BRASS WORK

The copper is to be pressed together along dotted line

The copper cylinder must be sawn out in sections, as where the arrow points

Section of hinge

This sketch shows the method of riveting the hinge to the jewel box

File up all open parts so that the joints will be at right angles to the hinge. Do this carefullyor else they will not swing true when hinged together. Use the cut hinge to measure off the sections on the other hinge. Cut out sections 1, 3, 5 on the second hinge, allowing a little on each section for filing. Fit the two parts together and fasten by pushing a wire through. Try the hinge to see that it works true and snug. Select one of the sides as the back of the box, put the lid on, with the hinge in place. You will notice that the thickness of the hinge prevents the lid from fitting down on the box. File the side of the box down so the hinge sets flush with the top, and file the wings of the hinge down to a taper. The wings are to be riveted, one flat to the under side of the lid, and the other to the back, after bending it down on the inside of the box. Seesection view. Hingesare sometimes soldered in place. To do this, wash the joints with a little soft-solder fluid. Heat the box in the bunsen flame hot enough to make the solder run in between the joints. File any rough edges off, smooth down carefully, and polish.

A plain cedar chest is much improved by the addition of copper or brass trimmings. They add strength, too, to the box.

Views of chest

The design shows a cedar chest with hinges, corner plates, handles, and lock plate. The screws can be bought with pyramid-shaped heads, which resemble hand-made rivets. They add very much to the general effect of the whole. One must be guidedby the size of the box in selecting the appropriate screw decorations. This box is 12 × 20 × 36 ins. The lid is 2 ins. deep.

Hinges:The hinges should be made of No. 10 copper or brass, 3 ins. wide, and should extend two-thirds of the way across the top and half way down the back. This tends to keep the lid straight and support the back of the box.

Lock plate:The plate is made of a piece of 8 × 3 in. metal, the same thickness as the material used in the hinges. The design should correspond to the design of the hinges. The key way is in the lock plate, toward the top.

Handles and handle plate:The handles are made of1⁄2-in. round copper or brass, large in the middle, tapering toward the ends. These ends are turned up, fitted into eye bolts and riveted into the handles. The handles should be 10 × 4 ins., with the design of the hinges and the lock plate carried out.

Corner plates:These plates go on the four corners of the chest. They are made of No. 14 metal. Perhaps the simplest way to make them is to take a piece of No. 14 metal and cut a 6-in. square. Draw the diagonals. Cut out one of the four triangles from this square. Now bend the piece along the diagonal lines and you make a corner to fit onthe box. Solder this open corner to the box. In making corners for the lid, make the same pattern and trim it down to suit the depth of the lid.

The trimmings on the box can be left smooth or they can be treated with the peen of the hammer and a facet surface put on, which is done quickly and is very decorative in effect.

The hinge part of the hinge is made as explained in the article on hinge making. The metal used here would be quite strong enough just to turn over in the pin without soldering it first to the body of the hinge piece.

Put the lock on the chest before the lock plate is placed. This fixes the place for the key-hole; otherwise one might get the key way too close to the opening and find no lock that would fit it. The handles are put in by means of screws, but a much stronger one is made by using bolts and screws. The bolts that hold the handle on the plate are carried through the box, and a nut and washer fasten them tight on the inside.

Ink well holder and pen tray. Book rack. Corners for desk pad. Letter file. Bill file. Stamp box. Paper cutter, letter opener, and book mark.

Material:No. 16 copper, 101⁄2× 51⁄2ins., for the tray. No. 16 copper, 11⁄2× 8 ins., for the box. No. 16 copper, 3 ins. square, for lid.

Ink well holder and pen tray

Directions:Tray: You will notice, in the design of the tray given, a3⁄8-in. ledge all around. The inside of the tray is lowered1⁄4in. except a square place in the centre toward the back large enough for the box to set upon. The depression in the tray is made in the same way as described before in makingthe small square tray. You put it into the vise and with a round wooden peg drive it in according to the design. The ledge must remain parallel to the bottom of the tray. Round it off by placing the tray on the anvil stake and driving the proper curve in it with the wooden mallet.

