Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-01-24
A THIMBLE OF GOLD ID
tT Is MADE OF METAL ALLoYED DOWN
TO FOURTEEN CARATS.

-
the subtreaslry to the Finished
Shining Product. 4
Out of whatever part Of the earth it
may originally have been dug, the gold
from which thimbles are made in Phil
adelphia was bought at the United
States subtreasury 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
an inch thick. 49, 3.Efs,E.
These little ingots would be of a CON
venient size for paperweights. But
they would be rather heavy for such
use and probably too expensive for
most people, for each one contains, Of
pure gold, "a carats fine, metal of the
value of about $500. -
Gold Of this f1neness would be much
too soft for thimbles, and it is alleged
down to IA carats, in which condi-
ton it is rolled into sheets of suitable
thickness. In the first process of man
ufacture q sheet of this gold is run
into machine which cuts out of it q
disk in size sufficient to form Thin
BILE, the same machine stamping this
disk also into the form of straight
sided capsule with irregular edges.
Then the thimble blank goes into an
other machine, in which die stamps it
into its conical shape. Out of this ma
chine 1t goes into an annealing fur
mace for tempering and from that into
an acid bath for cleaning and the re-
moyal Of the fire coating. Bis
Then the thiInble is put into lathe
to be turned down to its final shape
and dimensions. It is dull colored
when it goes into the lathe, but at the
first touch Of the keen edged cutting
tool it shows q glistening narrow band
OF bright gold surface, which is widen
ed in moment to cover the whole
length Of the thimble as the skillful
worker shifts the tool along. @...
With repeated application of the tool
the operator brings the crown of the
thimble into its perfect form and cuts
down along the thimble's sides to bring
the walls of the thimble to the reus1i-
site thickness, and he defines and fin
ishes the smooth band that runs around
the lower part Of the thimble and
brings into relief the rounded rim that
encircles the thimble at its opening at
once to give it a finishing ornamental
grace there and to stiffen it. The glis-
tening little gold shavings that he cuts
of in these various operations all fall
{v,$r>
tween him and the bench upon which
stands the lathe III
With that last touch to its rim in this
stage Of making the former has grown
maryelously more thimble-like in APP
pearance, but somehow it still lacks the
breath, SO to speak, OF thimble life; It
lacks yet the familiar indentations In
Its 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. S.}
1t Is done with tool called q knurle.
There is an end knurle and side
knurle. An end lmurle Is simply han
die having set in it a tiny, thin reYoIv-
ing wheel OF steel, upon whose periph-
cry is a continuous encircling row OF
little bosses or knobs corresponding In
size to the fndentations to be made.
The side knurle has In place Of such a
wheel a little steel cylinder Of length
sufficient to cover that section Of the
thimble that is to be indanted on lis
sides, this cylinder having knobs ali
over its surface, as the end knnrle
wheel has around its edges, and turn
Ing, like the wheel, on It's axis. q
The thimble In the lathe is turning
with 1900 revoiuti a minute, and ST
seems as though the application to It's
surface OF any sort Of tool with pro
tuberances on It must leave there only
q tangled and mixed up lot OF irregular
marks. But now with the end knnrla
the thimble makar makes an fndenta.
tion IN the center OF the top Of the thin
Ible, and then he proceeds rapidly and
with perfect certainty with the end
knurle to describe around that center
Iconcentric rings Of indentat lions, With
the indentat Ions all peri made and
the rings all perfectly spaced, from the
center to the circnmf ference OF the top.
Yon may see him do this, hut you
cant tell how he Is able to 40 1t. And
then with the side knurle lie makes the
fluctuations IN the. sides oS the thin
BILE, making there as well, as he deity
presses the tool against it, indentattons
that rnn absolutely uniform and true
and that end at their lower edge ia d
perfectly true eDcircling line.
It Is astonishing and d pleasant thing
to see how 1t develops and comes to
Itself with the making of these "a
Emiliar indentat lions, and now there re
mains to be done to 1t only the polish.
ling inside and out and you have the
dnished gold thimbIe Philadelphia
Press. VI
How ExcIanations Originate.
ssHalloo, and ..hurrail, Z which are
smong the ordinations III common
use, can be traced to curious origins,
The author Of t.The Queens Engliah,'
tells us that the people of CarnWood
forest Leieestershire when they wish
to haiI any one at d distance call out
unf shall ~ hiff Ia 1Jnrl,, y, Tg1ts Ia