The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-01-29
BILLIARD BALLS.
The Time, Care, Trouble and Ex-
Dense of Making Them.

Dense of Making Them.
Few persons who WELD billiard
cue are aware OF the time. trouble
and expense Of making the ivory
spheres. The billiard ball in its nat
ural state is the principal means of
defense for an elephant. In time the
elephant falls a victim to the venture
some hunter. and he parts with his
tusks, which are the most valuable OF
all his possessions to commerce. Most
Of the tusks find their way 70 London.
which Is the greatest sales mart for
ivory.
There are different kinds Of ivory.
and only the finer kinds are suitable
for making billiard balls. The best
comes from the small tusks. which gre
from four to siz inches in diameter Mt
the thickest end. They are sawed into
blocks, each section being large enough
to allow Of the turning Of single
ball.
The factories devoted to the billiard
ball industry in this country usually
receive the ivory in this shape, the
sections being marked 80 that the
turner's know from what part Of the
tusk each piece comes and in this wcy
can calculate as to its grain and quail
ity. 1t takes long time to produce
perfect billiard ball. and only skilled
labor is employed.
The exact center Of the ball is first
discovered by means Of measurement.
The block is then placed in 4 socket.
and one-half of the ball is turned by
IN instrument made Of the finest ana
sharpest edged steel. The half turned
ball Is then hung up in a net for
awhile; then the second half is turned
and the ball hung up as before il, a
room the temperature OF which is kept
from GO to 10 degrees.
The roughly turned ball is kept in
this position about a year. Then comes
the polishing, whitening, etc. 4 good
deal of hard rubbing is also necessary.
as the ball, before being used, should
be as near certain weight as possible
and measure two and three-eiShth
inches in diameter. 1t has been found
impossible to get two balls exactly the
same weight. Very often they will be
heavier on one side than on the other.
and frequently they split right through
the center. This is due to decay.
Not until after it has been placed on
the table is the real life Of the billiard
ball shown. The pores Of the ivory
may close and then if the ball is kept
in hot room it is likely to crack, or it
may crack By reason Of conclusion
with other balls. This IS one of the
great difficulties to contend against. TO
overcome this the balls should be kept
in as even a temperature as possible.
When billiard ball is first used, it
occupies the first rank. A crack may
soon be exposed and then it is returned
to the factory. The nick is shaved off,
and it comes back slightly smaller in
size. It may then find its way into
some second rate billiard room. After
some more hard usage it is again re-
turned to the factory and comes forth
again much reduced in size and prob
ably becomes a cue ball in pool.
After it is found to be practically
useless for the purposes for which 1t
was originally made it is bought by
dealers in bone and ivory. and the ball
is then turned into buttons or burned
and used in the making Of ivory black.
New York Herald.