Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-05
BRUSH MAKING.
THE BRiSTLE SUPPLY BECOMING
COSTLY AND SCARCE.
The Vegetable Kingdom Largely Drawn
Upon for Msterial-Horse Hair. Tam
picO Grass and steel Wire
An Old Brush.
tSCisntIfiC American

lScisntIfc American
/ There is not household convenience
or n personal implement that is of more
! importance than the brush and It's name
is many "A catalogue of dItlcrrat brushes
would nil column IN this paper / Ct
! few know how a brush is made and Of
what it is composed 1t has been sup
/ posed by some that split whaIeboue =
which is only another form of hair or
/ horn was used Ms cheap substitute for
hriStles and readers of 10 or 81 wears o.d
remember that black hr.stled brushes
were avoided and only while ones were
/ sslable In fact however whaehonc is
much more costly than hristles. and is
only used for special brushes.
| And even the bristle supply is becom-
| ing silly and scarce. Hereaway We raise
10 more hriStled hogs; most of Them have
coating of soft hairs Sparseiy d.strib.
uted. aud some of the finer sorts have
curly wool. Even the southern hogs
which self -fared in the nutty woods. are
diving out. and higher type OF the class
Sus is taking their place Nearly all the
brSties that are used in this country come
from hussia. and they cost the brush
maker from 81. - 10 S3 pound They
come tied up in neat rolls. and assorted Us
10 lengths and Stiffness
Horse hair is largely used FOR brushes
there is no material that VIZ so finely
polish sewing machine needles. AS ther
come from the last machine process. us
horse hair brushes Horse hair makes
the soft brushes for plush velvet. aud for
the silk hat makers
The vegetable kingdom is largely drawn
upon for brush material. TO say nothing
of brUOmS. there is grass called Tam.
picO. from the place of It's expectation.
that is used in the making of hand scrub
bing brushes 1t is "A round fiber of light
straw color. quite tough and elastic aud
possessing the unusual quality OF retain
ing its rigidity and elasticity however
much soaked it may be in water
Flattencd steel wire with the temper
in. is used for tlue cleaning brushes and
for street and stable use These are 30
coarse and rigid that they would be better
designated Us SCrapers.
But there is Il wire brush that is the very
opposite of these Ii is made of steel or
brass wire that is so very tinc that ii goes
quite beyond the finest gauge made in TINS
country. 1t goes 10 what is known to the
trade as forty four English gauge / ru>hes
made from this are employed in the pro.
ductiun of u peculiar finish on sIll er
W lltH ollNNl IL uSSu III llid Z neither
it is solid OF an external deposit. il
is not often compressed or hard
cncd by any mechanical means, ex.
cept when it is FURNISHED TO make a
polish The satin finish of plate and
silver ornaments, so much admired of
late years is produced by these brushes
of fine steel and brass wire. The brushes
are rotary. and are run al high velocity
The effect of their action ON the soft sur
face of silver is TO raise the PARTICLES so
that they will not reflect the light as a
polished surface will. hut give soft.
velvety. refractive light to the eve 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 brStles
and hairs and Tampico grass in brushes
is with common pitch. which is kept hot
al convenient bench. and is kept fluid
by the admiNIure OF little iallow. The
workman grasps from a bunch or pile of
bristles few in his fingers. doubles them
over al the middle winds bit of fine
twine about the butt or end, dips that
end iu the hot pitch. and presses the
bunch in a 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 a wire or twine that passes
through 4 small hole i'll the back OF the
larger hole that receives the bristles But.
rs all these wires or strings are seen on
the back of the brush they must he CON
cealed b. false back for nice work.
The writer has II specimen with Il solid
back that was made more than fifteen
years ago. In this the bristles doubled.
were led by a 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 locked in
the solid material The brush has 0een in
constant use during these years, and is
as good as new.