copper so that it ceases to respond to the blows, it is necessary to soften up the metal by annealing as the work goes on. Take the sheet off the block. To do this, place the point of the chisel under the copper sheet close to the nail head and pry the nails out, lifting both copper and nail up at the same time.

After annealing, nail the copper plate in the same place as before. With the wooden peg continue driving until you fill the depression, at the same time flattening all parts of the metal that may push up. Be careful not to mar the copper at any time. When everything is perfectly flat and smooth take it off as before.

We are now ready to draw the 5-in. circle on the copper. The centre for this circle is the centre of the depression; and that is found with the dividers in the same way as you found the centre for the bottom of the bowl. Make the circle on the copper. With the shears cut along a little on the outside of this line. Smooth up and round the edges of the tray with a mill file. Rub out file marks with a little piece of emery cloth. If the hammering has been uneven some parts of the copper will have stretched more than other parts and the tray will not lie flat when placed on a table. To level this up, place the tray top side down upon a bench or table and strike gently with a mallet on the surface. Holding the mallet near the head one can control the blows and be able to strike gently. But if it is held toward the end of the handle the blows will not be uniform. This applies to all hammers, whether of wood or steel. You will notice as you do your hammering the high spots will settle down and gradually flatten. The tray is now ready for cleaning and polishing. This is done in the same way as you treated the bowl.

Decoration: Round trays may be decorated in many simple ways by drilling holes in the rim, and then sawing out designs to suit one's fancy, or they may be notched at intervals. Nothing is more decorative though, than the embossed or repoussé design, made by beating from the back and raising the metal on the face above the level. One of the designs given here shows the embossed, and the other shows a combination of the embossed and sawed out work.

The value of the mould: It may seem to you like a lot of work to make a mould just for this round tray, but it can be used many times for making this kind of tray and also for trays of similar shape, like bowl covers, etc. Most of the jewellery nowadays is made in moulds, wood, steel, or lead. Copper, silver, and gold medals, pins, rings, tea and dinner sets are all made by the mould or die method. This mould you have just made is only a simple one; however, complex ones are made in the same way. The skill all lies in making a very good design first and then in making a very smooth mould to fit the design. After one or two trials it comes easy enough. The chapter at the end of the book will explain die and mould making in modern copper, silver, and goldsmith shops.

SQUARE TRAY

Material: Copper, 6¹⁄₂ × 4¹⁄₂ ins. No. 20 gauge.

Tools: Shears, square, bench vise, round hard wood peg; dividers, copper vise jaws.

Design: Determine first whether the tray is to be oblong or square. This material makes a tray 6¹⁄₂ × 4¹⁄₂ in. Draw this size oblong on a sheet of paper. The rim of the tray should be ³⁄₈ in. wide. Draw an inner line all around, ³⁄₈ in. from the outside. Below this draw your elevation, or edge view, showing the depth of the tray. In this design it is ¹⁄₄ in. deep.