Autonopedia

A

Take a NEAR WELDING heat on one end of the bar and upset in the swage until the end is bulb shaped:

Flatten the bulb on the anvil face to form a flat knob.

B

Next place a slot punch on the knob, in line with the shank but rather nearer the shoulder than the end.

Drive it rapidly through the hot metal until the punch stops against the hard, thin layer on the under side which has been compressed and chilled against the anvil face.

C

Now, without losing a moment, pull out the punch, and turn the metal over.

A black spot will be seen at the blind end of the punch hole.

Flick the hot end of the punch immediately into the water trough, and drive it into this black spot until the end breaks through to the other side.

D

A thin sliver of metal, the size of the hole, will be punched out clean and driven right through.

It can be seen just in front of the glowing knob.

E

Next continue upsetting the end in a larger swage.

This will increase the diameter of the eye and convert the slot into a square hole.

F

To round up the square hole, place the eye over the round hole in the anvil face and drive a drift through.

The end is now almost perfect in shape and a little working up over the bick will produce an eye with nicely chamfered edges all round.

G

To prevent the edges from cutting the chain link which passes through the hole of the trace hook both sides of the eye must now be countersunk slightly over the bick of the anvil, like this -

The eyes in the harness hooks must not be countersunk or the hooks will ride over the corners of the shaft staple.

H

Take a NEAR WELDING heat and make a groove each side ¼" from the end. Use a top hand fuller and a bottom fuller made from ¼" round bar cranked as shown to lie flat on the anvil.

The resulting knob should be a little shorter than it is wide. Make sure it is in line with the eye like this one -

J

With the groove on the rounded edge of the anvil, forge first to a square and then to a round, easy taper 1¼" long.

A hammer with a nicely rounded edge to the flat face should be used to avoid damaging the end or breaking it off.

The next operation varies according to the type of end required.

K

Grip the tapered part in the vice with the knob on the jaws and form a T like this-

Make sure that the sharp edge of the vice jaw does not cut into the shoulders of the T and weaken the corners.

L

Take a fresh heat and work the T to a neat round section on the rounded edge of the anvil.

Great care must be taken with both this and the previous forging in the vice; otherwise the T will break off or be weakened by nicking under the head.

M

Start the diamond end by fullering and then forging the taper in the same way as for the T. Do not upset in the vice but forge the end on the anvil to a diamond shape like this -

Keep the flat of the diamond at right angles to the eye and leave a nice curve to the tapered part.

N

The trace hook with the countersunk eye has a long tapered end which is drawn down and given a slight curve outward as shown here -

O

Then flatten the centre of the bend slightly to increase the strength.

Give the trace hook a little more flattening round the curve than the others.

All hooks are bent round the bick of the anvil.

P

Compare the measurements on the drawing with the hooks, which should look like this-