Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Working-with-your-hands Wednesday

 


From the information section below the video:
Made during WWII by the Union Switch and Signal Company, which converted to manufacturing firearms as part of the war effort, this silent 16mm film documents the production of .45 automatics. These weapons are "carved out of steel" through a variety of techniques including machine forging. The film traces all aspects of manufacture, testing, and finally railroad shipping of the completed and tested weapons.

Bonus video! Carrying your credit card on your finger. 

4 comments:

  1. Way cool! No CNC machines there ... ... everything was on a production line, using pre-sets and pantographs.

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    Replies
    1. And just look at that gal disassembling the pistol; she knows her stuff.

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    2. I saw her! Impressive.

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  2. It was Maggie the Machinist, not Rosie the Riveter that was making those.
    I wonder if John Browning had any idea how many examples of his masterpiece would be turned out that way.

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