The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-28
now LEAD PENCILS ARE MADE.
The Graphite IL Reduced to Dust
and Compounded with German
Civ

L
The Graphite IL Reduced to Dust
and Compounded with German
Clay.
From the Chicago Record.
The leads" OF lead pencils are made OF
a mixture OF German pipe clay and "blaclx
lead" which is not lead, but graphite.
But the frst pencils were made Of real
lead, and the name has chung TO lead
pencils ever since. Graphite, or plumba-
go. is nearly a pure form Of carbon and
most of the pencils made IN this country
use the graphite mined at Ticonderoga,
VT, where the only graphite mine of any
consequence in the United States Is loca-
ted.
The graphite is taken in the lump from
the mines and carried to the reducing mill,
Wnere II Is ground or pulvefized in stamp
mills under water. The fine particles OF
the graphite float away with the water
through number OF tanks collecting at
the bottom of these reservoirs.
1t Is packed In barrels in the form of
dust and sent 70 the factory, where tens
OF thousands OF lead pencils are turned
The pulverized graphite is so fine that
II really is dust, dingy in color and
smooth, and oily TO the touch 1t Is d.
vided into various grades OF ineness by
noatlng 1t on water from one tank 10 an
other.
the first tank, the next finer TO the bottom
of the second tank, and so on down the
line, the finest powder for the finest pen
ellis settling in the last tank.
In another series of tanks the German
pipe clay which Is mixed with graphite TO
secure the different grades Of pencils from
very soft to extra hard, Is graded In the
same way, by floating. The finest clay is
mixed with the finest graphite, and the
hardness OF the pencil is secured by in
creasing the proportion OF clay In the mix
ture.
For the medium grades, seven parts by
weight of clay are mixed with ten parts
of graphite.
The mixing IL done under a grinding
mill, similar to that used for mixing paint,
and water Is added TO facilitate the mix.
The grinding-stOnes are about two feet IN
diameter and only the upper one reVolYes.
After the graphite and clay are ground
together the mlxture Is put In canvas bags
and the water Is squeezed out under a hy-
draulic press, leaving mass the consis-
tency of putty. This plastic material Is
placed in the forming press, which is a
small iron cylinder, in which a solid plum
ger or piston works up and down.
A ste4plate, having a hole the size and
shape ofthe lead" is put under the open
end of the cylinder, and the plunger, press
ing down, forces the graphite through the
hole making continuous thread or wire
Of graphite.
AS long as this thread is moist It is plia-
Bile, but 1t becomes brittle when dry, so it
Is handled rapidly. 1t Is cut into three-lead
lengths, Strengthened out and then harden
ed IN a cfuclDle over coal nre. Inc leads,
when taken from the crucible are ready
for the wood.
Pine is used for cheap pencils, an ordi-
nary quality Of red cedar Is used for the
medium-price pencils, but nothing but
the best Florida Key cedar is put into the
best pencils.
The saw mills in Tampa, Fla, cut the
cedar into blocks about seven inches long,
and these are sawed into strips wide
enough for six pencils, but as pencils are
made in halves, each strip is only thick
enough for half a pencil.
When the strips are received at the fac
tory they are run through a machine
which cuts in each one six grooves, round
or square, and al the same time smoothes
the face of the wood. Both strips are
grooVed alike, for, unlike the European
made pencils, the American made has the
lead equally in each strip.
The filing Of the strips Is done by girls
The first one takes a grooved Slip Of wood
in her left hand and a bunch OF leads in
the right. She spreads the leads out fam
shape, and with one motion fills the six
grooves with leads.
Next TO her sits another girl who takes
the filed strip, and quickly and neatly
lays on it another grooved strip. which