MODERN BLACKSMITHING 121 



smith. The same can be said of iron. The American 

 wrought iron is the poorest iron that ever got the name 

 of iron, but there are thousands of smiths using this 

 stuff with great difficulty without ever a word said as a 

 protest against the manufacture of the rotten material. 

 We often get iron that is too poor to bend hot with- 

 out breaking. Let us register a kick, and if that has 

 no effect let us try to abolish the tariff, and there will 

 be good iron manufactured in this country, or the 

 Swedish and Norwegian iron will be used. But the 

 result will be the same with iron as with the matches: 

 the American manufactories will make good iron when 

 they have to. We get iron and steel that is both 

 "cold-shot and hot-shot." The former breaks easy 

 when cold, the latter when hot. We have meat and 

 wheat inspectors; where is the iron inspector? Farm- 

 ers know enough to ask for protection, but blacksmiths 

 will never say a word. They use the cold-shot or hot- 

 shot iron, and when they have spent half a day in com- 

 pleting a little intricate work it breaks in their hands 

 because of iron that is either cold or hot shot, "'^nsist 

 on good iron, and the steel will also be good. Deduct 

 a little every year from the amount due your jobber for 

 poor iron, and you can be sure if this is done by a few 

 thousand smiths it will have effect. 



HOW TO WELD CAST IRON 



Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as welding 

 cast iron. The best that can be done is to melt it 

 together; but this is simply accidental work, and when 



