Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-08-22
BRUSH MAKING. THE BRlSTLE SUPPLY BECOMING COSTLY AND SCARCE. The Vegetable Kingdom Largely Drawn Upon for NateFial-Horse Hair. Tam pico Grass and steel Wire
 -An Old Brush.
lSci,nt.hc American.l

There is not a household convenience or a personal implement that Is of more importance t1an the brush, and is name Is many. Catalogue of different brushes would til column in this paper ct few know how brush is made and of what it is composed It has been sup posed by some that split wlalebOue- w,ich Is only another form of hair or LOrn-waS used as a cheap substitute for bT.stles. and readers of 10 or jO years q remember that black bristled bruShrs weIe avoided. and only whi.e ones were salable In fact however whalebone is much more costly than bTistleS. and is only used fOl s eciai brushes.
 And even the briSIie supply is becom- ing costly and scarce. Hereaway we raise no more br;s,ied hogs; most of them have a coating of soft hairs sparseiy diStrlb- utcd. aud some of the finer sorts have 8 curly wool Even the southern hOg,. which self-iared in the nutty woods. are dying out. and higher type of the class Sus Is taking their place Nearly all he bgistles that are used in this country come from Russia, and they cost the brush maker iron, Sl.2j 10 S3 pound They come tied up in neat rolls, and assorted as Co lengths fnd illness
 lIOr,e hair is largely used for brushes. there IS no material that will SO finely polish sewing machine needles. IS tIey come from the last machine process. as horse hair brushes Horse hair makes the soft brushes for plush, velvet, and for the silk hat makers
 The vegetable kingdom is largely drawn upon for brush material To say nothing of brOOms. there is grass called Tam. picO. from the place of it's eXpOrtation that Is used in the making of hand scrgo biug brushes lt Is a round fiber lf lgat straw color. quite tough and elastic. ami possessing the unusual quality tt rc,a.u. ing it's rigidity and elasticity however much soaked it may be in water.
 Flattened stee. wire. with the temper in. is used for tue cleaning brushes a. q for street and stable use These are SD coarse and rigid that they would Le better designated as scrapers
 But fhere is a wire brush that Is thr yer opposite of these. lt is made Of steel .t brass wire that is SO yer line that it goc~ quite ley Ond the tne-t gauge made in t.-s country lt goes Co what k known Co tie trade a> forty-f0ur ngish gauge rushe- made from this Sre employed m he pro duCti0n of a peculiar finish on silver When silver is used in plate wnethCr it is solid or an external dc osit, u Is no. often compressed. or hard eucl. by any mechanical means. CX- ccpt when it is furnished Co make a polish. The satin tiniSh' of plate and silver ornaments % much admired of late years is produced by these brushes of fine steel and brass wire The brushes are rotary. and are run at a high velocity. The effect of th ir action on ihe soft sur lace of silver is Co raise the Iartic.es 50 that they will not reflect the light as a polished surface will. but give a suft. Velvety. reiractive light to the eye This elegant effect is prOdu, ed by the soft wire brushes that feel under the hand almost like cylinders of down
 The common way of fastening bristles and hairs and TampicO grass in brus.,s is with common pitch, which Is kept hot at a convenient bench. and is kept fluid by the admiNture of little tallow. The workman grasps from a hnnch or I.ilo of briStles 1fN in his fingers. doubles them over et Tie middle winds bit of fre twine about the butt or end, dips that end in the hot pitch and presses the bunch in hole in the wooden ba- k of the brush to be.
 But better process is wiring or twin ing; in either case the looped brush being held by wire or twine that passes through a small hole in the back of tHe larger hole that receives the bristles. Rut as all these wires or strings are seen on the back of the brush they must be con- Ccaled by a false back for nice work
 The writer has a specimen with a solid back that was made more than fifteen years ago. In this the bristles doubled were led by wire staple into the holes. and the ends Of the staple being crossed by die. the wire was forced into the wood by plunger. and really locke in the solid material The brush has Oeen m constant use during these years. and is as gCVd as new.