The Yazoo Democrat. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1851-03-19
STEEL PEN MAKING AT iBIRMING
HAM. sG. rd' aga-

]
first operations are performed by steam
power. The sheets of steel after the are
received from Sheffield, are reduced to the
requisite ienuity successive transits through
the rol!ing-mill--operatious which are TEN
ded by men aud boys. When reduced in
this manner TO the thinness Of a steel pen,
and 10 length Of about two feet, and the
breadth of two inches aud half or three
inches, the sheets Of steel are ready for the
next processes. which are entirely perform
ed by women and girls Describing the
rooms according TO the order Of the
processes, and not according to the
arrangement of the building, first TO
be entered is that where the "banks
are punched out. Ranged i'll double rows
along large and roomy .kshoP, with
windows at both sides and scrupuously
white aud clean in floor. roof, aud walls
are seated from 6fty to hundred girls aud
women, from the age of fourteen to that
of forty aud upwards. The only sounds to
be heard are the working Of ihe handpress
aud the clinking of the smallpieces of metal
as they fall from thee block into the recep-
tacle prepared fort hem.
This process iiS performed with
great rapidity, one girl, Of average indus
Try aud dexterity, being able to punch or
Gu. out about hundred gross per day
| Mach division of the workshop is superiu,
tended by tool maker, whose business il
is to keep the punches aud presses in god
working condition, to superintend to work
generally, and TO keep order among the
workpeOple. ..... .... "A
The next operation is to place the blank
in concave die on which a slight touch
from convex punch produces the requisite
shape-that of the semi tube, The Sits
and apertures, Which increase the elastic
{ lily Of the pen, and the makers or Vender's
7 name or mark are produced by a similar
20 i. The last operation is that OF Sitting
which is also performed by girls and women
: Previously TO this, however, the pen uEder-
goes variety Of processes in different part
, Of the hclory, aud und-r all hands Of a diff
ierem class ofworkpeople. When complete
all but the size the pen is soft and pliabe,
aud may be benz or twisted in the hand
like piece of thin leGl. Being collected
in ''grosses" great crosses the former
containing 144, aud the great gross twelve
4 times that number-the pens ar thrown an.
, to little iron square boxes by men VIII" per-
D form all the work in this department, aud
. they are placed in a furnace, where they're
main till box aud pens are OF white hear
, They are then taken Dat, and thrown his.
1 sing hot into pals or tanks of OLA pro-
cess which cures them oE thoir sohness by
p making hem brittle. When ttken out
OF the oil, they may b e broken by the fin.
gers with as much ease as nlhey were so
j many waters. AS great deal Of oil ad-
al hrs, to them, they are put into sieve
; to drain. There they remain until no
!, more oil will run from them; but notwith-
standing all the draining which they have
!, received, he oil is not effectually remov'
ed TO cleanse them thoroughly they WIRE
n formerly thrown INFO pits or heaps OF saw
:, dust aud stirred about; hut as by this pro-
cess, the saw dust became clOIted into OF
=, cakes, and was rendered unsefviceabe, the
!. Ingenuity Of Mr.. Gidott was taxed to di.'
Il cover some means by which saving boil
!, Of oil and sawdust could he effected. lie
n was not long before the thought struck
"a him. that, At the pens were made TO revoiV'
ne rapidly in perforated cylender, the las
q. drop of oil might be forced out of them
ii in tact, that the oil might be twirld from
the pens like moisture from mop.
IA The experiment was tried and succeed
.. admirably. The pens, alter being allowed
=. to drain in the seive until no more OF
/. would run off them, were placed, apparent
: ly dry, but greasy looking, in the cyiende
but tw:ied round with great rapidly, un
til the oil ran off in copious stream. Til
~, mingled oil and sawdust formerly constitu
- ted nuisance, and it was necessary
81 change the sawdust. aud burn i: three {
four times day. 1t now lasts for weel
By the means-a remarkable instance I
;od Of the economy Of mahufactu es-Mr.a Gi
- lott has diminished his oil account abol
-. $4,000 to $4,000 per anuum. This oper
-, ton once completed the pens are plsc
~ ed N revolving cylinders, where their tTl
-. ton against each other produces the ne
,;s, essary polish. Each pen is thus made
clean polish its neighbor. The next pr
80 cess is TO roast or anneal these brittle ar
Giles, and give them the fexibilitY OF q
quill aud produce upon them, at the sar
- time, the color which may be desiss
~ whether bronze or blue. - 80. ~. = 4
,ble The fiexibiIity & color are produced by he
an. and it becomes ai2slicats matter SO TO
on range and regulate it as TO attain the /
81 act results desired. From this depar!me
,igb they are once more consigned 20 tue lem;
~ part oftke establishment where by operati
~, II the cuttin3 tool ,ieaeh pen receives
nj, required slit. One girl, with a, quick .
IA practised fHger, IcanisGt by this means
= ma nY as 2OO-gross, Of $4,000 pens q d
They are now ready for counting and pa
u ing ia boxes or crosses, Tor the wboles
, marx. l'Fhe last stage OF the business
~ wholly performed by young girlsf,---Cor.
~ the Morn. ChrORicfssu sd - ta.s
h5i-i1ead Zea-LsAss--.44---a- gge.r. ff...,t