The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-09-20
PRECIOUS HOG BRISTLES.

PRECIOUS HOG BRISTLES.
a Chapter About brushes and Brush-
Making.
"Brush-makiAg," said one OF the
oldest men in the trade to Phiiadel-
phia reporter, lis not rs easy as it used
to be when L went into it forty years
ago. Then the requirements of
the public were simple and easily sup
piled, and it was comparatively easy to
keep good stock Now brush dealer
must have an almost endless list of
brushes, of all styles and all materials,
and must lay out ten times the capital
he used to need. At that time there
were only three kinds of scrubbing-
brushes; now L can show you forty,
and every year new ones come into
vogue and must be placed on my
shelves. There is scarcely any bust
ness where more dead stock has to be
carried than ours. Still, we must be
up with the times, no matter what it
costs.
"The old-time scrubbing- brush was
made of strong American bristes, and
in three styles. They are still in linn
tied use, and other materials, cheaper,
and equally enduring, are used. The
cocoa fiber is largely employed, and
makes good scrubber; the palmetto
fiber when well put into the frame, is
also excellent, and many brushes are
made of Tampico hemp"
Where do you get your bristles?"
Most OF them are imported. The
best bristles are white, and the breed
of hogs that produces white bristles is
becoming rarer and rarer in this colln-
try every day. Ia the South and West
the hogs are running largely into dark.
colors, and that lessons the value of
their bristles. We get the best from
Russia and Germany, and the trade is
II very large one. Probably the best in
use come from Kamschatka They are
called Okataka, from the name of the
province where they are produced.
They sometimes reach the length of
nine and one-half inches long. In price
these bristles range from 90 cents to
81. 30 pound. There is barrel of
them which cost me trifie over 81 900.
We also import bristles from Siberia
and Germany. Those from Russia
come in black, gray and white. It is O
singular fact that the American bristle,
while it has run down in quality, has
more than doubled in price. The grade
that used to sell at 80 cents pound
now brings 80 cents.
Brush. makers generally work by the
piece and make from So to $40 week.
The frame, having been prepared, is
bored by machine that works the
| L. II 30 Ia h,.,e % -,
of about 100 per minute. Efforts have
been made repeatedly to get up a
machine to insert and fasten the bristles
III the hole, but thus far none have
proved altogether successful, and hand
work is generally preferred. The OPP
orator, fixing the pierced wood frame in
vise places tuft of the bristles in
each hole and secures it at the back
with the wire. The wire is continuous
and as the pierced frame is always COW
cred there Is no danger of its breaking.
a hair brush passes through the hands
of six workmen before it is ready for
the market. Women are employed in
drawing the bristles quitting them
into the holes and securing them) and
n good hand can make from 50 to SO a
week. The same woman, working
twelve hours a day and working hard,
on shirts for the general trade, could
hardly make 50 week, so you see that
if the pay be small it is much better
than that given mass of women-workers.
Some operators become very rapid and
earn good wages.
"How are other brushes made?"
well, there's flesh brushes, and
ooth-brushes. and whitewash- brushes,
and paste brushes, and a host of others.
Here's some circus bill FASTING brushes
that / made for Barnum. You see how
large they are and what long bristles
they have. They cost $4S dozen, and
will paste the whole side of fence in
no time. Fleshbrushes are often or.
dered of peculiar style, aud we make
'scratcher,' with which you can reach
any part of your back. 1t has little
tuft of white bristles on the end, that
impart untold pleasure For busters
we use horse-hair imported from
France. Hat-brushes are also of horse.
hair or of goat-hair, which is very
fine"