Chapter XXX: Lamps, Lanterns, Iron Kettle Stand, Umbrella Stand

WROUGHT IRON LAMP

The sketch shows a wrought iron lamp with square base, four feet, round hollow post, shade holder and shade.

_Base:_ No. 16 soft sheet steel, 10 ins. square.

Making an Iron Lamp--Bending the Parts of the Base]

Make a 2-1/2-in. circle in the centre of the 10-in. square piece. Drive this up 1/2 in. above the level by placing it over a 2-1/2-in. hole in a wooden block or a swage block. If this piece of iron is placed over a hole any diameter and struck on the opposite side with the peen of the hammer it will sink into the hole and take the rounding shape. This can be done while the metal is cold. With a pair of dividers find the centre of boss and describe a faint circle 1 in. less than the diameter of the base. Tangent to those lines draw lines along the edge of the base. The dotted lines on the sketch show how the base should be cut out. The stock left on the corners forms the feet when the sides of the base are bent into shape. Cut out the piece of metal as described and bend the sides over 1/2 in. The corners must be heated red hot and formed separately. This is best done over the heel of the anvil. After placing the heated corners on the heel of the anvil drive quickly with a light hammer first on one side and then on the other, forming and upsetting the metal into shape at the same time. The flare on the bottom of the feet is worked in after the corners and shaped as shown in the sketch. Repeat this on the four corners. Now flare out the feet on the horn of the anvil. Out of the centre of the boss cut a circle a little less than the base of the post, to receive the post.

_Post:_ Take a 10 × 5 in. piece and bend it around a piece of round iron so that the two edges will fit close together. The inside and outside of these are filed for brazing. (See Brazing.) This post is now bound with good strong wire to keep the joint close. Cover with flux, place in the fire and add the smelter to the joint on the inside of the pipe. When the smelter runs into the joint take it out of the fire and allow it to cool in the air. The joint is now filed up on the outside and if properly brazed should show only a very fine line made by the smelter. The upper part of the post is now swelled out as shown in the sketch, by heating at a low heat and spreading the metal out all around the end.

A cap is placed on top of the post to hold the arms that support the shade and to hold, too, the electric light bulb, or gas pipe, or oil well, according to the light to be used. The cap is made by rounding the end of a 1-in. bar to 1/2 in. in diameter, 2 ins. long. The other end is cut off about 1/2 in. to allow for the flattening down to make the cap.

Place the 1/2-in. stem into a heading tool and flatten this bar down quite thin. Spread it out so that the edges can be turned over at right angles to form a cap to fit the top of the post. This cap can be either brazed or riveted on to the post. Either will look well. If used for gas or electric light a hole should be drilled through the centre of the cap and through the post to receive the wire. If used for gas the lower side can be tapered out so that 1/8-in. gas pipe can be screwed in. Now cut a thread on the top of the post to fit an electric light socket. The same thread acts as a holder for the bracket of the shade holder. Place the cap on the post, rivet and braze. File the lower part of the post and the inside of the hole on the base perfectly clean. The bottom of the post should be filed a little tapering so it will fit into the base of the hole tight. Wire it in for brazing so that the post will stand perpendicular to the base. Carry your binding wires from the top of the post to the four corners of the base, using heavy wire for this work of binding. Cover the joint with flux. Place the centre on the fire and put the brazing material on the joint around the post. With a slow heat, heat till the smelter runs into the joint. Close off the blast, let it remain in the fire until cold, then remove it.

_Shade holder:_ This is made of a piece of 1 × 1/8 × 10 in. soft steel. Fuller down 3 ins. from the end to 3/8 × 1/8 in. Draw this out any length. Split the other end to within 1-1/8 ins. of this fuller mark. Throw these arms out and draw each down the same size as the other, 1/8 × 3/8 in. Place the crotch on a small bottom fuller and with the top fuller spread each arm out so that it will measure an equal distance from the other arms. At the same time this will shape the centre. Drive the end out tapering 3/8 in. wide at the base, tapering to 1/8 in. square at the ends. The length of the arms depends upon the size of the shade. Tip ends of the arms should be bent up 1/8 in. to hold the shade in place. Drill a hole in the centre of the tripod and tap a thread in the hole to fit the thread on the end of the cap, so that this will screw on. These arms can be bent down or up to suit the height of the shade.

