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Many items such as this cup have a joint made by
overlapping itself. This overlap is then soldered –
After soldering the cups body, the solder which to hold it for soldering is held by a pair of pliers
hardens, holding the cup together and making as to not burn the tin plate worker.
Once an edge has gone through the wiring machine it that section water-tight.
is stronger than it was without the wire, but as a side
benefit it has a soft edge. By using the machines,
production increases by three times. Here we see the
final result of wiring the handles edges for the cup.

This wiring machine, ca. 1840s
produced by Peck Smith & Co., is
one of a full set of machines used to
roll the edges to create different joints.
As a tinplate worker starts to
solder the joint of the cup body he
starts where the pliers are, and an
angular soldering iron pulls the
At right: After soldering the joint of the cup, the tinplate
worker shows off how smooth the soldered seam is. solder away letting the heat warm
From here he can continue soldering the bottom up the cup allowing the solder to
and handle. Many items produced were round, as that flow and level out making
h is a very simple and easy shape to make quickly the cup one piece.
including cups, pans, coffee pots, and others.

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