Advanced Toy Making for Schools Part 1

Advanced Toy Making for Schools.

by David M. Mitch.e.l.l.

PREFACE

Toys are today regarded as educational factors in the life of boys and girls. New toys come into demand at frequent intervals in the growth and mental development of the child. On account of the unfailing interest on the part of the pupils in toys and because of the unlimited educational possibilities contained in toy making, this work is rightfully taking an increasingly important place in the manual arts program in the schools.

This book is the outgrowth of toy-making problems given to junior-high and high-school pupils. The author claims no originality for some of the toys. However, most of them have been originated or improved upon in the author's cla.s.ses.

While it is entirely satisfactory to have any of the toys mentioned in this book made as individual projects, they are here offered as suitable group projects or production projects, and it is hoped that the suggested form of shop organization for production work as treated in Part I is flexible enough so that the plan can be applied to most any shop conditions.

The drawings of toys in Part II will suggest a variety of articles which may be used in carrying out the production work.

Of course, the success of organizing and conducting cla.s.ses for this kind of work depends largely upon the instructor. He must know definitely what he is trying to get done. He must adopt and pursue such methods of dealing with both the members of the cla.s.s and the material as will contribute directly towards the desired end.

Toy making carried on by the so-called productive plan, if handled properly, will bring out many of the essentials of an organization typical of the commercial industries. Together with its educational possibilities and its power to attract the attention of those engaged in this activity, toy making will rightfully take its place alongside other important subjects offered in a complete industrial arts course.

The author wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to William E.

Roberts, supervisor of manual training, Cleveland Public Schools, for valuable suggestions and inspiration; to Joseph A. Sh.e.l.ley, Jersey City, N. J., for suggestions on finishing kiddie car wheels; to the Eclipse Air Brush Company, Newark, N. J., for valuable information and photographs of air brush equipment; and to the American Wood Working Machinery Co., for the use of the ill.u.s.trations showing the operation of the turning lathe, universal saw, and other woodworking machines.

D. M. MITCh.e.l.l

Cleveland, Ohio, 1921.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

Where the work is to be done on the so-called productive basis, it is of utmost importance that, before starting, the cla.s.ses should be so organized as to allow the work to be carried on in the most efficient, progressive manner. The form of shop organization suggested in this book is recommended. However, the instructor may, particularly if he has had good practical shop experience, employ other methods of organization that are just as good and possibly even better for his particular cla.s.s and the conditions under which he has to work.

It is also of great importance that the instructor should acquaint himself with the processes involved in the making of each toy before allowing the cla.s.s to begin it. This may be accomplished by the making of a sample of the contemplated project, carefully a.n.a.lyzing its different parts and arranging the operations in a logical sequence.

This phase of the work may be done during cla.s.s discussions and demonstrations at which time the different jigs and fixtures needed for progressive production may also be developed.

The different methods of coloring toys have been suggested with the hope that the student will gain a realization of the importance of finishing, from both the artistic and the practical point of view. The application of paint by means of compressed air is the latest development in the coloring of toys, and an equipment in the school shop ill.u.s.trating the principles of compressed air as applied to productive finishing of toys, is a step forward in making school shops function as they should.

The working drawings in this book should serve as suggestions. They have been so constructed as to be free from unnecessary technicalities, and to leave as much opportunity as possible for the exercise and development of the student's judgment.

It will be found that toy making offers itself readily to the desired co-operation and correlation with other departments in the school. For instance, the art department may aid with the designing and color scheme to be used on toys; the general metal shop may help in the making of necessary metal parts: the mechanical drawing department can co-operate in the making of working drawings; the mathematics department can figure the costs of production, etc., etc.

It is hoped that the purpose of this book is not merely to set forth a few plans and drawings for the construction of toys, but to give the work the broadest possible application; creating a constructive influence on the minds of the students, in which case it will also act as a means of bringing into closer relationship their life outside of school with the work in school.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TOY MAKING ON A PRODUCTIVE BASIS EMPLOYING FACTORY METHODS]

PART I

OPERATIONS IN TOY MAKING

CHAPTER I

PRODUCTIVE WORK

#1. Suggested Plan for Shop Organization.#--While it is entirely satisfactory to have any of the toys mentioned in this book made as individual projects, they are here offered as suitable group projects or production projects. Production work may be defined as work done by a cla.s.s to turn out a number of similar projects that have a marketable value, with the aid of jigs, fixtures, and other means of duplication, ill.u.s.trating the industrial or practical application to the tasks in hand, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. This does not mean, however, that the school shops be transformed into a factory in the full sense of the word. It should differ from a factory in that the education of the student is the major part of the product, while in the factory production is the foremost aim.

In doing work by the productive plan two important problems will present themselves at the outset; first, the time element; and second, industrial or practical application to the tasks in hand.

A brief explanation of the plan of organization in one of the author's cla.s.ses will attempt to show how nearly these problems can be solved.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 1. Material for toys, prepared on a large scale]

#2. Grouping of Students.#--Cla.s.ses are divided into groups of between four and six boys, with a boy foreman appointed at the head of each group. The foreman is held responsible for the work turned out by his boys. He is to see that they understand just what is to be done and how it is to be done. All the group foremen are directly responsible to the general foreman who in turn is responsible to the instructor. The general foreman is to act as an inspector of finished work after it has received the group foreman's O.K. He is also held responsible for the condition of the shop during his cla.s.s hour. This includes looking after all material, the manner in which stock is put away after cla.s.s, and adherence to all shop rules that have been adopted to help in the efficiency of shop procedure.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2. A large order of toys partly constructed]

#3. The Time Clerk and Tool-Room Clerk.#--A "_Time Clerk_" is appointed to take charge of the time cards. He is also held responsible for all the clerical work that is to be done in the shop.

A _Tool-Room Clerk_ is appointed to take charge of the shop tool room.

He is to keep check of all tools given out and taken in. His spare time should be devoted to the care of tools.

If possible, each boy in the cla.s.s should be given an opportunity to act in each capacity that has been created, so that he may get the most varied experience in shop procedure. This will necessitate the changing of boys from one group to another; the changing of foremen, clerks, etc., at intervals which will of course be governed by the size of the cla.s.s and the number of hours devoted to the work.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 3. Milk wagons completed by the production method]

#4. Recording Attendance.#--Boys, upon entering the shop, register their presence at the Time-Card Rack, Fig. 4. This is done by turning the time card shown in Fig. 5, so that the back side, which has the word present printed at top, is exposed. The time clerk then inspects the cards and notes those that have not been turned, and records the absences. He then fills in the date and pa.s.ses the cards out to the boys in the shop.

Toward the latter part of the period, a few minutes time is given the boys to fill in the necessary data on the time card.

The time cards are then collected by the time clerk and put into a box where the time cards of all the cla.s.ses are kept. In the meantime the time clerk puts back into the time rack the cards of the incoming cla.s.s.

This duty is performed by the time clerks of all the cla.s.ses, thereby necessitating the use of only one time card rack.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 4. The time-card rack.]

#5. Time Cards.#--Referring to the time card mentioned in Fig. 5 it will be seen that the workman's shop number is filled in at the top. Then under the heading of "Woodworking Department" are two horizontal rows of items which need very little explanation. Following are three columns headed "Operation," "a.s.signment," and "Time." Below the word "Operation"

are set down the various operations undertaken in the woodworking department, with several vacant s.p.a.ces provided where other and special operations can be filled in. It will also be noticed that "Operations"

are divided into two kinds, machine work and bench work. The instructor's glance at the time card will tell him at once what phase of the work the boy has been employed in and will help him in apportioning the work so that the boy is offered a varied experience.