The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-05
HOW LEAD PENCILS ARE MADE.
The Graphite Is Reduced to Dust and
Compounded with German Clay.
From the ChicaPo Record

Compounded with German Clay.
From the Chicago Record.
The 'leads" of lead pencils are made
Of q mixture Of German pipe clay and
black lead" which is not lead, but
graphite. But the first pencils were
made of real lead, and the name has
clung to lead" pencils ever since.
Graphite. or plumbago, is nearly 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 located.
The graphite is taken in the lump
from the mines and carried to the reduc-
ing mill. where 1t is ground or pulver-
ICED In stamp mills under water. The
fine particles Of the graphite float away
with the water through a number of
tanks, collecting at the bottom Of these
reservoirs.
1t Is packed In barrels in the form of
dust and sent to the factory, where
tens OF thousands OF lead pencils are
turned out every day.
The pulverized graphite is so fine that
~ ASdhy 10 ~ uoSe, Nhioy az ScAoi ohN
smooth and oily to the touch. 1t Is di-
vided into various grades Of fmenes by
floating it on water from one tank to
another.
The coarse dust sinks to the bottom
OF 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 pencils settling in the last tank.
Tn another series Of tanks the Ger
man nine clav which ia mixed with
granbite IN secure the different grades
of nanc,,s from very soft to extra hand.
10 Graded In the same wav. by floating.
Tre 1nas+ clav Ia ,nixad with the An
est ere nh,te and the hardness of the
nanciI a. secured bv increasing th, pro-
nort,on of clav IN the mixture.
Eor Tho ,neS,un, grades seven narts
by weight of c,av are mixed with ten
v.rts or rr,nbita
Tho n,ixing is 5one under a grind.
inc n,,I s,ri,ar to thot used for mIy-
in@ nain+ and water is added tn foci,i.
80. ,ha III rrna ,ri,d,ny-s,nnas ar,
oho,,t two faet in d,ometsr and onIv
,ha ,,nna,. ono royoIvo.
Af,ar tho yronhita ord c,,v ars
e,ro,,nd to-otber tho n,xture i. mt in
oon,,os no e,s ond tho y,,ter is so,,eaye5
49,. ,naa,. = hydr,,,,,o nro,. ,.o,,in,
80, tha oons,stancy ~ n,,ttv Tbis
..,ss.,. tar,o, T.. ,,,o oaa T., 80 sorn,
-, ,ro.. ,,,h,on ,s ,r,o, iron cy-
,,raar g., ,,h,oh a soi,d ,,,,rger or
.,,..o -,o,,,, 49,, 90 an,,,r
A. .tea, ,,Iote bavi,r a bo,o ,be s,ze
80 s.o, ~ tha ..,ana" 10 ,,,,t ,,raor
tha o,,or and no .ha o,,,,rdar ord tho
,,I,,, nrass,nn ao,,,, foroa. Oh.
- a,,l,,t, thro,,rt, .ha ho,o ,oL,rr
nont,n,,o,,s ,hraod mr. ,,,,ra ~ aro nhito
A. ,n~ 90 .h,. throo, T., 81. :.
,s ,,,,a h,a h,,t - haon,,os hr,.tia ,,,ho,,
dr,, So a. q. honaIaa ror,a,,, T. ,s an,
,nto throo-,ogd Ioratbs stro,rhtonea
o,,t ond tbon bordanod In a or,,,,h,.
o,,or . noaI sro ,rho ,aoas ,,,ho, - uar
fron, tho cr,,o,h,o orc roody for tho
wood
.p,ne.,s ,,sed for tho cbeon nerci,s nm
ordinary c,ol,tv ~ red cadar ,s ,,sod
sor tha y,a,,;,,,,'rr,o. ,,aro,,s h,,t roth-
,ng hut tho hast EIorida -, oadar :,
MT into the best nonciIs
Tho cow mills In To,n,o Flo o,t
tho cedar into b,ocks about seven ~.
ches long and these are we'd into
strins wide enough for six nnnciIs hut
"a nencils are made in halves each
strin 10 on,v thick e,ougb for half +,
pencil
when the strips are rece,vea Mt tho
factory they are rim through a ma
chino which cu.s in o,,h ,,o civ