The Progress., 1888-12-15
BRUSHES OF BRISTLE Es.
How They Are Manufactured by
Hand and Machine.

l. aig57S
Where Good sristles Come Fro,n-Tho
American Hog Not Up to Growing
Them--Brnsh-AIa Wagcs-The
Views of Manufactures.
Learning a trade now isn't what It was
when was a boy" said q prosperous Mar
get street (St. Louis) brush-maker to q
| Globe Democrat reporter. 81 worked four
years before received a cent Of pay Now,
boy begins and thinks it hard if lie can not
get q mans wages at the first, and In q few
months he thinks he knows all there is. But
about brushes. z, S53
Then hewent on to tell that there were
Two kinds ~ machine and s hand-made.
brushes from Eastern houses were mostly
machine-made, but he turned out nothing
but hand-Worl. Beyond this classification
there were also sample and compound
brushes. The former have but one tiff.
such as those used by painters, and are
made principally of the hair of canels, bad
gers or goats. With this kind he has moth
ing to do, only making those for which
orlstles are required, which are fixed in
The brushes back by being what is techni-
cally called "drawn." The brush-maker's
wife, an expert in the work. gave demon
| stration of the process.
The back Of what was to be horse brush
when finished was taken. 1t was full Of
small holes. In the bench was large pin,
around which was wound fine wire OF COP
per and tin, made expressly for the pur-
pose, this beng more tenacious than copper
alone. A loop in the wire was passed
through a hole in the brush back, and a
pinch Of bristles put in the loop that was
then drawn back through the hole, doubling
the bristles as it went. The bristles were
not pulled clear through, but there were
enough to fit tightly III the hole. The
wire was pulled snug by the pur-
chase on the pin around which it was
coiled, and, the operation being repeated
with each hole, there was complete and
unbroken network of wire holding the
br1sties in place when all was done. AS
each row of brlstles was secured, it was
cut to the desired length with large pair
OF bench shears. There only remained, then.
for second back and handle to be sewed
on, and the brush was ready for boxing.
The woman chatted mcrrily, as her hands
flew at their task. The bristles were ar
ranged in box Of the right width to let
| them lie across, all the ssbutts" being one
way. She held bunch in her right hand
in addition to grasping the brush back with
the first two fingers and thumb, and took
the pinch for the loop Of wire with the left
hand. Practice had made her perfect, and
her rapidity was wonderful.
g A brush like this" said she, her words
keeping time with her hands as thev
flashed back and forth, "has four hundred
and thirteen holes, and can draw them in
an hour. can tell by the feeling almost
to single bristle whether have picked up
the right quantity. This drawing is the
French way. You see double the bristle
so that the heavy end is saved, the top, or
light end, being cut Off. The American
way IS to put the bristles in any way, with
out regard to Which is the top or the butt.
Then, when they are trimmed, there are
Two cut ends and so much more danger Of
splitting. They would not allow that in a
French shop''
All the bristles for good brushes were
SAID to be imported. Those for clothes,
| halr, horse and other brushes come from
RUSSIA, and tine white bristles for shaving
and varnlsh brushes from France Amer
! lean brlstles are too short and soft to be Of
any use except for cheap brushes, and it is
customary to mix split whalebone with
them. Russian bristles cost $1.95 to $3.50
per pound, and $1,000 worth of the best
can be packed in a common flour barrel
The American hog is not the right kind to
| get good brush bristle from He is killed
TOO young for one thing, it was asserted.
| IN Russia the hogs are allowed to grow old
and big, and their longest brstles viii meas
ure : inches. The difference in wages paid
brush-nlakers in France and America was
brought up.
The best work. said the Market street
manufacturer, 6 is the toothbrush, We
don't make them and they are not made in
America, because it don't pay In France
girls draw them at cents for l,OOp holes.
and 5000 or 1000 draws Is good davis
work. pay Is cents per 1000 draws for
| morse brushes, and have had glrls earn 50
week. Girls are peculiar, though. had
one girl lately who had no trouble in earn.
Ing 50 a week, but all of q sudden she
dropped to So When asked her what tho
4 trouble was she turned up her nose and
said she didn't have to work any more, she
was going to get married .
In making tooth-brushes the bristIes are
wired the same as in q horse brush, except
1 the wire is very fine and the holes are not
bored through. They go nearly through,
leaving thin shell at the back.
After the holes are bored they are con-
nected by a sawed line that stops Just short
OF the end, this line allowing space to do
the drawing and keep the Wire hidden. The
interstices are then filed with cement, The
virtues OF good toothbrush can be pre-
served for long period by observing care
IN shaking the water out after using and
standing up so as to dry as quickly as pos.
sible BY allowing the bristles to remain
wet they swell and spread the space made
IN saving until q section will split off, as
well as lose their life and strength a Ger.
tain class OF brushes are made without
being sawed. II these are examined it will
be seen that holes have been bored in the
brlstle end of the handle, and nicely plugged
up The wire is worked through these
holes, and it is claimed that this effects the
same result az is secured through the sawed
back
In 1870 a machine was patented for max
Ing brushes. tt folds the bristles and forces
them Into the hole by q twisting motion az
the rate of Q hole q second. The bristles
are fed from q metallic comb. The bristles
nre separated aud doubled BY plunuer
that has 8 rotary motion and literally screws
the bristles Into the brush. Some Of the
machines work in q string to hold the bris.
t tldaz ht1f ~ e.