A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921.
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ORDER VII.—METAL WORKERS (NOT ELECTRO PLATE OR PRECIOUS METALS)

Sub-order 8.—Other Workers

266.—Tube Drawers and Welders



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barrel roller (guns)
a tube drawer q.v. who draws tubes, for re-tubing barrels of machine guns, in a tube-drawing machine through a series of dies, to bring them to required size; cf. barrel roller (178).
bencher (tubes)
general term for any man employed at a draw bench, on which tubes are drawn; includes drawer, plier minder, lapper, welder.
brass tube former
see tube drawer.
brass drawer
see tube drawer.
lapper
see welder, tube.
piercer
see squeezer ; cf. piercer (279).
plier minder
grips end of copper or brass tube protruding through die, with special pliers and attaches pliers to dog or grips on chain on draw bench used for drawing copper or brass tube.
rollerman
straightens finished tube by rolling under pressure between two plates; passes larger tubes through rotary roller mill which mangles them straight; in both cases adjusts screws to control pressure between plates or rollers.
skelper, skelp turner
withdraws iron strip from heating furnace, and pushes one end through a die fixed to draw bench; grips end with dog and, by means of levers, draws strip through die, which rounds or turns strip into shape of tube, but does not close joint.
speller, spell welder
(Scottish term) a welder q.v. working in intense heat, and therefore in short spells of alternate work and rest.
squeezer ; piercer
places red-hot solid steel blooms in hydraulic mould and applies power to drive a hard steel rod or cylinder through bloom in preparation for making solid-drawn tubes on draw bench, see tube drawer.
tube drawer ; drawer
places rough tube in position for seamless drawing on draw bench, pushes end through die and grips it with tongs, catches hook of grip on travelling chain and sets chain in motion, so that tube is drawn through die; in some works, places cold steel or other metal tube over mandrel and inserts tag (hammered end of tube) in die for dog to grip and draw; in butt-welding and lap-welding, fixes strip metal instead of rough tube in position on draw bench, and draws through special die as above; sometimes specifically designated, e.g. copper tube drawer, cycle tube drawer, zinc tube drawer.
tube drawer, brass ; brass tube former
a tube drawer q.v. making brass or bronze tubes.
tube drawer, cased ; brass cased tube maker
places end of a close-jointed iron or steel tube, encased with brass or copper, through a die fixed at head of drawbench; grips tube in a wagon, or "dog," which is drawn by an endless chain along draw bench, causing outside case to adhere tightly to inner tube.
tube drawer) firing
operates drop stamp, which draws copper strip into tube form through die, for use in encasing high explosive detonators; pulls drop stamp up, by hand, after each stamping, and releases stamp by knocking a lever with the knee.
tube maker, brass cased
see tube drawer, cased.
tube maker, pipe
a tube drawer q.v. making solid-drawn aluminium tubes for tobacco pipes.
welder, tube welder
(i) closes joints of tubes by butt or lap-welding edges together with a blowpipe by acetylene process;
(ii) lapper; is in charge of a furnace in which strips of metal are heated to welding heat; fixes hot strip through a bell, tongs or die on a draw bench (see tube drawer), or through roller (according to processes of manufacture), whereby the edges are squeezed and welded together.

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From: A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921,
Ministry of Labour, 1927. Digitised by Peter Christian, August, 2016.   This text is in the Public Domain.