_Shade:_ The shade pattern is developed in the same way as the shade described in the copper article on lamp shades. In this case, however, each unit is cut out separately and riveted to the next; all put together and filed; 1/8-in. soft iron rivets are used for riveting the parts.

_Glass:_ The glass can be bought at any glazier's. Cathedral opalescent glass is best. Place a piece of card-board on one of the units and mark the outline of the opening. Cut about 3/8 in. larger than this outline. This pattern taken to the glazier can be cut out from any kind of glass, according to the size wanted.

LAMP

This lamp may be used for gas, oil, or electricity. The difference between this and the preceding lamps lies in the construction of the base. The full page illustration shows lamp described here.

_Base:_ Soft steel 1/8 × 5 × 24 ins.

Mark off the design shown by the full lines on the 1/8 × 5 × 24 in. piece. This is for one leg of the lamp. Cut with a sharp cold chisel along the outline about two thirds of the way through the thickness. Place the cut line in the jaws of the vise. With a pair of tongs grasp the waste material, then with a prying motion break off these pieces. File up the rough edge left by the cutting. With this piece as a pattern cut in like manner three more pieces, making four in all. This makes the stock for the four legs. Place the foot end of one piece into the fire and bend about 1 in. of this end into a small circle having a radius of not more than 3/4 in. About 5 ins. back from this heat the metal to a length of 5 ins. Place it on the anvil as shown and with the hand hammer drive it into a circle.

While bending this into shape keep the circle a little larger than the drawing calls for. The circle is very easily reduced, while if it was made too small in the beginning one would have to straighten the whole piece out to increase the size. Therefore, it is best to work it large until finished. Wide stock like this is easily twisted out of shape, so that it is very difficult to bend it up in a circle of this kind. It is hard, too, to change any twist that may be worked in.

Bend the other three legs in the same way, as nearly like the first one as you can. Be sure to make the four legs the same height when finished. Drill three holes for 3/8-in. bolts, as shown in the sketch. Seven inches below the top drill one hole in each leg for a rosette or some form of decorative treatment. These four legs are held in place by means of a tapered square plug 4 ins. long. The small end should fit the smallest width on the lamp legs and the taper 4 ins. below this width. Drill a hole through the centre of this plug for a 1/8-in. gas pipe, if to be used for gas. The same opening can be made for electric wires, etc., and a lamp well, placed at the end for a lamp.

_To put the lamp together:_ Place one leg on the square plug and mark through the holes on the plug. Centre-punch these holes and drill for a 3/8-in. top. The hole should be drilled through the plug. Tap out the holes and bolt the two legs, one on either side. While drilling these holes be sure they are at right angles to the centre axis of the plug. This means a little blocking up on the tapered end. Bolt the two legs to the plug by using any short 3/8-in. bolts for this purpose. If all work so far has been carefully done these two legs will stand vertically to the plane of the table. If not they can be made to do so by taking out a little of the curve in the legs, thereby lengthening the side that might be a little short. Place one leg up on the third side and with a scratch awl mark the holes through on to the plug and drill these three holes through the plug. Tap out as you did before and put the other two feet on. Square up all the work done. Bolts are used for this purpose. Take 3/8-in. square bolts, 1/2 in. long. Reduce the thickness of the head to 1/8 in., flattening and rounding the top slightly. Put these in place of the temporary bolts. They will hold the sides of the lamp in place.

A decorative piece can be made out of a bolt head by placing it in the heading tool and forming a pyramid shaped head. This is pushed through the hole and riveted on the other side. Cut off a piece of gas pipe short enough to extend about 1 in. above the top of the lamp and to come within 2 ins. from the base. This is now forced through the hole in the plug. If any of the bolts should have screwed into this hole, preventing this pipe from going through, they should be filed off. To fill up the interval caused by the four scrolls bending outward on the top of the lamp, forge a round ball on the end of a square bar to fit this opening. Cut off the ball and drill a hole in through the ball to slip over the pipe. The thread on the end of the pipe should fall below the top of the ball. Make a tripod as explained in the description of the preceding lamp. Screw it in the end of this pipe tight against the ball. The end of the pipe is used for the fixtures needed.