Inkwells and holder

Box or holder—Sides:Take the copper piece, 8 × 11⁄2ins. and divide it into 2-in. spaces. Bend these at right angles to form a square box, the open ends meeting at one side. Solder with hard solder.Lid:Take the 3-in. square piece. Over a square block the exact size of the inside of the box drive the piece for the lid. The corners must be driven down even so that the lid will fit on the top of the box; otherwise the ink will evaporate. The hinge on the lid is made with a drawn tube in the same way as was described in the article on the making of hinges. The box is now ready to be put on the tray. File the surface of the projecting square flat, so that the box will set level. Bind it down with binding wire, and solder in the usual way.

Ring and ring post fastened to the box:The post is made of a piece of3⁄8-in. square copper. At a distance of5⁄16in. from the end a shoulder is filed on it, with the stem long enough to go through the thickness of the lid. A hole, too, is drilled through one end of this post large enough for a1⁄8-in. copper ring to be pushed through. This copper ring is made by turning a piece of copper wire around a1⁄2-in. round rod in a spiral shape. Cut off the ring or rings as you need them. This ring is opened out, pushed into the hole, and squeezed together. It acts as a little handle to lift up the lid. A piece of blotting paper the exact size of the lid is pushed into the inside of it. This helps to keep the ink from evaporating. If the piece of work has been carefullydone there will be little finishing and filing to do. You can readily see that the beauty of metal work depends as much upon the finish as upon the design.

Book rack

Book-racks are most useful for holding choice books on one's desk. They are made of heavy copper. This design is made so that one can place any number of books between them, by pushing the side pieces out. All book-racks are made in the same way. The design on the side pieces can be sawed out (or pierced) or embossed, or the facets left by the hammer will make a beautiful decoration. Any design work, however, must be done while the copper is in a straight piece, otherwise the bending is apt to spoil the work.

Material:Two pieces of copper, No. 14, 12 × 6 ins.

Directions:In the design shown here the edge of the upright ends are rounded. Some have justthe corners rounded off. Decide upon the design you wish. Cut it out, and file the copper sheet accordingly. Make the edges of the whole rack perfectly smooth and rounded. Mark off 6 ins. from one end. Bend this at the 6-in. line at right angles to the 8-in. piece. It is well to do the bending over a wooden block in the vise, using a mallet so as not to mar the metal. Polish and finish as before.

Metal corner

Metal corners made of brass, copper, or silver are found very useful for protecting the corners ofblotters upon desks. They keep the corners from curling up and add much to the general appearance of any desk. The designs are many, but for all practical purposes the plain corners seem best, as they are more sanitary.

Material:The pieces of metal 6 × 21⁄2ins. No. 22.

Fold on dotted lines. Corners for blotter

Directions:Mark your copper sheet off like this pattern. Now get a piece of wood, iron, or copper about3⁄16in. thick and just the shape of one of these corner designs. This3⁄16in. thickness will be about equal to the thickness of your blotter and the thickness of the card-board. Take your copper sheet and bend the ends along the lines marked on thepattern, over the iron or wood form, driving them down to fit the shape well. You now have a triangular piece with an opening on one side. This piece would slide over the corner of a card-board pad usually cut about 24 × 18 ins. Solder the edges together. It is necessary to rivet these corners to the card-board to prevent their slipping off easily. To do this drill a small hole down through the under side close to the edge, slip these corners on the card-board, push the iron form in, and drive the rivet through the hole, through the card-board against the iron plate, thus riveting the corners to the card-board. Take out the iron plate and repeat on the four corners. If designs are to be made on metal, they must be sawed out or pierced while the metal is in the straight piece. Polish free from all roughness. A piece of soft flannel or woollen cloth is glued on the under side of these corners, so that the metal cannot scratch the desk, or any polished surface it rests upon.

