ORDER VII.—METAL WORKERS (NOT ELECTRO PLATE OR PRECIOUS METALS)

Sub-order 8.—Other Workers

268.—Wire Drawers and Makers

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breaker-down (wire works)

feeds wire rods into a machine roller which prepares them for final drawing.

drawer

see wire drawer.

drawer, zinc rod

removes zinc rod from furnace with tongs, and inserts end in die on draw bench; proceeds as for wire drawer.

flattener, wire flattener ; wire roller (reed making)

flattens or dresses wire, with hand hammer or in machine roller press, for making "reeds" (part of textile machinery).

ripper

see rougher-down.

rougher-down ; ripper

a wire drawer q.v. who rough-draws wire, which is then further drawn by wire finisher q.v.

stripper

a wire drawer q.v. who does wire drawing only, and does not set his own dies or plates.

wire blocker

see wire drawer.

wire drawer ; drawer, wire blocker

(i) see wire drawer, automatic;

(ii) (hand operation) makes wire on a draw bench; sets dies or plates; hammers, files and rolls end of rod to push through die; engages end with pincers and pulls rods through dies of decreasing diameter until required size is obtained; sometimes specifically designated according to wire drawn, e.g., brass wire drawer, bronze wire drawer, copper wire drawer, card wire drawer.

wire drawer, automatic ; wire blocker, wire drawer

(i) sets up dies in draw plates of machine; hammers, files and rolls end of rod to push through draw plates; grip ends with pincers attached to chain wound round drum; starts machine and pulls enough wire through to wind two or three times round drum; stops machine, disengages pincers and chain and secures end of wire to drum with small screw clamp or vice; restarts machine; repeats operation till required gauge is obtained;

(ii) operates continuous drawing machine in same way; prepares machine by stringing up,i.e., sets up the series of dies in draw plates, pulls through first length of wire, filing and hammering end at each draw plate and feeling round successive blocks till end of wire is through last die and secured to winding drum, controls instant starting or stopping of automatic wire drawing machine by a lever; sometimes specifically designated, e.g. music wire drawer (hard steel wire for pianos, etc.), pinion wire drawer, reed wire drawer (textile machinery), stem wire drawer (electric bulbs), tungsten wire drawer (wireless valves).

wire drawer, electrical

a wire drawer q.v. who makes wire of copper, aluminium, German silver, or alloy, for electrical trade.

wire drawer, fine

an automatic wire drawer q.v. who makes wires of diameters below 20 standard wire gauge, on automatic machine, with diamond dies.

wire finisher

a wire drawer q.v. who draws wire to its final gauge, by passing it or pulling it, by hand, through last or finishing die.

wire maker

general term for any worker engaged on actual production of wire, e.g., wire drawer, wire flattener, wire finisher q.v.

wire maker, eye

a wire drawer q.v. who, using a special die, makes wire of V-shaped section for use in making spectacle rims.

wire roller (reed making)

see flattener.

wire welder

welds together lengths of wire during drawing process, using electric or acetylene blow lamp; cf. welder (249).

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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.