Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-12-11
MAKING IIN-PLAIES.

How Tin-Plates Are Made In wales-A La
borious and Unwholesome Manufacture
Minuteiy Described What Mckinley
Asks the Country to Observation-Disclosures
SIS, 900, 900 to Get Welshmen tn Come to
America and Earn D, 700, 900 in Wages.
As the American people are now to
be compelled by law either to make
their own tin-plates or else to pay a
very high price for them by reason of
the Mckinley tariff law, it is interest
ing to know just what is the process of
tin-plate manufacture. What is known
as tin-plate is composed Of sheets of
ter being only about five per cent of
the weight of the finished product
The first step in the manufacture is
to prepare the steel sheets These are
made from open-hearth steel for the
best quality of tin-plates or from low
carbon Bessemer steel for the cheaper
qualities A bar of steel fifteen inches
long, seven inches wide, from one-half
to five-eighths of an inch thick, and
weighing nineteen pounds, is rolled
into sixteen sheets measuring 14x2O
inches This bar is first heated red hot
and then put through the chilled rolls,
after which it is reheated and rolled to
easily doubled. After it is doubled it
is heated again. rolled three times in
succession, and doubled at the same
time till the mass is eight sheets in
thickness. This mass is then sheared
through the middle, and girls with
hatchets separate the sheets from each
other
The sheets are now ready for the
s1l~ Il
to cradle, Or cage, which is lifted by
hydraulic power and lowered into tank
containing dilute sulphuric acid, the
whole mass being made to revolve in
the acid for some time. The cage is
then dipped into fresh water and again
revolved in order to remove all the
acid. When taken out the sheets are
found to be bright and clean, and are
now ready for the annealing process.
They are shut up in iron annealing pots
at bright-red heat for twelve to six
teen hours.
After being taken out they are passed
three or four times between cold rolls,
which are highly polished, and must be
set with the utmost accuracy. The
sheets are now annealed again at a
lower temperature, and are once more
picked in weaker acid After final
| washing they are gone over carefully.
| one at time, and such sheets as need
| it are secured with sand, the worker
| using pad Of hemp.
But all this is only half of the pro
! cess; we have as yet only steel shee is
These are now taken to the tin house
and are placed in trough of clea
water to await the .:nman. He take
up the sheets separately and puts then
| in pot containing palm oil, in which
| they are soaked for a short time. The
sheets are now placed in large irol
pot containing molten tin. on which ;
| covering of palm oil floats The tin
man removes the sheets from this frs
pot and passes them over to the ''wash
man." who immerses them in secon'
pot of molten tin. After they hav
| soaked awhile he raises them singl.
with tongs, as he requires them, brushe
off both surfaces and gives each sheet
final dip in another pot of molten tin
The sheets are then run through roll
which work in a large pot of palm oil
I A boy passes the sheets one at time t
girl who rubs them moment in bra
to remove the grease. Another gin
finishes this part Of the work, and tn
sheets then go to the asserting room.
Here the good plates are selected an
assorted according to quality. and dc
fective plates rejected. They are the
counted by young women and made u
into bundles and piles for packing int
boxes. The boxers now take charge {
these piles and pack them into ell
boxes holding 10S pounds. The 1ns
process is to brand the boxes, and the
are then ready for shipment
The timing process here described
that known as the ''palm-oil process.
by which the best tin-plates are made
Another process is known as the ''acii
f1ux process in which the pots
molten tin are covered with a mixtu:
of zinc, hydroch lorate and water. i
place of the palm-oil. This process
does not produce such good tin-plate
: as the "palm-oil process.
An American manufacturer who hs
seen the whole process in Wales, wheI
pract: cally all the tin-plates used in tn
world are made, describes the work ;
being extremely unhealthy in som
; parts Of the process I'm the picklin
rooms,' he says. ''the employees all los
their teeth and are otherwise so scar
: fed as scarcely to appear human. IL
other part of the work is not special
unhealthy. but, owing to the rank odt
of the oil used, is very unpleasant ar
filthy"
The Welsh people have long been el
gagged in the manufacture of tin-plat
i and so expert have they become tn;
J only %, 900 or 80, 900 persons, at least ha
J of whom are boys and girls, are require
to produce the worlds supply. AS a.
other evidence of their skill it may
stated that the price of these plates h;
been greatly lowered within the pa
ten or fifteen years In 1874 tin-plat
sold in England as high as cents
! pound; but according to the Treasul
reports our tin-plates as entere
at the the custom houses in 1889 we
!, valued, exclusive of duty. at 3 cents
pound. The imports for 1890 came in
about 5 cents. Under the McKinlt
duty of % cents pound our importe
will be compelled to pay cents pour
| or more.
In order to see just what this McKi
ley duty means it is necessary to de
with our total tin-plate importation
During the fiscal year ended June
, | 1COn NO i1onorfod gro 600 Coz Wounds