn
per, the weight OF all axes of the same
size must be uniform; and must be
ground alike, and i'm various other
IL
ard.
Consequently the different inspectors
who pass judgment on the axe after
each process have highly important
duty to perform. The inspector who
tests the quality Of the steel does SO by
hammering the blade and striking the
edge to ascertain whether it be too
brittle or not An axe that breaks
during the test is thrown aside TO be
made over.
Before the material of an axe is in
the proper shape il has been heated five
times, including the tempering process,
and the axe when finished has passed
through the hands of about forty work
men, each of whom has done some
thing toward perfecting it. The En-
glish workmen. i am told, have Il very
different way Of making axes. There
one operative begins the work, puts
metal through all the immediate pro-
cesses and finishes the tool himself.
Division of labor and improved machin-
cry give the American manufacturer
great advantages. Axes are exported
from this country in large quantities.
The axe, with the iron and steel
work finished, goes to the grinding de-
partment. Here about fifty huge grind
stones, turned by ste.m-power, are ar
ranged in rows along the two sides OF
the room. The workman runs wood
en- handle through the eye Of the axe,
holds the tool upon the stone, and how
the sparks fly. He grinds the poll on the
sides, ends and edges, until each is per-
fectly smooth, then turns his attention
10 the blade, upon which he puts fine,
sharp edge. When the grinding is
done the axes go TO the polishing de-
partment and are applied to emery
wheels until they shine all over like
silver. The side OF bright new. axe
would make no mean substitute for a
mirror, Next the name OF the manu-
facturer or selling agent Is stamped up
on the head of the axe by sort of
steel-en craving Drocess