Brass Tube Drawer

[Jacqueline Flavell]

Could anyone please tell me what a Brass Tube Drawer did ? Thank you

 

[mike jenks]

Hi

Have attached a Sketch.
In effect through a series of Dies
the Tube is reduced in size to the
Correct size.
Brass Tube used extensively because
it dosent Rust.
Birmingham in those day's must have been
the Capital of this type of Jobs.
Should get answers from my Kynoch mates.
Brass tube by the mile there.

Mike Jenks

 

[Jacqueline Flavell]

Brass Tube Drawers

Crikey!! Thanks for that...I cant promise that I understood you obviously know about these things......so what exactly would someone who was described as Brass Tube Drawer do ? Thats the job that my Grandad did so I just wanted to know more. Thank you so much for replying and I would love to know more.

Best Wishse

Jackie

 

[mike jenks]

Brass Tube Drawers

Hi

if I could write a simple statement I would.
This is a very Technical Process and your Grandad
would have to do numerous operations to Produce
a Finished Tube.
A host of Jobs have to be done. A large number of operators
would be envolved in preparing the Tube from Flat plate
and producing the Tubes.
I have copied a write up but its a bit Technical.

Mike Jenks

 

[Jacqueline Flavell]

More Brass Tubes

Ok...Thanks again.It sounds very technical and quite complicated.Would he do an apprenticeship or just 'learning on the job'.Was it a skilled manual job ? Would it be in a foundry or a factory? Do people still do this work or is it all mechanised.Once again I really apprecitae your replies..its difficult to get a grasp of such an alien working world to my own but its important to me to understand properly.How do you know about it ?

Best Wishse

Jacqueline

 

[mike jenks]

Brass Tube Drawers

Hi

Most of these skills were taught by on the Job Training.
They would have been taught some basic Engineering
skills but not the requirements of 5 year Apprenticeship as a
Toolmakers who would make the Dies for Brass Tube Drawer.
In the world of skills it would be classified as
Production operators.
Today the processes are automated and your Grandad
would be a Technician operating a computer controlled
process, requiring high skills.

Mike Jenks

 

[Jacqueline Flavell]

Re.:Reply

Hello Mike

You have been incredibly helpful.Thank you so much.I am a visual learner so I suppose I need to look at a picture of someone doing this work to really get an idea.I've never stepped foot in a Factory although all my family for a few generations back probably had no choice. Can I be a pest ? Do you know of any books that would contain old photos ? Also was this very hard heavy work ? To be really pushy can I ask you about the jobs some of my other forebears had ?

Once again your epies are very much appreciated

Best Wishses

Jacqueline

 

[Astonian]

yes very techinell and not boreing or grim
i worked shift work including night work
at the bromford tubes company in bromford b,ham many years ago
when i was young ,then i went to work at tubes limited in rocky lane
aston cross, where i met my mate bazzm,
you certainly earnt your crust , believe me ,but it put food on the table
have a niceday best wishes astonian ,;;

 

[tim wood]

Could anyone please tell me what a Brass Tube Drawer did ? Thank you

i worked at yorkshire imperial metals in rabone lane as a tube drawer,both in copper and brass,plus they did other mix types of tubes...
i worked on a multi bench called the 45 tonner,it pulled 3 tagged copper shells about 6 foot long and 2 and half inch diameter,through plugs and dies with special oil coated onto them,,,drawn by a huge machanical dog by chain,,and depending on the plugs and die combination,,it was drawn to thickness diameter and to leghnth.
Was a facinating place to work for,i did a variaty of jobs their,and even shaving brass down to special thickness on a single draw bench.
tim wood
y.i.m sept 79 to june 83

 

[Dave Bath]

My father was a tube drawer for more than 20 years at C M Powell Bros in Aston Road (brass and copper). My brother followed in his footsteps for a while until he knew better!

 

[tim wood]

glad i done it for 4 years,i found it interesting seeing how the process worked and seeing the end result,i dont know any tube drawing firms around the midlands now.
Yorkshire imperial folded up in 97-98,accles and pollock went the same road later,all i was tolf a lot of asain companies brought the equiptment,and i beleive some draw benches should have gone to the science museum :hoteyes:
I to chose a different path and ended up a the rover till the collaspe:cry:

 

[tommy]

i used to work at clifford,s dogpool lane
they had rolling mills and draw benche,s heavy dirty work
all gone now . Housing development took its place.

 

[Rupert]

In the old days copper tubes were thicker walled and softer so that plumbers would bend the tube around some corners at installations. Then about mid century thin wall copper tubes were produced for domestic water conveyance. These tubes were harder and required soldered fittings to negotiate bends. The fittings would be drop forged maybe. Anyway later machines such as piercers were used to produce shells and these shells would be drawn on a bull block as explained and formed into a coil possibly...to be carried away on an overhed hook conveyor for further processing...annealing...finish drawing...presumably cut-to-length...bundling and out the door. It would all be automated now probably. There must still be production in the UK surely. You are probably right though...old machinery hung around far too long.
I notice soft plastic or nylon is being used for domestic water now.