Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-05-03
WORKOUT RuRaERs.
How They Arc utilized by the Manufa'
urers of Euhher Goods


How They Arc Utilixed by tho Manufact-
|. urers Of Rubber Goods.
The following information respect
ing the uses of old ruSbers will be
found to be of interest:
When the bales of boots, shoes and
arctics are received by the grinders, a
gang of women and girls are employed
to sort out certain kinds. and also to cut
the uppers from the boots. This
trough sorting" finished. the mass is
run through a pair Of deeply-corru-
gated rolls. turning toward one an
other, which serves to crush and tear,
until there is left no semblance of the
half-worn boot or damaged rubber
that was introduced between these
iron jaws. This machine is called a
CRACKER" and in common parlance
cracks the stock. From it. a ragged.
stringy mass. it goes to the ''grinder, :"
a machine similar to that first men,
toned, but with smooth rolls, and a
most decided friction movement.
caused by the "back roll" turning
twice and half as fast as the front.
This machine by its constant grinding
converts the stock into a powder. that
may be coarse or fine according as the
rolls are screwd near together or are
far apart. Very naturally this powder
divides itself into several grades as ii
comes from the machine. for the poor
er parts are the first to be reduced, and
the genuine rubber succumbs last.
From the grinding-room the powder
goes to the sifting-room, where all the
fiber IS carefully eliminated, and sand
and dirt ale removed As there
are often particles of iron in this
powder, a curious slide is in use,
over which it pours in thin black
stream. On the face of this slide are ar
ranged series of magnets, to which the
iron clings until removed by scraper
that moves transversely across the face
of the slide. Decentralization" is
the next process in order, and is in o
word the conversion of the shoddy into
Il dough similar to unvulcanized stock.
This is accomplished by placing the
powder in shallow pans in boiler or
steam chamber, and exposing it to live
steam heat for forty-eight hours. One
large rubber shoe mandatory, that
we have in mind, raise the heat to six
hundred degrees, and claim the best of
results from this high temperature.
After the sulphur has been volatilized
by this process. the powder is taken
out of the boiler and placed upon
grinder, and there ground and kneaded
until it forms into rough sheets, when
it is ready to be mixed with shoe or
other stock. and made up again into
goods, and thus go again and ag ain
before the public.
In addition to the black shoddy,
which is made from old boots and
shoes, there is red shoddy, made from
anthony rubber. used in bicycle tires
and mold work; white shoddy for
wringer rolls, stopples and other white
work, and pure gum shoddy, which.
strange to say, is the worst of the lot.
although containing the most rubber.
We append an analysis of few COM
pounds.
Compound for regular shoe soling:
40 pounds of shoddy. 9 pounds of rub
Der. so pounds of whiting. pounds of
litharge, pounds of tar. - ounces of
sulphur. Another for the ''shanking"
is: so pounds of shoddy, 9 pounds of
coarse rubber, 20 pounds of whiting,
- pounds of litharge, 9 pounds of tar.
ii ounces of sulphur. Still another
for shoe heels is: As pounds of shoddy,
% pounds of heel scraps, pounds of
coarse rubber, so pounds of whiting.
10 pounds of litharge. 4 pounds of tar,
l pound of sulphur.
OF course there are grades of goods
that contain no shoddy at all, but as
rule cheap goods of necessity must be
thus adulterated to be produced at the
market prices. The constant clamer
for cheaper rubber goods in all de-
partments has caused the use of shod-
dy. The consumer calls for shoes at
twenty cents pair, when rubber is at
dollar pound. and he gets them
made of rubber-shoddy. A retailer
finds that he must sell pure rubber
packing for eight cents pound. and
gets it made of shoddy, wet up with
palm oil and loaded with lead and
barytes. 1t is but a few short years
since the old rubber has assumed
commercial Importance in this coun-
try, and fewer still since its worth has
been acknowledged in Europe. When
first they were collected by the junk
men the smallest possible price was
paid, but to-day the housewife in all
parts of the country knows their worth.
boston Commercial Bulletin.