When fitted, harden in oil and blaze off in an old sheet-iron pan; an old frying pan being very good for the purpose, and literally _fry_ them in the oil. If heavy, blaze two or three times. Agitate well in the pan during the blazing process. An old saw blade, one that is quite thin, when cut up in strips will make springs for cheap work. If too hard temper, it cannot very well be used until the temper be drawn to suit. They can be bent into form with a strong pair of pliers. By warming the strips over a fire they can be readily bent into shape. Old table-knife blades, sometimes called case-knife blades, that are well tempered, have been employed, the blades being cut lengthwise with a pair of hand shears. _Coiling Wire for Springs, &c._—There are several methods of coiling wire for springs. The most simple is to clamp a rod in the vise and wind the wire around it by hand, but this is a very unsatisfactory method and it is rather difficult to wind the wire evenly. Another method is to revolve a rod in the lathe and let the wire coil upon it as the lathe is turned. To insure equal space between the coils, a piece of metal is held “behind” the wire, and as this piece of metal bears against, or in advance of the coil just made, it produces an even spring. A hook made of a piece of wire or a piece of metal with one end formed into a hook and clasping the rod on which the wire is moved is an excellent way to form an even spring. Two, or even three or more pieces of wire may be wound at one time, and this will insure springs of even space. Another way in which a spring of even coil can be made, is to hold a bolt that has a good thread, upright in the vise and confine the wire by clamping it to the bolt, then wind the wire, letting it follow the thread of the bolt. When enough is wound, remove and release the spring by “screwing the bolt out of it,” the same as if holding a nut fast in the hand and turning the bolt out of it. Springs of almost any coil, but not of “almost any diameter,” can be made in this way. [Illustration: FIGURE 61.] In the absence of a lathe a wire winding tool may be made by bending a rod into the form of a crank and insert the long end through a piece of hard wood, as shown in Fig. 61. This can be held in the vise to use, or fastened by two or three screws to the bench or any convenient place. A slot is made in the end of the part that projects through the wood, and in this slot the end of the wire is placed and is wound _toward_ the crank. Of course the spring can be made no longer than this projecting end. To make different sized springs different sized rods must be used, and holes to fit must be made through the piece of wood.