The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-12-02

SOME INTERESTING FACTS con-
CERNINC A FAMILIAR ARTICLE.

How the Pencil Is Made and Where Its
Component Parts Come From-Much of
the Work Done by Girls-its Name
Nisnoner.
An industry for girls that is seldom
exploited, but one whose results mil
lions of people are daily testing, is the
putting of lead into pencils. Although
no implement is more familiar than
the pencil, few people know how 1t is
made or where its component parts
come from. The following interest
ing facts make one feel that IN the
manufacture of even so small an OBJ
iect a big field geographically, his
torically and geologically has to be
covered.
'"Ihe pine or cedar, the former for
cheap pencils, the latter for more ex-
pensive ones," said well-known
manufacturer of lead pencils, arrives
at the factory in small blocks or
slabs, little longer than a pencil,
little wider than six pencils, and OF
proper thickness. If they are to be
coIored they are first dyed. All are
treated to a process which removes
the essential oil and which seasons
them perfectly.
1.-THE source OF supply for the cedar
is Florida, and so great inroads have
been made upon the forests for the
manufacture of pencils that the wood
is becoming exhausted. The name
lead pencil is a misnomer and halls
/ from the sticks of lead which were the
primitive pencils. The lead is graph
lite or plumbago, and comes from the
province of Quebec or from Ticon-
deroga, the latter having the largest
mines of the kind on this contipent.
"One factory turns out 5000, 900
pencils a year. The graphite is first
reduced to an impalpabe powder by
grinding. Water is then added and
the substance is run through mixers
in fluid state in order to combine
with it whatever quantity OF clay may
be necessary to give it the grade de-
sired. The more clay the harder the
lead and vice versa. After this mix
ing has been done, which is performed
entirely by machinery, the mass is
taken from the mixers and run through
filter presses in way to exclude the
water and reduce it to doughty con-
Bistency. In order to make the mix
Ing still more thorough, this doughty
mass is then raised through dies, by
which is meant plates with numerous
small perforations under great pres
sure, from which the lead-as l shall
call it in Difference to common phrase
ology-issues in tiny rods or wires,
in general appearance not unlike the
lead that is put into the pencils,
but, instead of being dry and brittle,
being still in moist or soft condi-
tion.
1.-The material receives this treat
ment repeatedly through dies with
apertures of different diameters. I'M
til finally, when the mixing has been
satisfactorily completed, and the mass
is in proper condition, it is passed
through set Of dies of the exact di-
ameter of the lead that is to go into
the pencil. Deft fingers take the
product in this condition, straighteu
out the leads and cut them to lengths
of about three feet. At this stage il
is still comparatively soft and pliable.
After being cut the leads are allowed
to dry, and are then cut to the re.
CURED pencil lengths and packed in
crucibles and burned for several hours
| in order to extract the last degree oil
moisture that remains and to bring
the lead to its final condition. The
leads are now ready for inserting In
the wooden cases and are sent to the
girls room. The slabs of wood are
put through machine, giving each
six grooves, square or round, and al
the same time smoothing the face OF
the wood.
"The girls are seated in groups oil
three, with slabs, leads and gluepoi
before them. The first girl takes 0
grooved strip in her right hand and
six leads spread fan shape in her left.
and with one motion fills the six
grooves. The next girl coats a groove
strip with hot glue and hands it to
No. 3, who takes the filed strip from
her other neighbor and lays the one
upon the other. The filled and glued
strips ars piled together and left in g
press to dry. After that they are
evened off under o sandpaper wheel
aud cut into single pencils, when they
are shaped and vanished ready for
the market. New York Tribune.