FIRST 

 FORMATION 



The making of the draw dies for the production 

 of sheet steel moldings requires a well-adapted tool 

 room to meet the many possible requirements arising 

 in the adoption of this material for building purposes. 

 Dies having been made and perfected fully to 

 interpret the ideas of the designer, the moldings 

 are drawn out in lengths of from 30 to 50 feet. They 

 are then cut into required 

 lengths and sent to the press 

 room to be notched and drilled 

 for connections. 



In the formation of hollow 

 steel doors the first operation 



is to trim large 



sheets of patent 



leveled steel to 



exact sizes. Particular care 

 must be taken in this operation 

 as the variation from plan of 

 the 64th part of an inch will 

 cause an imperfect result. This 

 done, the moldings are formed 

 in the sheets, openings are cut 

 for hardware and the proper 

 bends made. 



A peculiar feature of hollow 

 steel door-making will here be 

 noticed; i. e., that the size and 

 nature of hardware must be 

 taken into account at the very 

 inception instead of at the com- 

 pletion of the door, as in the 

 case of either Kalamein or 

 wood doors. The partly formed 

 sheets of steel are then sent to 

 the paint shop to be completely 

 covered by a protective coat of 

 oil paint. 



From the press and machine 

 rooms the various parts, after 



having been 



coated, are 



is applied. This includes the baking of the door 

 in specially constructed ovens, in order to obtain an 



adhesion of the prime coat to the 

 ENAMELING , ., , . -,, , , 



steel so that it will not crack under 



the blows of the hammer or the bending, expansion 

 or contraction of the metal. The body coat of paint 

 is now applied and treated by special processes, in- 



ASSEMBLINQ 

 AND FITTING 



placed in the assembly room, where 

 the mechanical perfection of the door and trim is 

 attained. Here the parts are so closely fitted as to 

 secure invisible joints, a result most important if a 

 pleasing effect is to be produced and dust pockets 

 are to be avoided. 



In the finishing department the door receives 

 special preparation and goes through various proc- 

 esses to insure a smooth surface before the paint 



eluding baking, rubbing, etc., and the door is then 

 turned over to the artist for graining^ 



The appearance of the steel doors and partitions 

 in the Singer Building is so true to nature in showing 

 the beautiful grain of carefully se- 

 lected, well-finished quartered oak 

 and Honduras mahogany as to de- 

 ceive experts into the belief that these woods were used. 

 This is produced by artistic hand-graining on the 



77] 



ARTISTIC 

 FINISH 



