The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-12
MAKING BARBED WIRE.
Description of an Extremely Inter-
&. .esting Mechanical Process.

.estiug Mechanical Process.
- When passengers in The railroad trains look
: ftOfn The car windows upon the endless miles OF
shaBR- pointed barbed wire that is stretched
: upon posts upon either side OF the roadway
: .iney no doubt give but few thoughts 10 the
stages through which the wire passes from the
mine to the fence. Yet it is an interesting
: study. and well worth knowing something about
in ali its detail. All The barbed wire is now
made of soft steel. When the ore is taken
from rhe mine 1t goes directly 10 the blast
furnace. which is huge iron tower,
fofty or fifty feet high, lined with brics.
Powerful engines force a stream of
leafed-air Called blasD through openings in
: ihe sides OF the furnace near the bottom. First
, Is put. into the furnace layer Of fuel Coke.
Then a layer OF limestone C1uX1, then some ore !;
eaeh 81 TIE materials le carefully rlghed, so
. that Just the required amount Is placed In the
furns &C. The limestone greatly assists in the
: melting Of the ore and II takes from ten 10
:: twelve hours 10 reduce enc "charge." The iron
sinKs:;O he bottom OF the furnace and the for
eirn matter called Stag, floats on the top OF the
iron: The Stag Is first run oil ana the the iron
Attached to the furnace is large shed, with a
Sano floor, IN which are numerous mods, about
large feet long and four inches square. The
: Iron runs into these mOlds through channel
ON which the end of he mods opens.
:. When cold the iron is taken cut OF the molds
and called pgTon. The pgiT0n is taken 10 the
steelmlli, where 1t is melted and combined
with imported pigiron. after which IT IS
poured into large portable Iron vessel
called a converter. powerful hot-air blast
.Tuns Through the bottom OF the converter and
'blQWs ihl ough The iron. greatly increasing the
heatand expellins all impurities. The metal.
which Is now steel, is poured into molds, which
: hold from 1900 10 1900 pounds. These pieces
are called iDgots.
Everything about the steelmill is handled by
: 'machiRery-hydraulic cranes carry The ingots
from place TO place-and very little manual
labor is neces sary The ineOts are heated and
:. passed several times between large iron rolls,
which gradually decrease the diameter OF the
ingots until they are about AKA inches. The
last Time they come through the rolls they pass
under huge machine which cuts them into
regular lengths, weighing about $50 pounds.
They then pass 10 the rollmil where they re
heated and passed between number of smaller
rous, which run at a very high speed. Here
the steel Is rolled into round RODS about three
ts1teenths OF an inch diameter. which are coiled
mo Dsnoles by machine while hot They
then pass 10 the wireml In the wiremiiI the
IouS are n1st immersed ID bath OF diluted sui
pHufc aeid' winch eats OF all rust and dirt,
" Alter being washed free OF acid they are
dipped IN a thick solution Of lime water
dried ID furnace, pointed on Que end and
taken 10 Tie drawing-room. The drawing
machinery consists OF heavy wood table
called bench, on which are a humber of re-
volviDg casllron cylinders call d blocks In
front OF eacn Dioek, fastened to the bench is an
iron die box for holding the die The die ia 81 ~
chilled castirOn perforated with number Of
holes, which are reamed Out to the size of the
wire required. The poidted end of the rod 10
but through one Of TIE holes In the die and
fastened TO the block, which, in revolving mills
therOd through the die, reducing the size and
coillng II up. This last operation is Teueated
twice for each rod to get il to the size reouired
for fence wire No. 1917.
While drawing the wire has become very
hard and brittle and has TO be softened before
it can be worked into fence. All barbed wire
is either painted or galvanized. For painted
fence the wire is taken from the drawing groom
to the annealing department and placed in
large iron pots, which hold about 1000 pounds
each. These pots, which are inclOsed in fur
paces. are heated until the cont nts are red
hot; they are then allowed 10 cool gradually.
This process is lied anuealing, and requires
about twenty-tour hours; the wire is then very
pliahle. For galYaDiZe1 fence Lbs wire is taken