Rational Horse Shoeing and Wagon Making
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with rules, tables, recipes, etc., useful to
manufactures, blacksmiths, machinists,
well-drillers, engineers, liverymen,
horse-shoers, farmers, wagon-makers,
mechanics, amateurs and all others who have
occasion to perform the work for which this
book is primarily intended.
Dressing axes is quite a trick and few blacksmiths have
mastered it. It is comparatively easy when one knows how. I
have several times already warned against over heating and if
this has been necessary before, it is more so now in this case.
In heating an ax do not let the edge rest in the center of the
fire; it will then be too hot at the edge before it is hot enough
to hammer it out. Place the edge far enough in to let it over
the hottest place in the fire. Go slow. When hot, draw it to the
shape of a new axe, don't hammer on one side only. In so
doing the ax will be flat on one side and curved up on the
other. If uneven trim it off; trim the sides also if too wide; don't
heat it over the eye; be sure you have it straight. When ready
to harden, heat to a low red heat and harden in luke warm
water. The heat should be only brown if it is a bright sunny
day. Brighten and look for the temper. You will notice that the
temper runs uneven; it goes out to the corners first, therefore
dip them (the corners) deeper when cooling and with a wet
with tallow instead of brightening it, and hold it over the fire until the tallow catches fire, then cool it off. This is guess
work, and the axe is soft in one place and too hard in another. The best way is to brighten the ax and you can see
the temper, then there is no guess work about it. When blue cool it partly off and then while the ax is still wet you
will observe under the water or through the water a copper color. This color will turn blue as soon as the ax is dry,
and is the right color and temper. Cool it slowly don't cool it off at once, but let it cool gradually, and it will be both
hard and tough. By this simple method I have been very successful, breaking only three per cent, while no new ax of
any make will ever do better than ten per cent. Some will even break at the rate of twelve and thirteen per cent.
The ax factories, with all their skill and hardening compounds, have to do better yet to compete with me and my
simple method.
- Bob Shoes
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