This is a useful article for filing notes or memoranda of things that need immediate attention. There is very little variety in design. The basecan be made square, circular, six-sided, etc., and decorated in many ways. It looks well either in copper or brass. Only heavy copper should be used, in order to give weight to the base.

Bill file

Material:A 31⁄2-in. square of No. 10 copper. Rod of sharpened steel.

Directions:Take a piece of iron1⁄2× 21⁄2× 21⁄2ins. Go to any scrap heap for this. Place the copper sheet over this block of iron, letting the surplus metal extend evenly all around. Put it into the vise with the corner vertical. Tighten it up and drive the metal over the corner till it touches the sides of the iron. Do this on all the corners. Make the outside of the metal fit tightly over this iron, acting as a shape or form. If the metal should feel springy before driving it up close, anneal it. Notice that in driving these corners down they are longer than the four sides, and they suggest feet. If filed flat and smoothed up you have a square box with a foot on each corner. Take it off the iron form and make the top rounding by driving it over the hollow block. Now drill a1⁄8-in. hole through the middle. Placethe copper rod in the hole and solder with hard solder.

Paper cutter

Paper cutter:No article on a desk is more useful than a good paper cutter. It may be one with a plain flat blade, no marked handle and without decoration aside from that of the metal itself with its hammer marks left upon it. Again we may have one with blade and handle, the blade either pointed (sharp edged or blunt), the handle plain or with sawed-out design. Those with pointed blades are serviceable as letter openers too. Then some designs have handles made long enough to turn the end over, forming a raised handle.

Material:Piece of No. 20 copper,7⁄8× 9 ins.

Paper knife. Cut on dotted lines

Directions:If the blade is to be pointed, take your strip of copper and draw a line right through the centre. Mark a point1⁄8in. on the end, eitherside of the centre line. Draw lines from these points to the extreme ends of the other side. See dotted lines in thesketch.

File up the edges rounding, and polish the whole. Select a piece of copper free from scratches and marks of any kind for this work. This paper cutter can be left smooth, or it can be decorated by the marks left by the planishing hammer. These marks give a good finish and look well.

Material:Piece of No. 20 copper,7⁄8× 16 ins.

Paper cutter with turned handle

Directions:Mark off lines on the copper strip as you did to make the plain paper cutter. Carry the tapering lines back 7 ins. Cut off these side pieces with shears. File the edges for the whole length smooth. If any decorating is to be done, do it while the copper is in the straight piece, as it can't be done easily after the handle is turned. All filing, too, must be done before the handle is turned. When filed and smoothed up or decorated as you wish, bend half the remaining 9 inches of thecopper over and on to the blade, in this way forming the handle. The size of the handle will depend upon one's feeling of comfort or discomfort about it. If the edges still feel a little rough a piece of emery cloth will smooth them down.

Letter openers are really small paper cutters and are made in exactly the same way. They are shorter and narrower than the paper cutter, but almost always have a sharp pointed blade. Many scraps of copper left over after the making of large pieces can be used to make letter openers.

Bookmark

Book marks are very handy to have on one's desk. They are easily made and if very light copper is used need not be heavy or clumsy. They should be made very smooth, for they must slip easily into place in the book.

Material:No. 30 copper, 3 ×3⁄4in.Directions:This drawing can be used as the guide. Make it the required size and work just as you did when making the paper cutter. The little tongue on the inside is sawed out. It should swing easily to and fro, as it must be pushed open to catch the pages of a book and clamp them down. File and finish very smooth. If it is left the least bit rough it would tear the paper as it is pushed in.

Brass:Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The zinc colours the copper and gives it the yellowish or brassy look, depending upon the amount of zinc melted with it. While the operations are the same whether you are working with brass, copper, or silver, the presence of the zinc in brass makes it less pliable than the pure metals. That is why brass hardens so quickly under hammering, making it necessary to anneal the metal very often in order to work it. But zinc and copper combined melt at a lower temperature than copper or silver pure, so that great care must be taken when preparing the metal for soldering or annealing that you do not heat it over a dull red heat before plunging it into water.

