(H'N HARRKI.S. 19 



to make twist iron as a trade. Before this time it had been 

 made at various forges, but no one made a specialty of this 

 kind of iron. Mr. Adams continued working at Wednes- 

 bury till unfortunately killed by the bursting of a boiler, 

 after which Mr. G. Adams took up the business and contin- 

 ues to make twist gun iron at his new works, in Church 

 Lane, West Bromwich, up to the present day. 



Boring: After the barrels are welded, they go to the 

 mill. They are first rough bored. This is done by fasten- 

 ing them in a socket or holder; the "bit" is a square steel 

 "rimer,'' of suitable length, running at about 500 revolu- 

 tions per minute, which is forced through the barrel. The 

 fine borer then examines the barrel, "sets" or straightens 

 it, and then it is "spilled up," a process the same as rough 

 boring, except that the bit does not cut on all the edges; it 

 has a "spill," or piece of oak wood, put on one side, which 

 causes it to cut much more evenly. The workman then 

 "sets" the barrel and finishes the boring, which is done at 

 a speed of seventy to eighty revolutions per minute. The 

 bit only cuts on one edge, which is left sharp, and a deal 

 spill is used, packed up with strips of paper as the boring 

 proceeds. The barrel is examined and "set" several times 

 during the operation. The setting is done by the shade or 

 reflection, down the inside of the barrel, from the top of 

 the window. 



It is an art that can only be acquired by long practice 

 and perseverance. Some men have worked at the trade all 

 their lives, and have never learned to set a barrel correctly. 

 The same process is used for sporting and military barrels 

 up to the fine boring. After fine boring, the military bar- 

 rels are turned, or stripped as it is called, which is done by 

 a self-acting slide lathe, which takes off the thick side, if 

 they have any. The grinder then finishes them to the gage. 

 The history of boring and setting I cannot attempt to state; 



