Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-07-03

touches the wire it will be burned and
ruined. The fire is now started under
the pot and allowed to heat until the
wire is a cherry red, the workmen be.
ing able to tell from the appearance of
the cast-iron pot through peep hole
in the oven the condition of the wire.
The wire ia kept at this heat for seven
or eight hours, when the fire is
allowed to gradually go out and the
wire is slowly cooled. If cooled too
rapidly all effect of the annealing is
lost, and the wire is as brittle as before.
If properly done the wire comes out soft
and flexible, and can be twisted into
all shapes without break. All of
/ the common sizes of wire. known as
market wire. which are sold in hard
ware stores throughout the country,
are annealed to make them pliable,
after they have been drawn down to
the required size. They are then done
up in coils sixty three pounds each and
are ready for shipment. This class of
wire when sent to the Pacific Coast
has to be carefully wrapped in paper,
or the dealers will not accept it.
!
springs, know as spring wire and also
the wire used for making wire nails is
not annealed for in that case the nail
could not be driven into the softest
wood as it would double up under the
stroke of the hammer.
For many purposes where wire is ex-
posed to the weather, as, for instance.
in fencing it is desirable to galvanize
it, and when this is done it is an
nealed in different manner from that
described above. For this purpose in
the galvanizing-r four watts are
arranged end to end. The first one,
which contains molten lead, is about
twenty-five feet long: the second
contains clean, cold water and is about
five feet long; the third, which is ten
or twelve feet long, contains muriatic
acid, and the fourth, about twenty
five feet long, contains the melted
spelter. which is composed principally
of zinc, for coating tho wirea. The
lead and spelter are kept in liquid form
by coke fires. and the muriatic acid is
heated by steam coils. Five or six coils
of wire are placed on reels bsside one
another at the end of the first vat anG
an end of the wire from eA Oh coil is
carried through the four watts and fas-
tened to a sowly revolving cylinder at
the opposite end of the fourth vat. BY
this means the wire is passed through
the vat containing boiling molten lead,
where it is heated red hot thus anneal-
ing it. The wire then passes through
the vat of water in order to cool it
somewhat, for it was found to be i'm
practicable to allow the red-hot wire to
go directly into the third vat contain
ing muriatic acid, as the fumes thus
caused drove all the workmen out of the
building.
While going through the vat of acid
the wire is thoroughly cleaned and a
surface prepared to which the spelter
readily adheres as the wire passes
through it. When the wire energies
from the vat of spelter it is passed
through rolls of asbestos. which re-
move the surplus spelter and give the
wire smooth, finished appearance.
Wire galvanized in this way Of
about No. 10 gauge is extensively used
fencing. This fencing is made as
rapidly as the wire will run through
the machine, which is so fast that no
idea OF the operation can be formed
unless the machine is slowed down.
The wires for the main strands of the
fencing are carried from reel into the
machine, and another wire of smaller
size, about No. 10 or ID. is brought
into the machine at right angles with
the other two wires. This forms the
barbs every few inches apart. The
machine automatically cuts these
wires off to the correct length, sharpens
the ends and then twists them around
one of the main wires.
Very little of the operation of the
wire.nail machines can be seen,
although there is plenty to be heard,
as they are very noisy. Sixty penny
nails, which are the largest made, are
six inches long and No. gauge. and
drop out Of the machine at the rate of
sixty a minute; the smaller sizes come
out in perfect shower.
In order to brighten the nails and
give them smooth finish they are
taken to what are called the rumblers,
which look very much like barrels
with shaft running through the GEN.
ter, on which they revolve. Each one
of these rumblers holds nine kegs of
nails. Hardwood sawdust saturated
with ammonia is poured in among the
nails, the rumbler is set in motion. and
the nails striking against one another
soon become bright and shiny with the
aid of the sawdust, and the small fin of
steel which is formed at the point
when the nails are sharpened is
knocked off. These fins the millmen
call "whiskers" and they are saved up
and sold as scrap. After the nails
come out of the rumblers they are
packed in 100-pound kegs and are
ready for shipmapt