Fence Equipment And History
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Bobcat for digging holes used by Valley Fence LLC of Spokane WA
Some history of fences:
In the past, livestock would roam freely and were fenced out of areas, such as gardens and fields of crops, where they were unwanted. Over time, especially where crop agriculture became dominant and population density of both humans and animals was significant, livestock owners were made to fence their animals in.
The earliest fences were made of available materials, usually stone or wood. In areas where field stones are plentiful, fences have been built up over the years as the stones are removed from fields during tillage and planting of crops.
The stones were placed on the field edge to get them out of the way. In time, the piles of stones grew high and wide. In other areas, fences were constructed of timber. Log fences or split-rail fences were simple fences constructed in newly cleared areas by stacking log rails.
A later development was the sunken fence, or "ha-ha," a type of wall built by digging a ditch with one steep side (which animals cannot scale) and one sloped side (where the animals roam).
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Trailer for hauling materials
Cement Mixer used by Valley Fence LLC of Spokane WA
Though the open range was part of the western tradition, over time, open range was limited long before it was eliminated completely; first came an obligation to keep cattle from roaming onto state and federal highways, where collisions with fast-moving cars and trucks created a public safety hazard.
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THE MAKING OF WIRE
by Delbert Trew
EARLY HISTORY OF METAL AND WIRE
Until the period from 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C., known as the Neolithic Revolution, man spent every waking moment searching and hunting food for survival. During this period, with the Ice Age over, he began establishing settlements, domesticating animals, and growing crops. More important, he found time to study his surroundings and do some serious thinking.
The results of this "liberation of the human imagination" brought about the development of spinning, weaving, pot making, and the invention of the mud brick for construction purposes. Artifacts found, dating back to this period, prove that native metals were discovered also. These metals include gold, lead, copper, iron, and silver.
The first deliberate use of metal is unrecorded. But from the study of early day archaeological sites scientists can speculate how metal might have been discovered and put to use by man.
Gold was probably the first metal discovered as it was attractive and pure in quality no matter what form it was contained within. It could be pounded into thin sheets and cut into narrow strips with a flint chisel and a hammer stone. These strips could be further pounded into rounded wires and smoothed for use in jewelry and woven into fine cloth.
In fact, the earliest known written reference to wire manufacture says, "And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it? in the fine linen." This description is contained in the Book of Exodus, chapter 39.
The low melting point of lead probably contributed to the theory that this metal was discovered when a campfire was built on an outcropping of Galena, or by placing chunks of Galena around a hot campfire.
Since the smelting temperature of copper, iron, and silver is much higher than can be produced in a campfire, scientists theorized these metals were probably discovered in the pot baking kilns while firing clay pots. The pot makers could have been trying to decorate their pots with the bright colored ores when the combinations of heat and ingredients combined to make metal. These kilns, though crude and made from clay, were enclosed and were equipped with draft control devices making it possible to achieve the high temperatures needed to smelt the metals. Charcoal, from the hard wood of the native Arcadia Tree, made an excellent fuel for the kilns.
During the period from 3,000 B.C. to 400 A.D. the "science of metallurgy" was born. Simply put, the science is any process, which turns raw ore into a usable metal form. Another definition says, "The science which deals with the preparation of the metal and the adaptation to the uses for which they were intended." To understand the science of metallurgy requires degrees in Natural Philosophy, including both Physics and Chemistry.
Metal in any form is made from minerals taken from the earth. There are some 800 varieties of known minerals all containing multiple chemical compounds in their makeup. The minerals become "ore" when one or more of the elements can be extracted with profit. There are several natural iron bearing minerals but only the iron oxides are a factor in producing iron and steel.
Metallurgy or the making of metal is equally dependent on five basic materials. These are ore, fuel, flux, air, and water. The failure of any one of these components would stop metal production.
With the above facts in mind, it is amazing the development of metals moved ahead in this crude environment of tools and knowledge.
The period of 3,000 B.C. to 400 A.D. saw the native metals developed but with little improvement made in the manufacture of wire. The "slit and hammer" method remained dominant. Towards the last of the period, some experimentation in wire drawing was conducted with die plates made from stone containing small holes to draw the wire through for sizing.
From 400 A.D. to 1100 A.D. metallurgy and wire drawing spread around the world but little progress was made in quality and quantity. Wire was still pulled by hand or by lunging. Slowly, various devices were invented to pull the wire. Among these were winches, swings, ratchets, and the use of gravity.