Bowl

Finger bowls of brass are very ornamental and useful and can be made of the simplest designs. Ahalf dozen are a welcome addition to any table. Design the bowl and proceed exactly as you did with the copper bowl, working the sheet of brass up into a rough bowl shape on the hard wood block. Using the same tools, finish the bowl on the round stake. The surface of the bowl may be left mottled, or it can be smoothed up, as one wishes.

Pieces in brass

These sketches suggest a number of articles that can be made out of brass.

Material:One piece of brass, 10 × 6 ins., No. 16. One piece of brass, 12 × 4 ins., No. 16.

Scraper

Tools:Anvil stake, mallet, shears, dividers.

Directions:With the dividers set at 5 ins., one leg of the dividers tangent with the top of the brass plate and the other in the centre lengthwise of the piece, draw a circle. Cut around the circle with the shears. Beat over3⁄4in. of the centre part of the circle, tapering along the circle line toward each end. Round up this edge and curve it a little inward on wood block so that when grasped by the fingers it will be comfortable. Smooth off edge and make the flat part perfectly straight, so that when placed on the table to receive the crumbs it will lie perfectly flat.

A very simple design is given here. Mark out the dimensions on a sheet of paper and lay thedesign on a sheet of brass. Cut the brass out to fit the design. Using the mallet, drive up the rounding part on the anvil stake to match the rounding part on the tray.

Marked up brass

Handle of scraper:Place the handle part on a hard wood block and with the small end of the raising hammer drive down on the handle, embossing it from the outside toward the front. Give it a half hollow shape. If the edge of the handle is smoothed off with a file and made rounding, it makes a good handle for the scraper. Flatten the scraping edge so that it lies flat on the table and picks up all the crumbs on its way to the tray. Polish and finish as you did the tray.

Tea caddy

Material:One piece 24-gauge soft brass(yellow), 11 × 31⁄4ins. (for body). Disc 37⁄8ins. in diameter (for bottom). Square: 43⁄4ins. for lid. Two strips, 11 ×3⁄4ins., one for rim of lid and one for rim of body.

Tools:Block used to make round tray (copper), drilling hammer, mallet, wooden peg, iron stake, silver solder, steel stippling tool.

Forming cylinder

Directions:Take the piece of brass 11 × 31⁄4ins. Bend it till the edges meet to make a cylinder. Bind it round with a piece of binding wire. See that the edges come together tight. Wash with borax. Use silver solder and proceed as before with soldering. Cool in water, clean off the joint both inside and outside till the surplus silver is filed off smooth. This leaves a fine joint line which will take on the colour of brass in time and will scarcely be noticed. Round the cylinder up by placing it on a round stake or on a round wood block. Tap gently with your mallet to do this.

Bottom:Take the 37⁄8-in. disc. Draw a circle on it equal to the bottom of the cylinder. Put the anvil stake into the vise. With the edge of the circle on the square end of the stake, drive the metal with the driving hammer, so that the upturned rim is at right angles to the disc. Test this to see that the rim stands up all round and fits the outside of the cylinder close. File the top edge of this smooth and a little rounding. Shape up and solder as you would a copper piece, keeping in mind the low melting point of brass. The heating of the bottom for soldering must heat the body of the caddy to a red heat and there is danger of unsoldering the part done. To prevent this melting, the soldered joint should be painted both inside and outside with rouge or ordinary clay wash. Mix a little clay in a saucer to a liquid and rub it over the joint. If the soldering is carefully done there will be little filing to do afterward.

Rim (for the body):Take your 11 ×3⁄4-in. piece. Bend it into a circle to fit the inside of the body. Cut it off the right length, bind and solder the two ends together. Clean off, round up on the stake, and make it just large enough to drive it into the top, pushing it down until about3⁄8in. extends above the cylinder. This supports the rim ofthe lid. If it is driven down tight it will hold of itself in place. If not, use a little soft solder to make it secure.

