Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-07-14
HEATS IRON WITH WATER.
ASTONISHING DEVELOPMENT IN
ELECTRICITY.
May Revolutionize the Business of Forg-
ing in Factories Where the In
dustry Is Conducted on
Large Scale.

One Of the astonishing things devel-
| oped through the introduction Of cleo
| trlcity into everyday affairs Is forge
made for bench use, for the heating
| of soldering irons or light pieces of
metal for working on the anvil, where
the heating is accomplished by plung-
ing the article to be heated into tray
of water. Nothing could be imagined
more contradictory of ones precon-
| ceived ideas than this procedure, and
yet to the electrician 1t is perfectly
simple.
He makes the proper connections,
plunges his iron into the water, and
pretty soon the iron will begin to glow
under water and then to turn red or
white hot, just as he desires 1t for
working. When he gets through work
ing the iron he may plunge it into the
water again and cool it with ''siss"
as expeditiously as he could In any
other tank of water. This curious
forge is made as follows: The tank
is Of wood or Of any other substance
which will hold water and not form
an electrical conductor. One wire of
the electric circuit passes to the bot
tom of the tank, where 1t is connected
to plate of metal which lies there.
Over this plate water, preferably sat
urated with salt, fills the tank nearly
to the top and serves to conduct the
current to whatever object is to be
heated. Nothing could be better for
this purpose, for the water naturally
closes all about the object and fits II
on every side. The other end of the
Notwithstanding wire Is fastened to
the tongs or led to a metal frame work
at the edge of the tank on which the
tongs or the shank Of soldering iron
lie when 1t is to be heated. The mo,
ment the object to be heated is
plunged into the water q current pass.
es from the water through the object
and at the same moment some of the
water Is decomposed by electrolytic
action. The nitrogen Of the water be.
comes electrified and adheres to the
object to be heated and forms a film
of gas, which separates the object
completely from the water, while al
the same time this gas forms an OBJ
struction to the passage Of the cleo.
trio current that the energy Of the cur
rent is turned into heat.
Electric FORCES of various designs
are coming into use in place of fires
for many of the blacksmith's opera
tors. One of the new ones offered tc
the trade is arranged with one of its
electrodes mounted at the end of ar
ordinary anvil, while the other cleo
trode is swung above, where 1t can BIZ
drawn down by the pressure of foo
upon the pedal. The arm above has
wheel-like revolving head, and a
the end of the spokes of this whee
are blocks of metal Of various form:
adapted to at the objects to be heated
The blacksmith turns down the form
that suits his work, presses his foo
on the pedal and watches until he ha
proper heat, and then, replacing tn
arm, FORCES and finishes his work OF
the very anvil where it was heated
Such clever tools cannot. of course
take the place of the old bellows ant
fire for isolated shops, but in facto
ries they are rapidly being introduced