JULY 1, 1914 



497 



Arthur C. Miller's foundation-fixing tools. The point of the iron is grooved so 

 that it will follow the wire. 



advantage in more than enough to stiffen 

 the foundation. The amount of wax in the 

 brush, the weight of the strokes, and the 

 times over, depend on the size (thickness 

 and length) of the brush and temperature 

 of the wax. Nothing but practice can show 

 you this, but it is worth all the effort neces- 

 sary to learn. 



This process was invented by a Mr. Henry 

 Vogeler, and patented in 1900. In 1912 the 

 Bexnew secured and published i^ermission to 

 its subscribers to use the process. I consider 

 Mr. Vogeler's invention almost as valuable 

 as the invention of foundation itself. 



The use of the iron for bedding and fast- 

 ening the wires is simple. Only three fac- 

 tors are involved — lieat of the iron, pressure 

 on the wire, and swiftness with which it is 

 drawn. If it is too hot, it will melt holes or 

 even Ions: slots in the foundation. If too 



cold it does not 

 "bed" the wire nor 

 properly cement 

 the foundation to 

 it. The warmer it 

 is, the faster it can 

 or must be drawn 

 along the wire; 

 and the cooler it 

 is, the slower it 

 must go. Too 

 m u e h pressure 

 will cut the wire 

 through. The 

 painting will usu- 

 ally remedy this, 

 but it is a poor 

 craftsman who 

 does such work. 



If one's hand is 

 not steady, just 

 place the point of 

 the iron against 

 the end-bar of the 

 frame, just above 

 the wire, and slide 

 it down on to the 

 wire — a proceed- 

 ing which sounds 

 slow, but is not. 

 It is rather impor- 

 tant to draw the 

 iron s t r ai g h t^ 

 otherwise it may 

 jump the wire and 

 make a hole in the 

 foundation. If it 

 does you will see 

 plainly why I 

 have the paper be- 

 tween the founda- 

 tion and the 

 board. You can peel the paper from the 

 foundation, but if it were not there the 

 foundation would be fastened unpleasantly 

 tight to the board. The paper is one of the 

 little items that make for speed and comfort. 

 It may be contended that the hot iron will 

 stretch the wire. Well, perhaps it does for 

 all I know ; but you have only to look at my 

 frames of foundation and ray combs, and 

 take note of the time it takes me to do the 

 work, to satisfy yourself of the value of tlie 

 process. And I secured these results without 

 the painting jjrocess but with heavier foun- 

 dation. 



I have been asked the total cost of a com- 

 pleted comb in material and my time. Here 

 it is as nearly as I can figure it. Frame, 3% 

 cents; foundation, 5 cents; wax, i/2 cent 

 (high) ; labor, wire, etc., 5 cents. Total, 14 

 cents, Omitting labor, which is variable in 



