Nail Mill.— In the nail mill each separate machine is capable of turning out from 150 to 500 finished nails per minute. In front of each machine is a reel, upon which the coil of wire is placed. One end of the wire is led into the machine, and as the power is thrown on, one sees the wire disappear through a small hole in the massive vertical casting; while to the ac companiment of a rapid succession of blows, a stream of the finished wire nails begins to pour out of the side of the machine into small iron boxes placed to receive them. The wire first passes between two pairs of horizontal, grooved wheels, which are pressed firmly together to give the required tension to the wire as it is drawn into the machine after each finished* has been formed and cut off. The nail is pointed by the action of a pair of pliers with V-shaped cutting edges and the head is formed up by the action of a very powerful cam operated member, which strikes a hammer-like blow. As each nail is finished, the wire is gripped and enough of it drawn forward to form another nail. The 3-D fine nails are turned out at the rate of 500 per minute, and the large 60-D nails at the rate of 150 per minute. The boxes of finished nails are covered up and taken to big, revolving iron cylinders, known as rumblers, where they are rolled over and over, the nails being thrown against each other and against the sides of the cylinders and receiving that high polish which characterizes the finished product. The time during which they are treated in the rumblers varies according to the size itid quality of the wire. A certain amount of sawdust is also used during this process in order to clean the nails thoroughly of grease and dirt. The nails are then loaded into 100 pound kegs, stenciled with the size and weight of the nails and the makers' name and taken to the warehouse.
Barbed In a barbed wire shop coils of wire, carried on reels, are placed con tiguous to the abarbl machines. The wire from two spools serves to form the strands, and the wire from the other two spools is used for the abarb." The two-strand wires, which ate heavier than the others, are led between a pair of friction wheels, and drawn to proper tension. They are then met by the two other strands, which are led in transversely, one on either side. At stated intervals of a few inches, ac cording to the spacing of the barbs, a pair of revolving fingers catch the two barb wires and give them a twist around one of the strand wires and at the conclusion of the twist two pairs of shears cut the ends of the barb diagon ally, giving them the desired sharp points. The two wires next pass downwardly around an idler, and then horizontally into a combined winding and twisting frame. The frame itself revolves on a horizontal axis parallel with the machine, and serves by its revolution to twist the two strands. On a shaft arranged trans versely within this frame is carried the barbed wire spool, on which the finished product is wound ready for the market. When it is once started the operation is continuous and ex tremely rapid.
a material largely used as a substitute for sand paper or emery paper, for polishing metal or wood surfaces. It is simply a collection of very fine drawn steel wire waste or minute shavings made in turning steel, the result being a mass that looks and feels like wool, but on close examination what appear to be hairs are discovered to be very fine steel curlings.