MODERN BLACKSMITHING 55 



with a water tuyer this blower cannot be beaten, 

 except by a fan blower run by steam. The bellows 

 should be hung over head to be out of the way. When 

 these bellows are full of wind they will blow long 

 enough after you have dropped the lever to do quite a 

 good many things around the forge, and to handle the 

 iron in the fire with both hands as is often necessary. 



WELDING IRON 



Welding iron is easy and no other welding compound 

 is needed than sand, unless it is a case when the iron 

 is liable to burn or scale off, borax will prevent this. 

 There are thiee kinds of welds, butt, lap and split. 

 The butt weld is most used in welding iron. The ends 

 should be rounded off a little so that the center will 

 weld first. Weld the ends this way either in the fire 

 or on the anvil, butting the ends while you strike over 

 and dress down the weld. In welding lap welds upset 

 the ends and make them a good deal heavier than the 

 size of the iron is ; then lap the ends with a short lap. 

 New beginners will always make a long lap. This is 

 wrong, for if the lap is long it will reach beyond the 

 upset part and the ends cannot then be welded down, 

 without you make it weak. If soft steel is welded cut 

 a short cut with the chisel in the center of the lap, as 

 shown in Figure 6, No. i. This cut will hook and 

 prevent the ends from slipping ^ if properly prepared 

 this weld will not show at all when done. 



