Forming
Forming
At this point in time we once again dampen the hide in order to make them pliable. The pieces of metal are reinserted into the bulges. Thin pieces of metal are then placed between the exterior sides of the bulges in order to maintain the integrity of the individual bulges. The hides are now placed into a mold that supports them and 15 tons of pressure is applied, in a hand operated hydraulic press as depicted in the photo to the right, to the exterior side of the hide in order to press the hide in to the unique shape of our Tefillin.
The hand housing undergoes the same process in order to form a single chamber in the shape unique to the Tefillin that we wear.
Depicted below is the head housing after being removed from the press. Note the manner in which the hide shows how it was compressed to form the square shapes.
