Chapter XVI: Spoons and Picture Frame

Silver spoons: (1) Teaspoon, (2) Sugar tongs, (3) Mustard spoon, (4) Salt spoon and salt-cellar.

_Material:_ No. 8 sterling silver 6 × 1-1/4 ins.

_Tools:_ Hard wood block, drill press and 1/16-in. drills, jewellers' saw and frame, files, shears, and raising hammer.

_Directions:_ Examine carefully any teaspoons you have at home. These will suggest ideas for designs. They will give you a clearer notion of how teaspoons are made than any sketch you may see. When you have decided upon your design, draw it on paper and cut out your pattern. Paste this pattern upon the piece of silver. You cannot cut this metal with a pair of shears. Put it into the vise and cut it out with a cold chisel as you did the paper knife, or you can cut it out by placing it upon the flat stake and, with the chisel held vertically, driving the chisel into the silver. You will find the vise best, however. Now you have the outline of a spoon with the same thickness all the way through. If you have examined a teaspoon carefully you will see that the bowl of the spoon itself is thinned toward the outer edge, and that the handle is tapered toward the end. The thickness of the metal is left at the short bend of the spoon where it meets the bowl. Now place the large end on the anvil stake and with the raising hammer (round end) drive down on the metal, thinning it out and at the same time shaping it into a spoon bowl. Your silver widens out and makes the bowl larger than it should be. Cut off the surplus silver. It is much better to have to cut down to the size than to be compelled to stretch the silver out, as it were, to a certain size. In one case you can stop when you have the proper thickness, but in the other you might make the metal too thin for practical purposes, in order to get it wide enough.

_Handle:_ Handles should be tapered out from the thickest part to the end, and left large enough on the end to saw out or file into shape any design you may wish to make. Don't work your problem too close so far as material is concerned. Any waste material in silver can be returned and exchanged for full value.

Hammering any metal hardens it. When this silver becomes hardened anneal it, but just enough to allow you to shape it up. However, the last annealing should be done some time before the hammering is finished so that the last work on it will harden it sufficiently to prevent its bending when in use. Hand made spoons have a beauty about them not matched by those mechanically made. If this handle is to have a sawed out design, the drilling and sawing are done as before described.

The finishing should be carefully done. Round the edges so that they feel smooth and comfortable. After polishing, the spoon is ready for use.

SUGAR TONGS WITH CLAWS

_Material:_ No. 16 gauge silver, 9 × 3/8 in.

_Directions:_ Make your pattern and mark it off on the strip of silver. Either saw or cut off the surplus material. Drill two holes where the holes are shown, for the claws. Saw down to these holes. Do this on either end. You now have three prongs, the middle one a little wider than the other two. Take the pliers, grasp the points of the outer two and turn them outward, forming a claw. File them until they have the shape shown by the design. Do the same on both ends. File the whole piece up, rounding the edges nicely. Notice that the edge view given in the drawing shows the centre thinner than either side. This is flattened down and the flattening of the silver hardens it, so that when it is turned it acts like a spring. When you have flattened the centre part out to the thickness of the drawing, place it on a wood block and with a chisel-shaped wood peg drive in the centre, making the inside slightly concave, and rounding the top side a little. This will bend the tongs like the design. Shape the claw ends to fit the sketch on a hard wood block, using a mallet. Before bending the silver into shape take the wood peg, place the claws on the wood block, and with the wood peg drive down and slightly concave the centre of the claws. All design work must be put in when the metal is in a straight piece.

SUGAR TONGS WITH BOWLS

These are made in the same way as the tongs with claws. In the place of claws you make the bowl spoon shaped on the wooden block, using a mallet. The spoon bowl should not be larger than 1/2 × 7/8 in. Finish and treat in the same way as the sugar tongs with claws.

MUSTARD SPOON, SALT SPOON AND CELLAR

_Material--Mustard spoon:_ No. 14 silver, 3/16 × 3 ins.

_Directions:_ To make a mustard spoon like the sketch given here, measure 1/2 in. off the end of the silver stock. This makes the bowl of the spoon. Flatten the end down, thinning it out toward the edge. File the bowl round. Place it on a block and hammer it into a plain simple bowl shape very deep. One inch from the handle end flatten it out, thinning it out toward the end. File to shape, and bend as shown in the sketch, similar to a teaspoon.

SALT SPOON AND CELLAR

_Material--Spoon:_ 3/16 × 2-1/2 ins., No. 14.

_Directions:_ Salt spoons are made in the same way as mustard spoons. However, the handle is shorter, and the bowl is oval shaped and not quite so deep. Any little sawed out design may be placed on the handle, same as the teaspoon design. Using the same design, a set can be made to match.

_Material--Salt-cellar:_ Silver No. 24, disc 3 ins. in diameter.

_Directions:_ Take the 3-in. silver disc. Draw on it a 1-in. circle in the middle. Place it on an anvil stake and drive it into shape like the sketch given here. This is done in the same way as the base of the chalice was hammered up. Hammer marks should be left. They add to the design itself. When you have driven it up, see that the bottom is flat, so that it sits level on the table. Trim the top off and file the edges round.

_Salt-cellars with fluted sides:_ There are many ways of making salt-cellars. Some have straight sides, some have tops bent over, some are saucer shaped, and some have fluted sides. Take the 3-in. disc, and divide it into 12 equal parts. File out in a hollow block a round depression and with the mallet and a wood peg to fit the depressions drive each of the divisions into the depression. Narrow the scallops toward the bottom, both in width and depth. Keep within the angle formed by the divisions. As you repeat one after the other you will notice the sides beginning to turn up and shape themselves into a cup similar to the first salt-cellar. The base of this should be one inch in diameter. Finish up and file as you did the others.

SMALL SILVER PICTURE FRAME

_Material:_ One piece No. 24, 1/4 × 13 ins. One piece No. 24, 3-in. disc (2-in. hole sawed out of centre). One piece No. 24, 1-1/2 × 1/2 ins., for feet.

_Directions:_ Bend the strip of silver, 1/4 × 13 ins., to fit the outside edge of the disc. Cut off the ends, and solder. Push the disc into the ring made and solder the ring into the disc, keeping the edges flush with the surface of the disc. File off the soldered joints smoothly.

_Feet:_ Saw out the design for the feet according to the drawing, and solder them on to the back edge of any part of the circle. This must be done with hard solder. Before soldering the feet on, paint the joints already soldered with clay, wash and paint the opening where the heat is applied for soldering on the feet. The edge of the 2-in. circle is bevelled slightly. To do this place the edge on an anvil stake and with a very light hammer drive gently down, bending inwardly. If this is carefully done it will require no finishing except the polishing.

The frame is now ready for the glass. Any kind of window glass may be cut to fit the inside. A little card board frame is made to hold the glass and picture into place. Take a strip of card board 1/4 in. wide, long enough to bend into a circle to fit the inside of the silver frame tightly. Cut a disc of card board to fit the card board circle. Glue the disc and circle together. Cover with velvet, so as to hide the card board. Fasten to the back a little stand for holding the picture in proper position. This, too, is made of card board and covered with the same material.