Lid:One square piece, 43⁄4ins. Take the mould used for your round tray. Punch holes in each corner of the brass plate, and nail it right over the depression as you did when you made the round tray. With your round peg drive the metal into the depression. When the metal is perfectly smooth and fits the impression take it out. Place the body of the caddy over the top of this lid piece and mark around it. Make a second circle3⁄8in. beyond the one just made. Cut out along the outer circle. Now draw a circle on the inside of the lid equal to the body of the tea caddy. Place the lid on the anvil stake and turn it up as you did the bottom piece. This should be made the same size as the bottom, as it must fit over the same diameter. Make the rim for the lid in the same way as you did the rim for the body. Round it up. Be careful that the rim of the lid fits over the rim of the body and that the diameter of the rim on the lid equals the diameter of the body of the caddy. Place the rim on the lid and soft solder it.

To decorate:With the steel stippling tool mark any little design on the surface of the lid or body,or both, pricking up the design. Finish the work by polishing the same way as copper is polished. You can prevent its tarnishing by the use of lacquer. This lacquer can be bought at any paint shop. It is put on with a brush and left to dry. The lacquer being transparent does not cover up any of the design.

Material:Yellow brass, No. 20. One piece, 71⁄4× 9 ins. (for the body). One piece, 5-in. disc (for base). Handles, 2 pieces, 51⁄2×5⁄16ins. square.

Vase

Tools:Hard wood block, shears, anvil stake, files, raising hammer, carpenters' gouge, chisel.

Design:Vase, 71⁄4ins. high, with a diameter at the top of 21⁄2in. The body tapers toward the base. Two handles, one on each side, to be designed according to taste. The base is to be weighted in order to insure safety when in use for flowers, etc.

Directions:Make a pattern for the vase in the following way: Draw a 21⁄2-in. circle. Using the same centre, draw a 1-in. circle inside the 21⁄2-in.

Cutout for vase

Through the centre of these circles draw a line 9 ins. long;3⁄4in. below the outer circle, over this centre line draw a line 1 in. long,1⁄2in. on one side and1⁄2in. on the other. Seven inches below this 1-in. line draw a 21⁄2-in. line, 11⁄4in. on one side and 11⁄4in. on the other. Connect the inside points of each line with the top line (seedesign), drawing lines between the two points. If the pattern is carefully developed from the drawing the metal will fold up in the right way for a vase. To do this, continue the tapering lines beyond the circle until the two lines intersect. With the point of the compass on the point of intersection, and thepencil point where the sides meet the 1-in. line, draw an arc of a circle any length. Using the same centre, open the compass until the pencil reaches the base lines. Draw an arc of a circle any length. Use your 30° and 60° angle and divide the half of the circle into 6 equal parts. Take one of these 6 divisions with your compass, and step off their distance on the large circle 12 times. You now have the exact circumference for the top of the vase. Draw lines from these points to the point of intersection. This marks off the small circle or base. Connect the 12-in. point on the top and bottom with solid lines. Cut this pattern out and lay it on the metal. Cut out the metal and fold up. It should fit the drawing. The edges should meet close. Clean, bind, and solder as you did with the copper work.

Base:Use the hard wood block and drive up the 5-in. disc over the depression. Shape it as nearly as you can like the design, using the same method as you did with the copper bowl. Keep annealing this brass whenever it feels springy. Place it on the anvil stake. Use the driving hammer and shape it.

Some Problems in Copper and Brass Work Made by Boys

Drawn to scale1⁄2inch = 1 inch

Repeat the annealing and hammering until the desired shape is gotten. Notice in the design thatthe neck is a little smaller than the bottom of the vase. Place this small end on the point of the anvil stake and swell it out, forming a little rounding collar so that the end of the vase will slip in and fit tight. When the end of the vase is in position, wash the joint with a little soft-soldering fluid, place a little soft solder in the joint and heat until it melts. Be careful that the solder does not run over the collar. It is so hard to file off the brass.

To weigh down the base:Turn the base upside down. Melt enough soft lead to fill up the opening level with the bottom. A circular piece of brass is made to fit over the lead to hide it. Lap the edges of the base over the piece just enough to hold this and the lead in place.

