TO March, 1912.] 



Farm Blacksmithing. 



193 



larger than the links comprising the chain, to permit its being easily 

 welded, and because of the fact that, being a larger link, it must be 

 forged of thicker iron to be of equal strength. 



To give some idea of the proportions of a chain, hook, and connecting 

 link, let it be supposed that a piece of |-in. chain is to be used. Now 

 the safe load to apply to a |-in. chain of good quality, would be .g tons; 

 e.g., the number of eighths of inches contained in the iron from which 

 the chain is made, being squared and divided by 10. 



The size of iron for the hook would be the square root of load which, 

 taking the nearest size of bar obtainable, would be i inch diameter and 

 the length to make it 8 inches. 



The diameter of iron for the connecting link would require to be 

 \ inch. Adding one-eighth to the diameter of chain will in most instances 

 be sufficiently correct. 



Welding in the connecting link, particularly when the link is small, 

 is a rather awkward proposition, requiring a fair amount of practice. 

 It is therefore always advisable to have the length of connecting link 

 about double that of the links in the chain. 



A Pair of Tongs. 



This is a very useful thing to be able to make, and as the accomplish- 

 ment embraces such exercises as punching, forging, riveting, welding,. 



FIG 51. BLACKSMITH S TONGS. 



[a] Forming the handle, (b) Forming the eye. [c) Ready for welding, (d) The 



finished jaw. 



making two objects alike and fitting them together, it affords excellent 

 practice. Tongs are not made t-o fixed measurements and so the symmetry 

 of the work is dependent upon accuracy of eye, combined with the taste 

 and judgment of the operator. 



Mild steel is the best material to use for forging the jaws of tongs. 

 It is much stronger than iron, and consequently the tongs can be made 

 lighter than if iron be selected. The size of steel used will vary with 

 the work required of the tongs. The smallest size generally used being 

 |-in. diameter. 



The illustration, Fig. 51, shows the evolution of each jaw previous to 

 riveting together. 



About the best advice that the writer can tender the novice attempting 

 his first tongs is to obtain a well shaped pair to copy from, and then 

 proceed by drawing out similar to shape .shown at A. Next, lay on the 



