Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-10-20
NO. %.
ARE MADE OF GRAPHITE.
Lead Does Not Enter Into the Conn
position of Pencils.

position of Pencils.
The first thing 10 be said about lead
pencils Is that they are not lead pencils
at all Cnce upon a time sticks of lead
were used for making marks on paper
and wood, and the name has survived,
though nowadays all the pencils are
filled with graphite, or pldmbago. This
mineral is found in only few places in
the world-in Cumberland, England,
along the Laurentian ranges in the
province Of Quebec and at Ticonderoga.
Vt The largest mines ON this conti-
nent are at the latter place
The graphite is taken in the lump
from the mines and carried to the re-
ducing mill, where it is ground or pull
verized in stamp mills under water.
The fine particles of 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 to the factory,
where tens of thousands Of lead pencils
are turned out every day. The pulver-
lied graphite is SO fine that it really is
dust, dingy in color and smooth and
oily to the touch. 1t is divided into va
riOus grades Of fneness 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
In another series Of tanks the German
pipe clay, which is mixed with graphite
10 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,
being ground together between stones,
and the hardness of the pencil is secured
by increasing the proportion Of clay in
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 Is put in canvas bags and the wa
ter is squeezed out under a hydraulic
press leaving mass the consistency
Of putty. The plaster is placed in a
forming press, which is a small iron
cylinder, in which solid plunger or
piston works up and down. A steel
plate having hole the size and shape
Of the lead is put under the open
end Of the cylinder, and the plunger.
pressing down, forces the graphite
through the hole, making a continuous
thread Of wire of graphite. AS long as
this thread is moist it is pliable, but it
becomes brittle when dry, so it is ham
died rapidly. 1t is cut into three lead
lengths, straightened out and then
hardened in a 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 a machine which
cuts i'll each one six grooves, round or
square, and at the same time smooths
the face of the wood
The filing Of the strips is done by
girls. The first one takes a groovea
strip of wood in her left hand and
bunch Of leads in the right. She spreads
the leads out fan shape, and with one
motion she fills the six grooves with
leads Next to her sits another girl,
who takes the filed strips and quickly
and neatly lays on another grooved
strip which has just been coated with
hot glue by third girl. The filled and
glued strips are piled upon each other
aud nut in n DrpSs where thav ara left
to dry. The ends of the strip are evened
off under a sandpaper wheel, and then
the strips are fed into a machine which
cuts ont 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 are
sent through the vanishing machine
School and Home.