Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-01-11
A THIMBLE OF GOLD
IT'S MADE or METAL ALLOWED DOWN
n TO FOURTEEN cARATs.

the 1nEOts Of Pure Gold Fresh From
the Subtreasury to the Finish ed
SHINING Product.
O4.t Of whatever part Of the earth 1t
may originally have been dug. the gold
from which thimbles are made in Phil
adelphia WIS bought at the United
States subtreasnry 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
Nh iHch thick.
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 iineness would be much
too soft for thimbles, and it is ailoyed
down to IA carats. in which condi-
ton it is rolled into sheets of suitable
thickness. In the first process of man
ufacture sheet Of this gold is run
into Il machine which cuts out of 1t a
disk in size sufficient to form a 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
nace for temperfng and from that into
an acid bath for cleaning and the re-
moval Of the fire coating.
Then the thimble is put into a lathe
to be turned down to its final shape
and dimensions. 1t is dull colored
when it goes into the lathe, but at the
first touch of the keen edged cutting
tool 1t shows a giistening 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 aud cuts
down aleng the thimhle's sides to bring
the walls of the thimble to the requi-
site thickness, and he defines and fin
ishes the smooth band that runs around
the lower part Of the thimble and
brings into relief tile rounded rim that
encircles the thlmble at it's opening at
once to give it finishing ornamental
grace there and to stiffen 1t. The glis-
tening little gold shavings that he cuts
Off in these various operations all fall
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
marvelously 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
it's surface that serve to support the
needle and to hold 1t in place. These
the thinble maker now proceeds to
make. and tile making Of these is nice
work indeed
1t Is done with tool called a knurle.
There is All end knurle and side
knurle, An end knurie is simply han
die having set in it d tiny. thin reyolv-
ing wheel Of steel. upon whose periph-
cry is continuous encircling row Of
little bosses or knobs corresponding in
size to the indentations to be made.
The side knurie has in place OF such a
wheel a little steel cylinder of length
sufficient to cover that section of the
thimble that il to be indented on Its
sides, this cylinder having knobs all
over its 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 1t
seems as though the application to its
surface OF any sort of tool with pro-
tuberances on 1t must leave there only
u tangled and mixed up lot of irregular
marks, But now with the end knuEle
the thimble maker makes an indenta-
ton In the center OF the top Of the thin
Bile, and then he proceeds rapidly and
with perfect certainty with the end
knurle to describe around that center
concentric rings Of indentatfons, with
the fluctuations all perfectly made and
the rings all perfectly spaced. from the
center to the circumf ference OF the top
You may see him do this, but you
can't tell how lie ID able to DO 1t. And
then with the side knurle he makes the
indentations In the sides Of the thin
bic. making there as we'll, as he deity
presses the tool against it, indsntations
that run absolutely uniform and true
and that end ut their lower edge in a.
perfectly true encircling line.
It u astonishing and pleasant thing
70 nee how II develops and comes to-
Itself With the making Of these fa-s
miliar indentations, and now there re-
mains 10 be done to 1t only the polish
Ing inside and out and y6u have the
hnished gold thimble- Philadelphia
Press.
MDw ExclasAattons originate.
'HAIloo and 'hurrah which AZ
amoag the EXPLANATIONS In. common
~. can ke traced to curious origins.
The author Of The Queens English,s
till u thar the people of carnwood
ecrs Leicestershire, when they wish
q hail any one II distance cali ont
nat aiioo but halloup y This, hss
~ II = survival Of the times