LANTERNS

The lantern shown here is of a simple design and can be made out of material without putting in any bends or twists. The material for the making of the uprights is 1/2 × 1/8 in. steel.

The top and bottom should be made of No. 16 soft steel. The design shows that all pieces are riveted together on a framework.

The top can be of one piece and shaped as shown in the sketch. Bottom is of one piece and is made for electric light, candle, or oil lamp. Fixtures for any one of the above ways of lighting must be placed in the bottom of the lantern. For the candle, a small socket can be riveted to the bottom. A cup to receive the oil lamp may be put in place. If candle or oil is used the bottom of the lantern must be fastened with a hinge, so that it will open to receive the lamp or candle. If it is adjusted for using electric light the cluster sockets can be fastened to the bottom, or they can hang from the top. These lanterns can be made in all sizes, from one small enough for a cozy corner to one large enough for a lodge keeper's gate.

They may be hung on ornamental brackets, as shown in the sketch here, or they may hang directly from the ceiling, with ring or chain fastenings. They are made square, round, hexagonal, and so forth.

IRON KETTLE STAND

The sketch here shows a simple design of a kettle stand. The parts are (1) upright stand, (2) alcohol lamp holder, (3) hook.

_Material:_ One piece 5/16-in. square iron, 20 ins. Two pieces 5/16-in. square iron, 9 ins. One piece 5/16 in. square iron, 7 ins. One piece 3/16-in. round iron, 8 ins. One sheet No. 20 iron, 6 in. in diameter.

_Directions:_ Flatten one end of each piece of the three pieces, 5/16 × 20 in., 2 pieces of 5/16 × 9 in. Weld these three together. Weld the 5/16 × 7 in. piece to the three pieces as shown by the sketch. Bend the two 9-in. legs out equal distances from the front leg. This forms the tripod. Bend the ends of the three short pieces into a scroll to form the feet. Now, bend the centre rod up as shown in the sketch. When this is done catch it in the vise close to the bend. With the monkey wrench grasp it about two thirds of the way up and twist the centre piece to the right a sufficient number of turns to give it a regular bend between the two points. Reduce the end of this upright post to 3/16 in. round and 6 ins. in length, leaving on the end a small boss about 3/8 in. This boss is to be rounded up by flattening and rounding on the edge of the anvil. Through the centre of this boss punch a 3/16-in. hole and drive into it a piece of 8 × 3/16 in. round wire. When half of the wire is pushed through the hole bend the ends forward and at the same time drive them into the boss. This prevents the bent piece of iron from working up and down. It is now opened out as shown by the sketch and bent into a hook shape. The end of the post is turned so that the centre of this hook will hang over the centre of the tripod.

_Lamp holder:_ Mark on the 6-in. disc a flower form similar to the one shown in the sketch. Cut out the design with a sharp chisel. File all rough edges and bend the shape up so that it will fit around the outside of the alcohol lamp, to hold it in place. Punch a hole through the centre for a 1/8-in. rivet and drill a 1/8-in. hole directly under the centre of the hook. Place the lamp holder on and rivet in place. When the kettle is placed on the hook it should hang directly over the lamp. If it does not do so the post may be changed and the position of the kettle made to correspond.

Ornamental Work and the Straightening and Finishing of an Umbrella Stand]

UMBRELLA STAND

The umbrella stand in the accompanying illustration shows a splendidly shaped design. You will notice that the four uprights are curved and twisted, fastened to two rings 10 ins. in diameter. The pan in the bottom of the stand, placed there to catch the drippings from the umbrellas, is made of copper and is beaten into shape in the same way as you would drive any pan into form. This is made to fit in the base of the stand.

To make this stand, take four pieces 1 × 1/8 in. flat soft steel, 40 ins. long. Two pieces 1 × 1/8 in., 31 ins. long, are needed for the rings; four pieces 1 × 3/8 × 12 ins. for legs. The copper pan should be 12 ins. in diameter.