Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-04-25
Clarence D. Clark I
GOLD THIMBLES.
Process by Which These Dainty Finger,
y. Caps Are Fashioned. "

Process by Which These Dainty Finger
III Caps Are Fashioned.
The gold from which thimbles are
made is bought at a United States sub
treasury In the shape Of snug little In
gots brick shaped and two and a half
inches long and one and d quarter
inches thick. Each one contains Of
pure gold twenty four karats fine metal
Of the value Of $500.
Gold of this fineness would be much
\ too soft for thimbles,, and it Is alleged
down to fourteen karats, In which con
dition It Is rolled into sheets OF suita-
BILE thickness. IN the first process OF
manufacture sheet Of THIS gold Ii run
into machine, which cuts out Of 1t a
disk in size sufficient to form q thim-s
! BILE. the same machine stamping this
disk also into the form Of q straight
sided capsule with irregular edges.
Then the thimble blank goes into an
other machine, in which the die stamps
It into Its conicaI shape. Out Of this
machine 1t goes into an annealing 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 dimensio ssss5
With repeated applications Of the
tool the operator brings the crown Of
the thimble into it's perfect form and
cuts down along the thimble's sides to
bring the walls Of the thimble to the!
requisite thickness, defines and finish
les 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-s
tening little gold shavings that he cuts.
of in these various operations all fall
into a canvas trough. Ss33 D
@ 1t lacks vet the familiar indenta tons
IN its surface that serve to support the
needle and to hold it in place. These
the thimble maker now proceeds to
make. 1t Is done with a tool called a.
knurle. There are an end knurle and q
side knurle. An end knurle Is simply
Y revolving wheel Of steel upon whose
I periphery Is q continuous encircling5
row OF little bosses or knobs CORE
spending In size to the little indenta-
{ tions to be made, The side knurle has
III place Of such q wheel d little steel
cylinder of d length sun Client to cover
that section Of the thimble that is to be
{ indented on its sides, this cylinder hay-
B ing knobs all over It's surface as the
L end knurle wheel has around its edges
Il and turning, like the wheel, on its axis.
The thimbIe IN the lathe is turning at
4 1900 revolutions g minute. and it
\ seems as Il the application to It's sur
face Of any sort Of tool with peotuber.
ances on 1t must leave t.1 onlst a
tangled aud mixed To lot of irl,il:;s ss.,
marks. But now, With the ell k.,l,....ss5
the thimble maker makes III linden 81
ton III the center of the III Of IL l- III
thimble and then proceeds rapid III a.,
with perfect certainty WITH the Il n
knurle to describe "a 81 81 tn ssllt
cOncentric rings Of linden ii Z oIl y.
the indenta lions all perfect H. spa S..
from the center Of the cirealnf esal,eesf
OF the top.
gSSss You may see him do this, but var
can't tell how he its able to Go tt. Isl ]. nd
then with the side knurle lie makes TIC
indentations In the side Of the Is In
& bic, making them as well as lie deity
presses the tool against 1t, indenfations
that run absolutely uni form and true
and that end at their lower edge lii q