Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-03-07
MAKING CLAY PIPES.
A BUSINESS ABOUT WHICH MOST
PEOPLE KNOW VERY LITTLE.
The Process of Manufacture Is Not
So simple as Might BE Imagined
From the Low Price of the Finish
cd product-How They Are Made.

Among the little things seen in daily
life about which most people know
very little is the common. ordinary
clay pipe In almost every cigar shop
window, in the mouth of every third
laborer met and even in the nursery
this snow white little instrument or
comfort and amusement may be seen
yet few know, for instance. that most
of the clay pipes sold in this city OF
domestic make are manufactured IN
New Jersey. Woodbridge is the name
af the queer little town given over te
this odd manufacture, and trip
through one of the factories Of that
Settlement, to follow tire pipe from the
time il is dug rs clay to the time 1t
appears ready for the market, is inter
esting
Looking at the chunks aud Jumps OF
clay as they are transported from the
banks to the factories, one would
hardly believe that the snowy, cheap
little article could have been manatae=
tured from material so different III
color. The color of this clay before 1t
Is burned is dark gray, like cement,
nor is the process of manufacturing
one of these pipes as simple as might
be imagined from the absurdly low
price AS the clay comes into the fac
tory it is divided finely and put to
soak in water for ten TO twelve hours.
This soaking is to divide the clay to
its smallest possible particles so that
in the ensuing process it will not cake
or lump and will work smoothly and
evenly This attained, the clay is put
into pug" mill, where it is stirred
by machinery until it gets stiffer and
stiffer. finally becoming as stiff as
dough In this state the clay is rough
ly nodded into Jumps and distributed
among the pipemakcrs, who begin the
first step in the life of the huil5le Gre
alton.
Grasping small chunk of clHy III
each hand the artist begins WORK to
fashion roughly two pipes at the same
time. Rolling the clay between table
and his palms, he quickly produces
two carrot shaped and pointed rolls
that bear little or no resemblance to
the article when it shall be finished.
With incredible speed the faShiOning
of these rolls continues, for ahead Of
the expert is the problem of manufac-
turing something like seventy-five
gross of pipes within the week. Then
the rolls are put away to dry some
what, and for ten or twelve hours they
stiffen so that once shaped they will
not fall readily to pieces. After that
the clay is ready for molding.
4 The ordinary mold consists Of two
pieces Of iron hinged on the side and
opening like a sewing box. Most of the
little factories have numerous mods,
from the common. unadorned sort that
comes in two pieces and is intended
for the ordinary plain pipe to all sorts
of elaborate patterns that come in six
or eight pieces and are nude of brass
and intended to fashion pipes in imi
tation of wooden models that happen
to be in vogue The pipemaker grasps
fone of the shapeless rolls. tits the fat
y end upward, which at once gives the
suggestion of pipe and runs wire
through the pointed end, out of which
the stem is to be pressed.
This roughly fashioned clay is then
put into the mold, which is jammed
shut, while at the same time plunger
is pressed to enter the mold and to
press out the clay so as to form the
bowl. With a dull knife the clay
pressed out at the side of the mold is
shaved off with single lightning
stroke by the expert. and then once
more there must be a drying process,
this time in a room heated TO about 81
degrees. where, as before the pipe is
kept for twelve hours. Except that the
pipe is of its original gray color and
soft and supplied with the "burs'
where the nodded ends are joined, it is
now practically finished.
Then comes the process of shaving
off the burs, At this stage the pipe
still retains considerable dampnesS, 50
that the clay may he cut smoothly,
while at the same time a Wire is again
drawn through the stem. so as to i'll
sure proper draft. All is now ready
for the pipe in its final state except
that it needs to he burned. For this
purpose ii is put into a cylindrical YES
Sci twelve inches high and as much i'll
diameter. this is known as Il sag
ger. Set one against the other, the
pipes are adjusted solidly in the sag
ger, which will hold something like a
gross Of pipes properly packed. IF
the pipes consist of the more fancy de-
sisns-that is merely pipe bowls that
are to be provided With mouthpieces
of wood or rubber-the saggerS will
hold as many as two gross of pipes
Nine of these sag&ers filled with pipes
are known as a stand, and medium
sized kiln Will hold twenty one stands
and will burn them all at the same
time. For five hours tho heat in the
Kiln is kept at a moderate tempera-
ture. After that ii is allowed to run
up until at the end of twelve or four
teen hours ii is driven to q white heat
which gives the pipes their spotleSS
white fnish.-New York Times