The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-04-18
A THIMBLE OF GOLD
IT'S MADE OF METAL ALLOYED DOWN
TO FOURTEEN CARATS.

The Process Of Manufacture, From
the Ineots Of Pure Gold Fresh From
the Subtreasury to the Finished
Shining Product.
Out Of whatever part Of the earth it
may originally have been dug, the gold
from which thimbles are made in Phil
adelplia was bought at the United
States subtreasuly in the city in the
form Of snug little ingots, brick shaped
and about two and half inches long,
an inch and quarter wide and about
IN inch thick.
These little ingots would be Of a con-
venient size for Daperweights. But
they would be rather heavy for such
use and probably too expensive Tor
most people, for each one contains, OF
pure gold, % carats fine, metal OF the
value of about 5000.
Cold Of this tineness would be mucn
too soft for thimbles, and it is alloyed
down to IA carats, in which conol-
ton it is rolled into sheets Of sultaole
thickness. In the first process OF man
ufacture & sheet Of this gold is run
into q machine which cuts out Of it
disk in size sufficient to form thin
bic, the same machine stamping this
disk also into the form Of straight
sided capsule with irregular edges.
Then the thimble blank goes into an
other machine, in which die stampsNlt
into its conical shape. Out OF this ma
chine it goes into an annealins fur-
mace for tempering and from that INTO
an acid bath for cleaning and the re-
moval of the fire coating.
Then the thimble is put into lathe
to be turned down to its final shape
and dimensions. It IS dull colored
when 1t goes into the lathe, but at the
first touch Of the keen edged cutting
tool it shows a glistening narrow band
Of bright gold surface, which IS WIDEN
ed in a moment to cover the whole
length of the thimble as the skilfful
worker shifts the tool along.
With repeated application Of the TOOL
the operator brings the crown OF the
thimble into its perfect form ana cuts
down along the thimble's sides to brlnS
the walls of the thimble to the requl-
site thickness, and he defines and I'M
ishes the smooth band that runs around
the lower part Of the thimble ana
brings into relief the rounded rim that
encircles the thimble at its opening at
once to give it finishing ornamental
grace there and to stiffen it. The glis-
tening little gold shavings that he cuts
off in these various operations all fail
into :. canvas trough suspended be-
tween him and the bench upon. Which
stands the lathe.
With that last touch to its rim in this
stage of making the former has grown
marrelously more thimble-like IN ap-
pearance, but somehow it still lacks the
breath, so to speak, of thimble life; it
lacks yet the familiar indentations IN
it's surface that serve to support the
needle and to hold it in place. These
the thimble maker now proceeds TO
make. and the making of these is nice
work indeed.
It is done with tool called a knurle.
There is an end knurle and a side
knurle. An end knurle is simply ham
die having set in it a tiny, thin reyolv-
ing wheel of steel, upol whose periph-
cry is continuous encircling row OF
little bosses or knobs corresponding ID
size to the indentations to be made.
The side knurle has in place Of such
wheel q little steel cylinder Of i length
sufficient to cover that section OF the
thimble that is to be indented on its
sides. this cylinder having knobs ali
over it's surface. as the end knurle
wheel has around its edges, and turn
ing, like the wheel. on its axis.
The thimble in the lathe is turning
with $500 revolutions minute, and it
seems as though the application to its
surface Of any sort of tool with pro-
tuberances on it must leave there only
a tangled and mixed up lot Of irregular
marks. But now with the end knurle
the thimble maker makes an indenta-
ton in the center of the top Of the thin
BILE, and theu he proceeds rapidly and
with perfect certainty with the end
knurle to describe around that center
concentric rings Of indentations, with
the indentations all perfectly made and
the rings all perfectly spaced, from the
center to the circumference Of the top.
You may see him do this, but you
can't tell how he is able to do it. And
then with the side knurle he makes the
indentations in the sides of the thin.
BILE. making there rs well, as he deftly
presses the tool against it, indentatlons
that run absolutely uniform and true
and that end at their lower edge II
perfectly true encircling line.
1t is astonishing and pleasant thing
to see how it develops and comes to
itself with the making Of these IA
nliliar indentations. and now there re-
mains to be done to it only the polish
ing inside and out and you have the
finished gold thimble-Philadelphla
Press.