Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-12-19
MAKING CLAY PIPES.
CURIOUS PROCESS THEY ARE pof
THROUGH.
Tbsre Are About $50 Kinds and styles
Of Pipes.

Nearly all the clay USED IN ine mn" :.
focture of clay pipes is obtained AT
Woodbridge and Amboy, n. D. "hcre
49, are immense beds and MINES
so ,u omen and others reached oniy oy
S Joan shafts. where clay is mined III
the same manner as coal. lhree Ai. a,'
of CLAW are mixed together to give 'no
reonired properties. One KIND wnen
mined Is nearly as black as coal. 1 ilie
has a very fine grain and gives .hs plpo
,he smooth finish. Another KIND mas
an altogether different appearances ~
The rou9h state. II is quite white anu
resembles piece of cheese; inns A .l;a
furnishes the tenacity. Withou. lnis
second kind the other two wouiu 10,
no able to hold together, but wouiu
crumble as they dried a
The third kind is brown when CAMP
and stands the burning process wen.
These three kinds of clay, without any
one of which the composition would be
incomplete, are the only lngreaienls "
a CLAW pipe. Thn clay is brought 10 liiis
citv nv canal bos and stored away IN
the cellar. In preparing the clay Tor
tbe workshop it is first put into nuge
yat 10 soak. About equal parts OF the
three kinds are used. This is allowed
IN stand from twelve to twenty hours
according to the length of time the clay
has been exposed to the ar anu
hardened. When it has been soaked
enonph il is shovelled into huge pug
mill. The pug-mill looks like an ola,
fashioned churn. A horse is hitched
10 the end of bar, while the ollier
end is set into a pivot IN tIie
centre of a huge upright cylinder 10
the pivot, which revolves as the morse
il driven around in a circle, are at
tached twelve heavy knives about
three inches broad. These knives are
slightly turned up, and, as they pass
around through the mass, mix the dlI-
ferent kinds of clay and force 1t down
and out four by six inch hole at the
bottom.
The CLAW oozing from the bottom is
cut into huge bricks called babDitts,
and stored away until wanted. Great
care must be taken not to let these
Rabbits dry too much, or they VIII
have to be soaked and ground over
again. These Rabbits or bricks OF
the prepared clay, which look IKE
black loayes of bread, are taken TO the
moulding room and there soaked again
TO bring ii back to the proper mould
ing temper. Then comes the part OF
the labor that would delight child.
A workman takes knife and cuts the
Rabbits into pieces about an inch
souare and six or eight inches long.
These he works and rolls them on
board with his hands, and ending up
with a dexterous clip, turns out a roll
of soft. pliable clay with knob at one
end, like a pipe bowl. These rolls are
laid out on rack and partly dried
again. They are again soaked and
passed to the moulding machines.
The moulder holds a medium-sized
piece of wire in his right hand, and
sticking the point into the small end of
the roll. with his left he works the
CLAW on the wire, after the manner OF
drawing on glove.
The roll with the wire still sticking
ont of the smaller end is put into an
iron mould of the required shape and
the two sides of the mould snapped
together. The mould is then put into
the machine with the top of the knob,
soon TO be the bowl, up. A lever
is pulled down, and the smooth, round
end of an iron rod forced into the
mass, forming the bowl. AS the lever
is let go, it flies up of its own weight
and spring knife passes across the
large end of the mould cutting off the
waste CLAW that remains on the top of
the bowl. The mould is opened inn
mediately, the wire drawn out and the
pipe. placed on rack to dry. These
half-finished pipes are allowed to stand
lust long enough to dry the oil with
which the mould is fabricated, and arc
then passed to girl, who trims of
the seams where the two halves of the
mould come together. The soft, damp
pipes are then allowed to dry thor
oughly.
The burning kiln is about eight feet
in diameter and ten feet high and bull
of fire brick. The pipes are carefully
packed in heavy earthern sagers about
ten inches in diameter and ten OF
twelve inches deep, and these sageri
are piled up in tiers with hot air fiue'
between each tier. About 1925 gross
of pipes are burned at a time. Th'
burning process requires a white hea
and it must be maintained from ter
to fourteen hours. About thirty-si,
hours are required to cool the furnace
After the pipe has become thoroughly
} cool the small end is dipped into |
solution, the composition of which is
| secret, to glaze the mouthpiece, other
: wise, until the pipe had been uset
/ some time, the lips would stick to |
unpleasantly. The pipes are packed
: in one, two, and three gross boxe
5 with shavings to prevent breakage ant
shipped to the wholesaler. There ar
; about $50 different styles of pipes ant