The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-07-05
ARE MADE OF GRAPHITE.
lead Docs Not Enter Into thr Com
position at TcnciIr

Lend Docs Not Enter Into the Com
position at Pencils.
The first thing to be said about lead
pencils is that they are not lead pencils
ut all. Once upon time sticks of lead
We're used for making marks on paper
and wood, and the name has survived.
though nowadays all the pencils are
filled with graphite. or plumbago. This
mineral is found in Only few places in
the world-in Cumberland. England.
along the Laurentian ranges in the
province or Quebec and at Ticonderoga.
vt. The largest mines on this CONT
nent are at the latter place.
The graphite is taken in the lulnp
from the mines and curried to the re-
ducing mill. where it is ground or pul.
verlzed III stamp mills under water.
The fine PARTICLES of graphite float away
with the water through a number Of
tanks. collecting Mt the bottom of these
reservoirs. 1t is packed in barrels in
the form of dust and sent to tho factory.
where tens OF thousands of lead pencils
are turned ont every day. The pulver-
lied graphite is 20 tino that it really is
dust, diDgy in color and smooth and
oily to the touch. 1t is divided into va.
rious grades Of iineness by tiouting it on
water from one tank to another The
coarse dust sinks to tho bottom of the
first tank. the next finer to the bottom
of the second tank. and so on down tho
line, tho finest powder for the finest
pencils settling i'll the last tank
III another series of tanks the German
pipe clay. which is mixed with graphite
TO secure the different grades of pencils
from vely sott to extra hard. is graded
In the same way. by floating The finest
clay is mixed with the finest graphite.
being ground together between stones.
and the hardness Of thu pencil is secured
by increasing the prolmrtion of clay i'll
the mixture
For the medium grades seven parts
by weight of clay are mixed with ten
parts Of graphite. After the graphite
and clay are ground together the mix
ture IL put in canvas bags and the wa
ter is squeezed ont under Il hytlrnn,ic
press, leaving Il mass the consistency
Of putty. The plaster is placed in Il
forming press. which is Il small iron
cylinder i'll which II solid plunger or
piston works up and down A steel
plate having IL hole the size and shane
of the ''lead' is put under the open
end OF the cylinder. and the plunger.
pressing down. forces the graphite
through the hole, making continuous
thread OF wire cf graphite. AS long as
this thread is moist it is pliable, but it
becomes brittle when dry. go it is han
died rapidly. 1t is cut into three lead
ftto
hardened i'll u Crucible over coal fire
The leads when taken from the cruci-
bles are ready for the wood. which is
pine for cheap pencils and cedar for
more expensive ones. When the strips
OF wood are received at the factory,
they are run through machine which
cuts III each one six grooves. round or
square. and ut the same time smooths
the face Of the wood
The filling Of the strips il done by
girls. Tho first one takes grooved
strip Of wood in her left hand and n
bunch of leads in the right. Sho spreads
the leads out fan shape, and with one
motion che fills the six grooves with
leads. Next to her sits another girl.
who takes tho filled strips and quickly
and neatly lays on another grooved
strip which has just been coated with
hot glue by third girl. The filed and
glued strips are piled upon each other
and put in press where they are left
to dry. The ends of the strip are evened
off under sandpaper wheel, and then
the strips are fed into n machine which
cuts out the individual. pencils, shapes
them and delivers them smooth and
ready for the color and polish in six
streams. The coloring is done with
liquid dyes, after which the pencils arc
sent through the vanishing machine =
School and Home.