Chapter II: Tools

These are my shears. They are sometimes called jewellers' snips. I use them for cutting copper, wire, and my designs. You can buy them at any hardware store. But be sure to get a good pair, as they are needed for so many things.

I do all my measuring with a steel square. You see it takes the place of a two-foot rule. It's useful for squaring up, too. See, it has the 1/16, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1-in. spaces.

My dividers are my compasses. I draw circles, mark pieces, and find centres with them. The pliers are used to twist the binding wire and to hold the metal when it is to be heated, or soldered, etc.

You can get a wooden block like this anywhere. Hard wood is best. This block is 6 × 4 × 4 ins. You see, I cut out a hollow bowl-shaped place in the top. When I want to work a flat piece of copper into a rough bowl shape, I hammer it into the depression. The opposite end of the block, which is flat, is useful in many ways, too.

I couldn't get along without my bench vise. Here it is; made of metal. It can be fastened to a table as well as to a bench. It holds any tool used for shaping and also the metal when I wish to file it.

This piece of 3/8-in. hexagonal steel, 5 in. long, tapered at one end down to 1/16-in., is a punch for making or pressing holes in copper or silver. The size of the hole depends upon the length you drive the punch into the metal.

The centre-punch is made like this one, but the end is ground to a point.

Here are my hammers. I have three and a wooden mallet. The raising hammer is used for many things which you will learn as you get on. You see one end is somewhat rounded. You can pound away on the copper with this hammer and have no fear of driving holes into the metal. It's the first hammer I use to shape up the metal bowl with.

The shaping or driving hammer is flat at one end and rounded at the other. Its bent head is shaped so that you can use it in places where a straight headed hammer won't go. It's the only hammer to use when you work on the outside of boxes or bowls to shape them up.

Sometimes lumps are left on the surface of the copper after the raising hammer has been used. These are smoothed away with the planishing hammer. Its broad end flattens these rough places and makes the surface perfectly level before going on with the work.

A wooden mallet is often used in place of the heavier hammer. If a light stroke is needed it can be used without danger of marring the metal, as wood is so much softer than the metal itself.

You'll need some files to reduce the metal to certain sizes. I have four: a bastard, 12-in.; a mill cut, 8-in.; a half round mill cut, and one round 1/2-in. mill cut. Then I have one half dozen jewellers' files of different sizes. Supply houses will always tell you the best kind to buy.

The cold chisel is used in many places for cutting off material, especially for metals that are too heavy for the shears.

A carpenter's gouge chisel will be found useful for cutting impressions in wooden blocks.

The drill press is used to bore holes into the copper or silver when you wish to rivet or saw. You will need a half dozen drills for your work. The 1/16-in. drills are the size I like best.

With a jewellers' saw frame like this you can cut any design out of copper or silver. The fine saws are very cheap and one will last you a long time if you take care of it.

Here are the tools I use to finish shaping my bowls on. This round top stake is put into my bench vise, where it is held tight. Then I put my bowl on it after I have shaped it as much as I can on the hard wood block. I can then go on shaping it as I choose, but if the bowl is very deep you must use the anvil stake instead of the round top stake.

Here is a tool which is a combination of anvil stake and riveting tool. I use it for drawing out pieces of copper into different shapes; flattening round pieces, rounding up flat ones, and for riveting pieces of metal together, as you must do when you make a piece of work like my box.

Here is a little fire screen I made myself. You need one, you know, to put your metal in, at times, for annealing and soldering. It's a safe way to prevent the blaze burning the table or setting fire to anything. I take two pieces of board, each 6 × 12 × 7/8 ins. (any kind of lumber will do). Nail the two 12-in. edges of the boards together, at right angles to each other. Nail this to a base and line the whole inside with asbestos. You can place any piece of metal you wish to heat in this corner and direct a flame upon it with perfect safety.

All the heat I need comes from a gas burner. Here I have a bunsen burner, and for such work as I do on rings, scarf pins, hat pins, etc., or for any work that doesn't need lots of heating in the process, the bunsen burner will do. But for annealing, which you have to do when you make bowls, or for soldering, when you make boxes, you must have a stronger flame. Then I use the gas range in the kitchen or the bellows blower and blow pipe. If you happen to be where you can't get a gas flame, an alcohol lamp with a mouth blow pipe can be used.

Fill the alcohol lamp with denatured alcohol (bought at any drug store). Light it. With the large end of the blow pipe in your mouth and the small end about 1/4 in. above and a little to the right of the flame, blow gently. This little blue flame will give you heat enough to solder small pieces. Even a small wood fire would give you heat enough to anneal any size pieces you wish. "Must I learn to make all these tools before beginning?"

"Oh, no, you'd better buy your tools; they don't cost very much. Then we can start to make something right away. The first thing you must do is to design the piece of work you are going to make. I made a bowl first."

"But I can't design."

"Neither could I when I began. You won't find it hard after you have once made a start."

"Let's begin now, John, I want to make something."

"I know you do," said John. "That's the way I felt. Now, I'm the teacher and you must do as I tell you until you can plan for yourself. Here are pictures of a lot of things we can choose from: bowls, boxes, trays, etc. If a boy can make all these models he can go on and make nearly anything in copper, or even silver, he would like to make. Here are the bowl designs I have drawn. Of course there are bowls of different shapes, and some have covers to them. But we will try to get the shape that's most pleasing. Let's take this wrapping paper and draw a number of shapes on it, keeping the diameter and depth of each bowl the same. This model is 4 ins. in diameter and 1-1/2 ins. deep. Let's make all our drawings of bowls that size."

"Which do you like best?"

"I like the first one."

"Now that we've decided on the size and shape of the bowl, I must tell you something about the copper to be used. All sheet copper is sold by number, the higher the number the thinner the metal. Number 20 is a good size to use for most bowls and boxes. I use size 20 for mine. If you want a bowl to be lighter, use size 22 or 24. You can buy the sheet copper at any hardware store."

"Now you know how to make your design and you know something, too, about the tools and copper in general. We are ready now to begin the bowl."

WORK IN COPPER