PEWTER CRAFT FOR BOYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 58, 9 March 1935, Page 4 (Supplement)

PEWTER CRAFT FOR BOYS.

HOW TO MAKE A METAL BROOCH

ARTICLE 11.

In pewter work as in most other crafts it is as well to commence with something simple and thus avoid the risk of failure and disapointment. Perhaps the best beginning is with a brooch. Metal bases for these with pin and fastening can be obtained from dealere in tools and metals. Having procured a suitable base and chosen a sheet of thin pewter, we can commence operations. A pewter brooch pure and simple, with no other adornment, is apt to he somewhat uninteresting; at any rate it lacks the charm which is given if your brooch is decorated with a small coloured stone.

Assuming that we have a suitable stone in addition to the materials previously mentioned, we must decide where to place it. Generally the centre is the most suitable position, though this depends to some extent upon the nature of the design. It is

a good plan to fix the stone to the metal back with aecootine, as it facilitates future work and prevents it from flipping. Lay the metal base or brooch back upon a thin sheet of pewter, and draw a line around the outside. Allow or tjin all round for turning under. Now, with the shears or a pair of scissors cut the pewter to shape. An opening must next be arranged for, in order to display the stone. Lay the stone on the pewter in the position it is intended to occupy, and mark round the outside. This time, however, we shall need to cut out a ehape somewhat smaller than the stone itself, in order that it may be kept in position by the overlapping margin. It now remains to cut the desired opening. If a frame and fret eaw are available, the procedure is as follows: Drill a hole somewhere near the line to be cut, but inside the line rather than upon it, or it may break the continuity of the shape. Take the frame and fasten a saw into its lower jaw, making it quite secure by tightening the thumb screw. The saw, which is very fine and much like a rectangular wire with teeth; must be correctly set in the frame. The teeth should face outwards away from the frame, and also downwards, 60 that the downward stroke may be

the cutting stroke. To determine the set of the saw, run the thumb lightly along the teeth and it will be found that in one direction it feels comparatively smooth, while in the other there is a decided "bite," which is enough to cut the flesh if the thumb is pressed too heavily. Place the saw in the frame with the smooth eet of the teeth upwards and the "bite" downwards. Pass the thin blade through the hole in the pewter, bend the frame by pressing the top against the bench, and while the frame is thus contracted, screw the upper end of the blade in the top grip. When taken from the bench, the frame expands or springs back into position, holding the saw in tension. It must be quite taut, or it will bend when cutting commences, and in all probability it will snap.

The actual cutting or fretting requires care and a little practice. It ia a. good plan to practice upon a spare piece of metal before starting upon any important work. Further, the pewter requires adequate support while the cutting is in progress, or it will slip and break the saw. For this purpose a strip of wood with a V-shaped space sawn from one end is useful. The tapering out enables us to move the metal forward or backward, so that it may rest upon both sides of the support, however small may be the work. (Fig. 1.) While the ratting is in progress, the saw must be kept quite vertical, as the tightly-strung blade of highly-tempered steel is easily snapped. It should be worked quickly and. firmly up and down until it can be felt cutting. If it sticks, don't try to force it, but move it gently about until it is free again, and remember that the cutting is done entirely by the down stroke. A little practice soon enables us to cut along a line quite comfortably, though it is wise at first to keep just a shade

inside the line, and to true it up with files or a sharp pen-knife later on. If a saw is not amongst the equipment, the aperture may be cut with a sharp-pointed pen-knife, but only if our" metal is thin; . Having pierced the pewter and trimmed up the edges of the aperture with files and penknife, it ie ready for decoration.

It is a good plan to make one or two sketches upon paper in order to think out a pleasing arrangement before starting upon the metal. The first attempt should be some arrangement which can easily be obtained by means of the punches previously mentioned. We have seen what these are capable of by earlier experiments,

and a combination of bosses obtained therefrom will provide decoration suitable for our purpose. With a soft pencil sketch a few guide-lines upon the reverse side of the pewter., and lay it face downwards upon a pad of felt.

Now press the punches firmly upon the spots indicated for them by the pencil marks. For thin metal it is possible to exercise sufficient pressure with the hands alone, but for thicker metal a repousse hammer will be required. See that the punch is held vertically in order that the impression may be true and even. The method of holding the tool when the hammer is used is shown in Fig. 2. .Turn the pewter over and it will l>e seen that the depressions on the underside have produced hosees corresponding in shape with the punches upon the right side. While this work is in progress, the stone has been fixed to the metal back. Lay the pewter in position, with the aperture correctly placed over the stone, and bend it over the edge of the metal. Burnish the edge over with the steel modeller, and file down any ridges which occur, so that it may lie flat (Fig. 3.) It only remains to polish and oxidise if desired, and the work is finished.