Handles:Handles are a matter of individual taste. The vase can be left without handles if desired.

Suggestions for drawer pulls to be worked out in copper, brass, wrought iron, or soft steel

Take two pieces of 5 ×5⁄16ins. square; file into shape according to the design. Bind the handles on the body of the vase. Place a little silver solder whereverthe handles touch. Be careful to guard the joint made by soldering the body of the vase with clay or rouge, as was done when making the tea caddy. Now you are ready to solder the body of the vase and the base together. Push it in place,see that it is perfectly straight, bind and solder. If not well soldered it will not hold water. File off the surplus solder, polish and lacquer as you did the tea caddy.

This stationary bell is very useful for any purpose that a small bell serves. It has the advantage of being always in one place.

Material:No. 20 brass, used for both the bowl and bracket. The size of the design determines the amount of material used.

Bell and bracket

Directions:Make the bowl in the same way as you did the copper bowl, raising hammer, wood block, etc. The last work done on this bell should be of such a nature as to harden themetal so that the ring is clear. This clearness of the sound depends upon the hardness of the metal. The harder you can get the metal without splitting it, the better the bell's tone.

Plate and hanger

Bracket:The bracket is made of two pieces, the plate and the hanger. The plate can be made of any design or shape suitable—square, oblong, oval, or round.

Decide upon your design, mark this on the plate, and cut out. Drill small hole for the nails to fastenit, either to the wall or to a small piece of hard wood1⁄4in. thick for a backing.

Hanger:The hanger can be made of flat, square, or round material. This picture shows a design made of No. 20 brass. It is cut tapering and shaped over a round wood block in the vise. The slots are sawed out as shown. The bell is fastened to the hanger by means of two or three links formed together in a chain, one large enough to hook over the hanger, and connected to the bell with a little eye bolt made of brass, which is pushed through the bell and riveted on the inside.

The ringing of the bell is done by a small brass rod fastened to the hanger with a small chain. The work is finished up by the use of pumice stone.

Silver:There is very little difference in the handling and working of silver from that of brass and copper. The same operations are carried out and the same tools are used. Silver is more pliable than either one of the other metals, though copper is softer. However, silver melts at a lower temperature than copper or brass, and for that reason greater care must be taken during the process of annealing, soldering, and enamelling.

Silver, of course, is the most precious metal you have worked with. So then the cost of the material limits one to the working out of comparatively small problems. When buying silver, always buy sterling. The sterling silver is made especially for silversmiths and is used in all silver work, pure silver being too soft to stand the wear that is required.

While copper is sold by the pound, silver is sold by the ounce, and rolled out to any thickness you wish. But the gauge is the same as that of copper, a No. 20 in silver being the same as No. 20 in copper.If the problems given here are carefully worked out, enough practice in the handicraft of silver will be given to enable you to work out much larger problems in the metal.

Selecting stones for rings, pins, brooches, or bracelets:Choose the stones that are round or oval in shape, and pick those that have a fairly level bed and are well bevelled. This is necessary so that the bezel will hold tight when rubbed against the stone. Semi-precious and precious stones can be bought at any dealer in stones, and one has his choice out of many to pick from.

Bands for finger rings are all made, practically, in the same way. But there is a great difference in the way stones are set in these bands. Perhaps the three ways most generally used are: setting by means of a bezel, or small band; prong setting, and setting the stone down in a cavity cut in the metal, just large enough to hold the stone.

Finger ring, stone set with a bezel:

Material:One piece of silver, 23⁄8×1⁄2ins., No. 20, for ring. One piece of silver,1⁄8× 11⁄2ins., No. 28, for bezel. Stone. Silver solder. Borax.

Tools:Ring mandrel (you can make one yourself),small wood mallet, drill press and1⁄16in. drill, saw frame and saw, centre-punch, small Swiss files.

