The body of a pick is generally made of a low-grade steel, but the points are either of cast steel or high-grade tool steel.

On account of the body being of a low grade, it is no unusual thing for an energetic laborer, when hammering the pick down upon the helve or handle, to split the eye or even burst it open.

For this reason, in one of the railroad shops, where many of these picks are repaired, the blacksmith conceived the idea of drilling two holes near either side of the eye, as shown in No. 1, and inserting a couple of countersunk rivets, after which he declared that very few picks came to him for repairs in that particular spot. But to my mind the best wrinkle he gave to me was in welding the steel points on the ends.

No. 2, at the right-hand side, shows one of the usual manners of doing this. The ends of the pick are split open for a little way. to take the point, which is made wedge shape at one end. and the whole welded together and brought to a point, as in No. 1. But it was noticed that when these same energetic laborers used their picks for levers, they came hack to the shop with the points missing) and wide open jaws, as shown in the left of No. 2.

Another method, called the German, I believe, is to weld a piece of steel on one side of the point, as shown to the right of No. 3. When any of these came hack, they were worse than the first, for they came back not only minus the point, but the half-welded jaw.

It will also be seen that in both of the cases mentioned, the wear and tear of the pick is on the low-grade steel jaws as much as the high-grade steel points. So instead of splitting open the ends of the pick, the blacksmith split the steel point as shown to the right of No. 4. When these came back to the shop for repairs, they were generally as seen to the left of No. 4, and only needed the points put to the emery wheels.

Fig. 159 - Repairing railroad picks.