Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-03-26
BRUSHES OF BRISTLES.
How They Are Manufactured by
Hand and Machine.
where Good Bristles Come From-The
American Hog Not Up to Growing
Observation-Disclosures Wages-The
views of a Manufacturer.

when l was a boy" said prosperous Mar
lxet street (St Louis) brush-maker 10
/ Globe Democrat reporter 81 worked tout
wears before l received a cent of pay Now
/ a how begins and thinks it hard if he can not
/ get a mans wages at the first, and in few
/ months he thinks he knows all there IS. But
about brushes"
Then he went on to tell that there were
/ two kinds - machine and handmade.
/ Brushes from Eastern houses were mostly
/ machine-made, but he turned out nothing
| but hand-work. Beyond this classification
| there were also sample and compound
brushes. The former have but one tutt,
such as those used by painters, and are
| made principally of the hair of camels, bad
gers or goats. With this kind he has moth
| ing to do, only making those for which
bristles are required which are fixed IN
the brushes back by being what is technl-
callv called "drawn." The brush-makers
wife, an expert in the work, gave demon
stration Of the process.
The back of what was to be a 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
pinch Of bristles put in the loop that was
then drawn back through the hole, doubling
the bristes as it went. The bristles were
not pulled clear through, but there were
enough to fit tightly in the hole. The
wire was pulled snug by the pur-
chase on the pin around which 1t was
coied and the operation being repeated
with each hole, there was a complete and
unbroken network of wire holding the
bristles in place when all was done. AS
each row of bristles 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 merrily, as her hands
few at their task The bristles were ar
ranged in a box of the right width to let
them lie across all the "butts - being one
way She held a 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.
&" A brush like this" said she, her words
keeping time with her hands as they
flashed back and FORTH "has four hundred
and thirteen holes, and can draw them in
an hour can tell by the feeling almost
TO q Single DllSJl WuGIu6F nave plChGu 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 brstles 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,
hair, horse and other brushes come from
Russia, and fine white bristles for shaving
and varnlsh brushes from France. Amer
ican bristles 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 S1.95 to S9,9O
per pound, and 81, 1000 worth of the best
can be packed in a common -four barrel
The American hog is not the right kind to
get a good brush brstle 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 bristles will meas
ure inches. The difference in wages paid
brush-makers in France and America was
brought up.
"The best work." said the Market street
manufacturer, lis 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,0O0 holes,
and 6,000 or 1000 draws is good days
e work. l pay 25 cents per 1909 draws for
f horse brushes, and have had girls earn g
a week. Girls are peculiar, though l had
one girl lately who had no trouble in earn
ing 10 a week, but all of a sudden she
e dropped to 50, When asked her what the
. trouble was she turned up her nose and
said she didn't have to work any more, she
was going to get married."
t In making tooth-brushes the bristles are
+ wired the same as in horse brush, eXcep
the wire is very fine and the holes are no
bored through. They go nearly through
I leaving a thin shell at the back.
q After the holes are bored they are con
nected by sawed line that stops just shOr
, of the opd, this line allowing space to d,
+ the drawing and keep the wire hidden. Th,
, iuterstices are then filled with cement Tn,
virtues of a good toothbrush can be pre-
served for a long period by observing cart
I in shaking the water out after using ant
=, standing up so as to dry as quickly as pos
sible By allowing the brstles to remail
wet they swell and spread the space made
: IN saving until a section will split off, a
i well as lose their life and strength. A Ger
tain class of brushes are made without
being sawed. If these are examined it will
be seen that holes have been bored in tn
I brstle end of the handle, and nicely plugged
( up The wire is worked through thes
holes, and it is claimed that this effects thu
same result as is secured through the sawed
1 back
4; In 1870 a machine was patented for max
= ing brushes 1t folds the bristles and forces
them into the hole by a twisting motion Al
the rate of a hole a second. The briste,
T. are fed from a metallic comb. The bristle,
are separated and doubled by plungei
that has a rotary motion and literally screw.
the bristles into the brush Some of the
machines work in a string to hold the bris-
ties, but if this breaks it can not be re
paired. The objection made to the machin,
= brush is that the brstles have a weakness!
for coming out, a whole tuft at a time, This
is gratifying episode during the making
. of q toilet as the bristles are sure to fly il
4 all directions, and the easing up of tn,