The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-01
MAKING LEAD PENCILS.
Manufacturer Explains the Pro-
cess, Which Is Simple.
PHILADELPHIA Times.


When James l of England first saw an
apple dumping his eyes grew as large as
SaucerS from wonder as to how the apple
got inside the dumping. He would have
cropped dead had he seen a lead pencil,
Tor Whtle the dough grew around the APP
pie no tree could have ever been found
tna5 would consent to grow around the
lead TO solve the mystery is the object of
this story. One of the great factories and
the head of that factory was sought, and
he said this about the matter with every
evidence OF veracity, he having no occa-
sion for deceit in this simple explanation:
l have to laugh at the queer ideas some
people Pc 4o, nave about pencils You will scarce
~ believe 1t, but the opinions of people who
know nothing about it seem to- be divided
between the melting of the lead and pour
Ing it into the hole in the wood and cut
ting out the lead TO fit the hole"
Inc great manufacturer laughed loud,
long and heartily over his remark, as al
most anybody else would who happened to
be posted in the, art But there are those
who may know how the hole got into the
Hiacafon who cannot imagine how the
lead got into the pencil, and it is Just pos
slble that the pencil manufacturer does not
Know the trick about the Italian COM
estble. But he had his laugh out and went
we don't do it that way We have a
simpler and less costly process. Bless me,
how could we sell the best pencils in the
world. IN all shapes and qualities. for a
cent apiece and less, if we had to carve
them out of solid lead. or melt the lead and
pour It in the hole? Few people know how
part that goes into our pencils other than
the lead is cedar and comes from the
swamps of Florida: 1t is obtained from the
fallen trees that lie there. There are men
there who make a business of supplying
to pencil manufacturers this cedar in
blocks, which are sawed to the length Of
the pencil some thick, to receive the lead,
and others thin for the piece that is glued
over the other containing the lead. The
blocks are sawed for four pencils each The
groove is made by saw, and in this the
lead lies.
Il know" continued the manufacturer.
that not one out of ten thousand persons
has the least idea of what this lead is See,
here is fine black powder; that is graph
lite, and costs somewhere about % cents
pound. This white substance Is German
clay. 1t comes across the ocean as ballast
In vessels, and all it costs us is for freight.
We mix clay and powder together and
grind them in a mill. moisten the mass
carefully during the process, until the two
are thoroughly assimilated and reduced to
a paste that is about the consistency of
putty. Here are the dies for the leads into
which we press this paste of graphite and
clay. Each die is the size of a pencil lead,
saving in length. There are four leads in
one of these. After pressing they are cut
into the proper length and baked in an
oven kept at very high degree of heat
That finishes the simple process of making
the lead, and its hardness is regulated by
the greater or less amount OF clay mixed
with the graphite-the more clay the hard
er the lead.
These leads are kept in hot glue and
are placed in the grooves as the blocks are
mace READY. w men the ledU Is put IN theFe
snugly and forever, the thin block is glued
TO the thick and left TO dry thoroughly.
When dry the blocks are run through the
machine that shapes and Furnishes them.
and then tied in punches. boxed and sent
out complete. The different grades in value
are made by the more or less fine manipu-
lation of the graphite. AS to the cost of
our pencils here is pencil found in bust
ness life That pencil costs us a trhe more
than quarter of a cent to get ready for
market. We sell IL to dealers at a hundred
per cent. profit. and he makes much more
than that. An operator on one of our ma
chimes can easily make $500 of such pen
ellis day. That is the whole story honest
and true. Now, what l want to know is.
when pencils are so cheap and good and
cuse can a pencil stealer have for his aw-
full crime?"