Wire drawing required a lot of energy. This requirement could be lessened with lubricant. All types of lubricants were tried with little success. In 1632 the needle-makers, who had developed steel wire, accidentally discovered that human urination applied to the wire left a coating that lubricated the wire and helped smooth the surface. It also helped prevent rusting. The use of this lubricant in wire drawing lasted well into the 19th century when a hot lime bath took its place.
The 17th century brought the use of the waterwheel to wire drawing. The wire draw-bench now incorporated crankshafts, tappets, hind spring bars, and bell crank levers. All innovations increased the output of wire but tong marks and splice irregularities still required much hand filing and sanding before the finished product could be sold.
In 1769 the invention of the steam engine eliminated all physical wire pulling and most water wheel drawing of wire. Rollers installed both to pull the wire and smooth the irregularities made the wire more consistent in quality and easier to manufacture.
No matter how sophisticated the wire drawing machinery became, wire breakage was a constant problem. The crude varied mixtures of ingredients into the crucibles, and poor control of heat, air, and water produced inconsistent quality in the metals.
This poor quality of metal caused added labor to drawing, splicing, reeling, and replacing the final product because of quality defects. In spite of these problems, smooth wire tonnage increased steadily as demand for wire cable, telegraph wire, and other uses grew. Restrained by crude processes and poor quality metal, producers were operating at peak capacity yet producing an inferior product. Something new and innovative was needed to increase production and improve quality.
BREAK THROUGH, THE BESSEMER PROCESS
In the 1850s architects and engineers were beginning to push against the limitations of iron used in construction. Cast iron was cheap but too brittle for many construction forms. Wrought iron was superior but expensive and inconsistent in quality and strength. A new solution to making iron was needed.
According to most history books this solution was found in 1856 by English engineer Henry Bessemer. Instead of stirring and puddling molten iron by hand to bring the impurities to the top for skimming, Bessemer tried blowing air into the bottom of the converter hoping to float the impurities to the top. He thought the process might fail because the inserted air might cool the molten metal.
In his first experiment, when the air was applied the result was extremely violent. The exothermic reaction generated heat in the molten iron instead of cooling as he had predicted. The converter erupted with flaming gasses and sparks for about ten minutes before subsiding. When Bessemer tapped the molten metal into the moulds, he found he had produced a malleable or workable product, which was virtually wrought iron. This announcement of his discovery was proclaimed to be the most momentous industrial improvement of the century.
Amazingly, Bessemer's process used no fuel, actually increased the temperature of the molten metal, and was fast in nature. The age-old puddling process required two hours to produce a product where Bessemer's process took twenty-five minutes. This breakthrough unleashed the full energies of the Industrial Revolution throughout the world. Bessemer was proclaimed a hero for his efforts.
The Rest of the Bessemer Story The true story of the development of the Bessemer Process is told in the history of the steel industry. This story verifies the fact the perfecting of a process is seldom accomplished by one mind alone but by several minds working towards the same goals.
The idea for the Bessemer Process announced in 1856, was actually formulated in 1847 by William Kelley of Eddyville, Kentucky. Kelley built a converter at Jamestown, PA with provisions for inserting air through ducts into the molten metal for puddling. However, he lacked the finances to complete the experiment. After Bessemer applied for patents on the process in 1856, Kelley also made application and was able to prove prior claim by reason of his converter built in 1847 at Jamestown.
Only after much controversy and a generous settlement, did Kelley drop out of the picture allowing Bessemer to receive the patents. Under these patents, Bessemer built a plant at Sheffield, England in 1860. The first Bessemer Process plant in the U.S. was erected in 1867.
The new process was not without problems especially in consistent quality of content of the metal produced. A major remedy was found by Americans Thomas & Gilchrist by improving the lining and bottom of the converter.
To operate at top efficiency in production, Bessemer's plants needed radical revisions in design. Alexander Holley an American Engineer, introduced many of the needed improvements.
A new model of a converter with a detachable bottom and interchangeable drums allowed the equipment to produce around the clock without stop.
A hot metal pre-mixer, developed by W. R. Jones of the Carnegie Steel Company, speeded up the process and allowed assembly line production.
With all due credit and respect to Henry Bessemer, many professionals both in England and the U. S. contributed to the development and the refinement of the new processes needed to meet the increasing world demands.
