Good old days

[SimonH2]

we were taught with those soldering irons in the late 60s at school in the metalwork class joining plates together etc.

Still in use when I was at school in the early 70's

My granddad used those sorts of irons to sear off lambs tails.
He'd use rubber rings to castrate them though.

...No, I've got no desire to be a farmer, why do you ask?

Funny you should mention that, there's also the matter of de-horning young calves - I used to work ona farm when "a bit younger". Large iron (electric) with circular convex end and a sharpened edge - ie you could burn circles on wood if you used it end-on. These were used to burn and scoop out the horn buds so that the animal wouldn't grow horns when it grey up. For some reason they tended to wriggle quite a bit when that was being done to them.

Castrating and tail docking was done with rubber rings though. Now what was that song ... "... and I feel like a part of me is dying"

 

[clifford1]

A gas iron is much more efficient. Just pop the rubber tube over the extension tap on the side of the cooker. But be careful not to run over the tube while ironing.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

One particular one was a solid block of copper about the size of a house brick, (9" x 3") with the front end cut away by about 3" off the length and tapered from 1/8" to about 1" at the face of the block.

That's basically the shape of the one my Dad used, only larger, not like the ones in the photo. The ones for printing plates had, IIRC, a tapered head about max 1" thick and 2-3" x 2-3".

There may be one lying aroud in my Mum's garage - if I ever find it I'll take a photo.

 

[stillp]

A gas iron is much more efficient. Just pop the rubber tube over the extension tap on the side of the cooker. But be careful not to run over the tube while ironing.

There used to be charcoal-filled ones as well - early version of a cordless tool!

 

[bernardgreen]

One large UK electronic component supplier had orders for large quantities of tie wraps form a farming co-operative in India and nothing else. Out of curiosity they followed up the order and discover the tie wraps were used to castrate animals.

 

[IJWS15]

Another H&S violation story - but not a trick played on the innocent.

My dad was a printer all of his life, and at one time they used to use soldering irons to joint etched zinc printing plates. I've tried to find an image on Google, but failed.

Imagine something 30-40cm long, with a wooden handle, and a metal shaft with an end like a small, thick, blunt axe head or tomahawk. That would be placed on a gas burner until it was hot enough to be used to butt join considerable lengths of plate together before needing to be reheated.

The mad ones used to hold a hot iron by the handle, and toss it up into the air, and as it came down, spinning, would catch it.

Hopefully by the handle.

something like this?

Untitled

• mikhailfaradayski
• 24 Mar 2012
• 1

I recall during my apprenticeship, using this to solder up tundishes, tin drip trays and the like.

Used to use these type of irons when soldering the risers on commutators.
Had a very large armature, (5' diameter), from Trawsffynedd(?) power station during the late 70's early 80's which had been rewound in work. After coming out my apprenticeship I was put on this job with a couple of skilled blokes as an 'Improver' and was taught how to use these. One particular one was a solid block of copper about the size of a house brick, (9" x 3") with the front end cut away by about 3" off the length and tapered from 1/8" to about 1" at the face of the block. This was heated up on a gas ring and then I had to insert it between the risers and hold it steady while the skilled blokes ran the solder in to the joints. The smoke off the flux was a killer!! Always had 2 irons on the go, one on each side of the job and I had to hold one and then when finished rush round to the other side and do the same for that bloke. It was knackering!

proabably more like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-C...t=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item519e35e643

Can tell you are all electricians - plumbers and sheet metal workers use these a little more often.


Modern ones have a gas burner heating the copper but the principle is the same..

edit - The copper in it may be worth more thaqn 12.50!!

 

[JohnD]

that's a shame

I chucked out my old dad's irons, including one like an axe and one huge one for sheet metal.

you can't keep everything for ever...

 

[JohnW2]

you can't keep everything for ever...

Some of us have a good try

Kind Regards, John.

 

[SimonH2]

proabably more like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-C...t=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item519e35e643

Can tell you are all electricians - plumbers and sheet metal workers use these a little more often.

Must admit, for DIY there have been a few occasions I could have made good use of one of those - just not often enough to justify buying one.

Got the War Dept stamp on it, as have a few of my Dad's tools - some of which he got from my Granddad. Says a lot for the way they built things back then, and how people used to look after their tools.

On that latter point, people at work (I'm in IT and work from an office most of the time) are always amazed when I keep turning up with what they consider "specialist" tools. Some ask me how I come to have them - to which my answer is "I buy them, and I look after them". Needless to say, any "office" tools are either missing or mangled through misuse, and people take offence when I'm "protective" of mine (I came very close to application of a bit of "clue by three" one day).

 

[imageel]

I remember developing increasingly sophisticated ways to shock workmates at a certain electronics Co in Chelmsford when it was commonplace to store small electronic components in empty metal tobacco tins - we used to solder a small HV capacitor between lid and base, run some tape around the lid, charge it with a megger and casually ask someone to pass my tin... Later models included dc-dc converters operated by micro-switches...
Other memorable ones were -
To put a power resistor into a pot of flux and place at the air intake of a valved oscilloscope, and watch the horror on the user as he desperately attempted to turn everything off whilst enveloped in smoke.
Slip tracing paper behind the graticule of an oscilloscope and watch the operator scratch head as they attempt to adjust focus and astigmatism to achieve a focussed display..

 

[JohnD]

I ws wondering why you had a broken nose and no teeth.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Lab/work coat hung from a beam that you could just reach by standing on an usafe platform and over-reaching, which is not a good place to be when you unhook it and find that the pokets are stuffed full of nuts and bolts?

If a change of shoes is needed for work, glue put inside your normal ones, so that when you get home your socks are stuck?

Steering rack of your car removed and replaced upside down?

 

[conny]

IJWS15. Have used one of those for 'facing off' the front of the risers on a commutator. The 'Axe-Iron' we used to call it.