Manual Training High School - Prospect Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

Page 28 text:

FORGE. At 1 IG Fourt top Hoc' is one This is he forge the tim . The clanging ofthe faced b iys :Korg Whole sc ine ligl' the little smoke from wl it one The ieeoinl amateur blacks: room. ' here a each of x hieh is the ceilin 5 are 1 ing the 1 -ugh 1 vise-bene es foi In dii erent

Page 27 text:

Sheet Metal Room ' The room itself is not prepossessing in appearance. About thirty busy fellows, making a merry din with mallets, files and saws, and in the center of all this, Mr. McCall, dealing out sawblades and good advice. These are the principal characteristics during business hours. lt is not too much to say that the sheet metal workroom is the favorite boys' shop of the school. There are two rea- sons for this: Firstly, the popularity of the present instruc-- torg and, secondly, it must be remembered that this is a co-educational institution, and silver napkin-rings and brace- lets make much nicer gifts for her than the pattern for a crank-shaft, or even a bookcase. The course begins with the simple match-safe Cthat is, simple until you try to make itj, which is shown in the force ground of the photograph. After this one has a choice of articles, and they vary from such practical things as candlesticks and lamp-shades to hat- pins and jewel-cases. It is impossible to represent in a photograph the char- acter and variety of the work turned out, not only from the difficulties of taking the picture, but from the fact that good models are not securable, for the best ones pass out of the shop and out of the hands of the maker almost before the burnishing is finished. 25 Q,

Page 29 text:

The Forge eShop At the Fourth street extremity of the rear corridor on the top floor is one of the most interesting rooms in the school. This is the forge shop. Here there is something going on all the time. The hum of the machinery, in unison with the clanging of the many hammers upon the anvils, the grimy- faced boys forging their various projects into shape, the whole scene lighted by the fires which blaze brightly through the little smoke in the shop, presents a spectacle far different from what one expects to see in a school-room. The accompanying photograph, taken by one of our amateur blacksmiths, gives the general appearance of the room. There are sixteen forges and thirty-two anvils, above each of which is suspended an electric light. The floor and the ceiling are concrete, and the walls are unfinished, show- ing the rough bricks. Around the room are solid wooden vise-benches for cold-work, riveting, etc. In different parts of the shop stand various machines, electrical drills, emery wheels, apparatus for cutting iron, etc. There is also a slightly raised platform, on which there are perhaps twenty chairs, here placed for the benefit of the students. A small iron stairway leads to a balcony, where are the lockers and sinks. The boys first learn several primary exercises, and then they make candelabras. These involve many different prin- ciples which help the young smith in the work which fol- lows. After he has become sufficiently competent, he makes some article of his own choosing. There is a large variety of pretty, useful things made here, among which are lamps, tire sets, andirons, etc. Although not many of the students in- tend to become blacksmiths, the training derived from the forging done is well worth the time spent in the shop. The whole equipment is one of the best in the country, and when the students of Manual realize this fact, they feel proud that they may boast of receiving instruction in the forge shop.