The Penn's Grove record., 1892-01-01
MAKING CLAY Phi e :.

Nearly oil the clay used in the Earr
facture of clay pipes is obtained at
Woodbridge and Amboy, N. j., where
there are immense beds and mines,
some open and others reached only by
deep shafts, where clay is mined in
the same n as coal. Three kinds
of clay are mixed together to give the
required properties. One kind when
mined is nearly as black as coal. This
has a very fine grain and gives the pipe
tho smooth finish. Another kind has
an altogether different appearance In
the rough state. 1t is quite white and
resembles q piece of cheese. This kind
furnishes the ~tenacity. Without this
second kind the other two would not
be able to hold together, but would
crumble as they dried.
The third kind is brown when damp,
and stands the burning process well.
These three kinds of clay, without any
M of which the composition would be
incomplete, are the only ingredients Of
relay pipe. The clay is brought to this
city by canal boat and stored away In
the cellar. In preparing the clay for
the workshop it is first put into q huge
vat to soak. About equal parts of the
three kinds are used. This is allowed
to stand from twelve to twenty hours,
according to the length of time the clay
has been exposed to the air and
hardened. When 1t has been soaked
enough it Is shovelled into o huge pug
mill. The pug-mill looks like an old
fashioned churn. A horse Is hitched
to the end of a bar, while the other
end ia set into a pivot in the
centre of a huge upright cylinder. To
the pivot, which revolves as the horse
is 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 diff
ferent kinds Of clay and force 1t down
and out a four by six inch hole at tho
bottom.
The clay oozing from the bottom Ia
cut into huge bricks called Rabbits,
and stored away until wanted. Great
care must be taken not to let these
Rabbits dry too much, or they will
have to be soaked and ground over
again. These Rabbits or bricks of
the prepared clay, which look like
black loavcs of bread, are taken to the
moulding room and there soaked again
to bring 1t back to- the proper mould.
ing temper. Then comes the part of
the labor that would delight q child.
A workman takes a knife and cuts the
Rabbits into pieces about an inch
square and six or eight inches long.
These he works and rolls them on q
board with his hands, and ending up
with q dexterous clip, turns out Q roll
of soft, pliable clay with q knob at one
end, like a pipe bowl. These rolls arc
laid out on a rack and partly dried
again. They are again soaked and
passed to the moulding machines.
The moulder holds . 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
clay on the wire, after the manner of
drawing OF a glove.
The roll with the wire still sticking
out 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 tho smooth, round
end of an iron rod forced into the
mass, forming the bowl. As the lever
is let go, 1t flies up Of its own weight
and Q spring knife passes across the
large end Of the mould cutting off the
waste clay that remains on the top of
the bowl. The mould is opened i'm
mediately, the wire drawn out and the
pipe placed on a rack to dry. These
half-finished pipes are allowed to stand
just long enough to dry the oil with
which the mould 10 fabricated, and are
then passed to a 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 built
of fire brick. The pipes are carefully
packed in heavy earthern sagers about
ten inches in diameter and ten or
twelve inches deep, and these sageri
are piled up in tiers with hot air iues
between each tier. About 1925 gross
Of pipes are burned at a time. The
burning process requires 9 white heat
and 1t must be maintained from ten
to fourteen hours. About thirty-siy
hours are required to cool the furnace
After the pipe has become thoroughly
cool the small end is dipped into g
solution, the composition of which Is q
secret, to glaze the mouthpiece, other.
wise, until the pipe had been used
some time, the lips would stick to II
unpleasantly. The pipes are packed
in one, two, and three gross boxes
with shavings to prevent breakage And
shipped to the wholesaler. There arr
about $50 different styles of pipes and
as a rule ten different kinds are pack
ed in a box.