Example ring

Patterns

Pattern drawn on paper

Directions—Pattern:To make a ring of this kind first cut a piece of paper1⁄4in. wide and long enough to go around the finger which the ring is to fit. Straighten this piece of paper out. This gives the length of the piece of silver needed for a ring. Cut another piece of paper1⁄2in. wide to this length. Draw with ink the pattern of the ring on this second paper.

Cut the design out and paste it on the piece of silver. With the centre-punch mark the centre ofeach spot. Drill holes into each one. Saw out the design. With a pair of shears cut off the surplus metal. Be careful to save all the scraps. They can all be returned and exchanged for silver plate. File close to the design. You now have the band ready for bending.

Bending the ring

To bend the ring:A ring mandrel is needed. This is merely a tapering rod. One can buy steel mandrels which are graduated for all sizes of rings. A small tapered square punch which you can make yourself, will be found helpful. Take a piece of3⁄16-in. round or square steel. File the end, tapering to a square point, 1 in. long. Harden it the same as you did the half moon punch used to make the hat pin. This punch is used for design work. Round holes can be squared by driving the square punch into the hole to any depth. This saves filing.

Place the ring mandrel in the vise. Using a woodenmallet, bend the ring in a circular shape over this mandrel till the two ends meet. Try the ring on the finger. Snip off the ends so that the ring fits rather tightly. This will allow for stretching the ring after it is soldered.

To put on the bezel:Bend a piece of No. 28 silver,1⁄8× 11⁄2ins., around the stone. This can be done with the thumb and finger. Make the silver fit around the largest part of the stone. Snip off the ends.

Binding the ring

Bind the two ends with binding wire, wash with borax, put a little piece of silver on the inside and heat over the bunsen burner; which is hot enough for this kind of work. Cool off in water, remove the binding wire. Each end of this bezel must be filed to fit the circle of the ring.

Bezel for ring

Binding bezel to ring

When this is done bind the bezel on, and at the same time bind the lower part of the ring so that the open ends fit tightly together. Solder the bezel and the open part of the ring at the same time. Wash all the joints.Place silver solder on the inside of the bezel, say one half-dozen pieces (small), round on the inside, and also one or two small pieces on the joint of the ring itself. Place the whole ring in the bunsen flame. It will all heat up about the same time. Watch the solder carefully. See that it runs all around between the bezel and the body of the ring. Cool off. Take off all the binding wire. File the inside and outside of the bottom part of the ring.

Place the ring on the mandrel and go over it gently with a steel hammer, shaping it around and making it to fit the finger. File the edges around smoothly. Go over it all with a small square file and file out all imperfections in the slots. Place a piece of fine emery cloth on a tapered round wood peg. By revolving it around this you polish and trim up the inside of the ring. Using the same emery cloth twisted around a flat stake or file, go over the outside until the ring is free from scratches.

Stone:If the bezel has been carefully made the stone should drop right into place. If by chance some of the solder should have filled up the bezel space and made it smaller, take a sharp tool like a pocket knife blade and scrape the inside of the bezel till the stone fits. Place the stone. With asmooth piece of steel or very hard wood press the bezel against the stone. The bezel is thin enough to yield to this pressing process. It will cling to the sides of the stone and prevent its falling out. Polish the ring by rubbing it with pumice stone and a piece of cloth. This finishes the work.

Finger rings, silver cut away to set stone in:

Material:For this class of work we require much heavier silver than for the other rings.

Cut away to set stone

One piece of silver, No. 10,1⁄2× 23⁄8ins. Solder. Borax.

Tools:Same as were used for the bezel setting. In addition we shall need one or two small chisels, which you can make yourself. Chasing tool.

Directions:Make the pattern of your ring as you did before. Paste it on the silver piece, and cut out. Bend the silver around the ring mandrel so that it will fit the finger it is intended for, and solder. Place the stone in its proper position and mark the outline of it on the silver. Now you will need a small chisel to chip away the silver and make the space for the stone.

To make chisel:Take two pieces of3⁄16-in. roundsteel 5 ins. long. One piece is to make a flat chisel and the other for an oval chisel. File the ends to a chisel shape.

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