Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-18
ART OF dikK CUTTING
PROCESS OF TURNING THE ROUGH
INTO THE FfhIsHED ARTICLE.
An Industry About Which Little is
Known-Repodsling Of Old
Corks n Feature.

had gone off for the half holiday The pro-
prietor of the cork-cutting business was
also taking rest: meager, haif-hearted
sort Of holiday. however. since the shop
door was open and the goods were spread
out for inspection and sale. Only the 81
lence OF the three machines in the back
ground served to show the day of the week.
All around scattered about the floor were
shallow rush baskets filed with corks of
different shapes and sizes. each particular
article having a basket to itself There
were corks of substantial, even aldermanic.
proportions; there were corks with beauti-
full slim figures and tapered waists; there
were long lengths Of cork in the routh, just
as it had arrived In this country, and there
was also the same material cut into short
pieces in preparation for the shaping that
would follow.
In fact, all stages In the life of cork
were there: and because his customers be-
trayed symptoms Of the interest they felt,
the cork merchant offered to give a demon
stration Of the whole process Of turning
the rough material into the finished article.
First Of all there was the cork cutter
knife to be Inspected; a formidable affair,
with a heavy blade measuring about six
inches across, and with bevel at least one
inch wide. The center of the blade was
very heavy, and the reason for SO much
weight was at once obvious as soon as the
up short length Of rough cork, he held 1t
firmly against a metal knob set into the
side OF a table, then. having introduced the
sharp edge of the knife into the material.
he threw the whole weight Of his body
against the handle and literally drove the
blade through the cork. There was no saw
Ing backward or forward; nothing but the
steady pressure; yet so tremendously sharp
was the blade that the knife pushed I'M
ceasingly forward, and In a moment or two
the piece of cork lay in two fragments on
the floor.
The wide beveled edge Is necessary in or
der to prevent the cork from tearing, while
the knife has to be heavily weighted to
stand the strain of that amount of press
ure. This knife has a small hole near the
back. about half way down the blade; this
was for the gauge, which is fastened on by
means of nut. The gauge is set according
to the width Of strips required-this width
being the length of the finished cortland
so insures each strip being cut to the exact
measurement After the gauge has been
set. the workmen can cut up length after
length of cork without further measuring:
for the gauge, projecting over the back of
the blade, runa along the freshly cut edge,
and thus causes the next cut to be parallel
with the one last made. And the audience
was informed that the gauge could be set
to the seventh part of an inch! When the
CORK had been cut into long narrow strips
the cutter took up one of these same strips,
and without altering the gauge on the
knife. began dividing Il, into a number of
little cubes. The first cuts Ito produce the
long strips were done across the grain; the
others ran with the grain. these latter being
the way of the finished cork.
Shaping tina Cork.
'"The grain must run down the article"
explained the self-constituted lecturer.
otherwise. the cork would break in half.
So first we cut across for the length of the
cork. then we cut with the grain for the
width Of the cork. Now. these little pieces
are ready to be turned into the finished ar
ticle' Picking up one or two of the cubes.
the cutter moved yoit across the floor to
where one of the machines was standing.
Don't put your fingers near the blade" he
cautioned hastily. There's nothing sharp
er than the blade ofSthis knife. It's made
OF the very best and hardest steel there is
Then. Just as the auditors were about to
murmur Sheffield he continued: MADE
in France, that blade wasI the very best
steer there- ls Cautiously enough, this is
also the case with the hairdressing trade;
the best scissors are nowadays French
ones). ~ o a. ~ D.
Twenty-six inches of sharp blade were
quite suftcient to scare away uninitiated
fingers. Nothing requires sharper blade
than cork-eutttng; 1t must be abso, utely per-
feet, or the stuff Is torn; and if that blade
goes wrong 1t takes me one complete day
6.I grind Il ], INTO order again-a very hard
age to keep 1t sharp?" asked one of the
party. The man laughed. TT is ground
after each cork Is cut" he replied eff not.
the second cork would be percentiblv in
ferior to the first one" -
SO much sharpening seemed to imply
vast amount Of labor until he pointed to a
couple of small dark wheels fixed to the
naaenine IN such a manner that the blade
passed along them each time 1t was drawn
PACK These small wheels were of the
finest possible emery. and automatically
ground the blade after every cork in turn.
tNo on was used at all, SO he explained. and
ne then proceeded to demonstrate the work.
ing OF the machine Pushing wide bas-
ket close to the other side of the machine.
ne TOOK up his position On the left-hand
and, selecting short length. set it against
small wheel which was placed almost
against the blade and at right angles to It,
Inen ne pressed with his foot upon a
treaoie, and instantly a short point moved
forward. pressing on to the other end of the
piece of cork and thus holding it against the
wheel.
When secured between these two, he re-
handle of the long blade and pushed it
steadily forward; and In the twinkIing of
an eye the piece OF rough cork had as
sumed familiar aspect. The pressure of
the piaoe against the cork caused the little
wheel (and with 1t, of course. the corlxl 70
revoive: and in it's turn this same spinning
allowed the knife to cut evenly all the way
round the cork. By the time the blade had
$500 PoSiieo " the IurI0eSb extremity or
the machine. the cork had been neatly
pared all around; then the treadle was re-
leased and the cork rolled away with a
nnal spin into the basket awaiting 1t on
the other side. 1t was also shown that
the machine can be set to produce any
taper desired.
Use of Old Corks.
But the most curious part OF the trade
was explained when one Of the audience,
catching sign of basketful of old corks.
demanded the reason OF their presence.
From the cork merchants account IT ap-
peared that large trade is done in re-
modelling old corks that Is to say, those
used for wine bottles are bought in i'm
mense quantit1es. cut down by the machine
into smaller size. and sold to the pubii-
cans LOT stopping pint bottles Having once
had the c0rkscrew through them they are
useless for anything else. and indeed there
would be heavy fine, for selling them
to chemists-with whom a large prOporton
OF the cork trade Is carried on-but they
are used Tor temporarily stopping the pint
bottles taken out of the public houses by
children under fourteen years Of age.
the act requires these, bottles to be Sc
cuTeiy fastened down, and so sealed, the
old corks are afforded a. new lease of life
81 Inns purpose not only Is the old cork
put on the machine and reduced all the
way round, put a. thin slice is taken off
the top and bottom as well. The remodel
ing OF second-h hand corks is piece work and