THE PROCESS OF MAKING WIRE
The journey of molten metal into a finished product is long and sophisticated in nature with hundreds of varied alternatives available depending on the requirements of the finished product.
In an effort of simplification, our descriptions and illustrations will pertain only to wire used in the making of barbed wire.
As the Bessemer Process is completed, molten metal is poured from the converter into various sized moulds. These include Ingots, Blooms, Slabs, and Billets depending on their size, weight, and final configuration. Each will be rolled or pressed into near final design as quickly as possible taking advantage of the first heat left over from the converter.
Smaller Billets, formed from Ingots, are used in making wire rod. The white hot Billets are run through a hot roll mill which eventually produces various size wire rod wound in 30" coils weighing from 150 to 300 pounds per coil. Wire rod for making fine wire will be of # 8 gauge. Rod for common wire is of # 5 gauge.
While these wire rod coils are considered the finished product of the hot roll mills, it constitutes the raw product to be used in the wire mills and should be considered the first step in the making of wire.
Steel history states the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company is responsible for many innovations in the manufacture of wire. By 1870, the company had developed a continuous wire rod mill allowing for unlimited production of wire and had begun development of automatic reels needed to speed up production.
In the making of wire rod, it is necessary for each individual operation of the process to be as near perfect as possible. This includes metal content, and proper temperatures while pouring, rolling, and treating. Any variation may cause defects, which are magnified as the wire rod starts into the drawing dies.
There are many classes of finished wires including nail wire, telegraph and telephone wire, fence and rope wire, spring and musical wire and hundreds of miscellaneous and specialty wires. Almost all of these products are made from the wire rod coils. To meet the specifications of these wires requires different methods of coatings, heating, tempering, drawing, and finishing. For fence wire we will describe the low carbon wire rod.
The first step in wire drawing is cleansing the scale, rust, and dirt from the coils by bathing the coils in a hot dilute sulfuric acid for 15 to 30 minutes. After rinsing with water, the coils are dipped into vats containing hot milk of lime leaving a whitish coat that is baked onto the wires for protection and lubricant.
The coils are now placed on a wire drawing frame where a sharpened end is inserted through the die block hole and attached to the draw reels of the draw block. The wire rod is pulled through the die blocks reducing its size and extending its length.
The reduction in size is known as draft and is expressed in percentage of original rod size. This draft or reduction in size is usually 10% to 45% per drawing. Fine wires require several drawings to reach the desired finish gauge.
Processes used in wire drawing include wet and dry drawing. Methods used are single draft drawing and continuous drawing. Both process and method used depend on requirements of the finished product. These requirements also affect the finish on the wire. Literally hundreds of coatings are available.
If the wire is required to be ductile, soft, or pliable to any extent, annealing is necessary. The general purpose of annealing may do any or all of the following. 1. Softens the wire for machining. 2. Relieves internal stresses and strains induced by forging, rolling, or drawing. 3. Removes coarseness of grain thus improving strength, elasticity, and ductility. Annealing is usually done by passing the wire through ducts in a furnace or by passing it through molten lead.
The wire is now of the proper size and has been annealed. The next step is Galvanizing for protection. A good lasting job of Galvanizing can be accomplished if the wire is clean and both the Zinc and wire is the same proper temperature at the time of the coating.
Cleaning is again done with an acid bath and the wire is drawn through molten Zinc until it reaches the proper temperature for the coating to adhere. As .the coated wire leaves the Zinc bath the wire is wiped smooth between two Asbestos pads and is spooled again ready for the next step in manufacture.
The Galvanized smooth wire is now ready to enter the barbing and twisting machine. Single strands of wire from three different spools enter the machine. One strand is used to make barbs attached around another single strand. As the barbed strand leaves the machine it is twisted together with the third strand and wound on the final product spool complete with metal name tags ready for shipment and sale.
The process of manufacturing barbed wire seems complicated and difficult. Today, modem machines, thermostat-controlled heaters, automated sensors, and computer controlled assembly lines manufacture wire products quickly and economically with predicted quality. |
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VALLEY FENCE LLC of Spokane, Washington is Insured, Bonded and Licensed.
Washington Contractors License # VALLEFL932CE. Idaho Contractors Registration # RCE-20375 |
Copyright 2007 Valley Fence LLC All rights reserved. |
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