The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-11-16

Only three men On Chicago are COM
petent to turn n billiard ball. One OF
these experienced operators at the lathe
In nearly No years old nj that. Three
other men are working at the ivory
lathe. learning the business. which at
his particular stage In exacting more
skill than ever before I'm n history OF
ivory turning. for the reason that never
before I'm the history OF the lathe was
10 20 easy for an unsktfled workman to
eat mp his salary I'm q wasteful manner
Of cutting ~ turning.
Two years 40 a block OF ivory OF
size and quality for a clear ivory bill
lizard ball could be bought for $50 I'm
the New York market. Today I have
TO pay si$ for such n block. and IL In
| not always easy to get q quotation at
hat figure. A irst class billiard ball
| must be two and three-eighths inches
In diameter. absolutely round to the
s.oOoth part OF an inch. free from
''barky" outside and sand cracks. OF live
ivory. white and clear.
In order 10 make q selection OF n
tusk's possibilities-always to Eet three
balls of this regulation size and clear
ness from q tusk weighing from 70 to
100 pounds. allowing for h hollow por-
tions and avoiding the enamel and the
and cracks-here II the art % the COM
VrttUN IVY " " w hN -
greatly underpaid and u~nderappre-
ciated.
There are fewer men In the business.
perhaps. than I'm any other occupation
demanding n three years'apprenticeship.
and they may remain ms few until the
employer realizes that "A man whose
lack OF skill might cost n weeks wages
I'm n single ball In n man deserving pay
I'm proportion.
The making OF n billiard ball involves
headwork and handwork. There n no
automatic lathe combination that ever
will turn out q perfect billiard ball.
however IL may produce the pool ball
In It's ir~rcgularity Of form. But before
the trained hand can make ready TO
turn out the perfect sphere OF the bill
lizard ball. the trained eye and judg-
ment Of the turner Will have been taxed
10 their best effort.
In the first place. the man will need
to recognize the quality Of ivory. He
must know whether Il be ~ the best
quality. rs well as OF the most econom-
zeal form In the tusk. And when he
has made his purchase Of the best pos
sfble material. n single drafty window
In his shop when the mercury Is 10 de-
erees above zero may u his ivory
stock In Ave minutes.
Zanzibar and the general west coast
Of Africa produce the best elephant
ivory. while the Siberian ivory from the
dead mastodon n the least valuable.
yet requiring good Judgment TO dis
tinguish II In many cases. This dead
ivory from Siberia IL less valuable In
o ball than IL the composition OF cell
iuloid and bone dust.
Tusks Vary Much in Possibilities.
The tusk OF the African elephant will
run from rs pounds to $50 pounds. But
no two tusks, even of the same weight.
-. ttL. .-~-lAllsl.. IA hal making
One tusk may be blunt and short. while
the other IL thin and running TO n
sharp point. In a general way. how
ever, q tusk that weighs $50 pounds
will be about 8 feet 6 inches long. Its
general structure n that OF tn. cows
gradually thickening until the hollow
Disappears. n little short OF half tho
tusk's length. From this ending OF the
hollow the tusk taper sharply until.
if it makes three billiard balls OF stand
ard size and best quality. IL Is all that
may be expected OF Il for that pur-
pose. This means that a little less
than eight inches OF the tusk's length
n available. How TO dispose OF the
remainder OF Il To the best advantage.
leaving only a few ounces to loss. u
the chief business OF n ivory worker
Cutting q tusk for the three ball
blocks r. . job In Itself. lin h first
place the length OF the hollow cannot
be certain. Aho th. outside Of the
tusk. almost certainly Will hay. sand
racks In the enamel, and. whether
they be deep or shallow, VIII be OF
much consequence. But. allowing for
these minute cracks. WHICH must be
turned out TO the last shadow from
the best ball. together with tn. last
microscopic trace OF the enamel. thu
first block for the ball In cut AZ clos"
as possible 20 the point OF the tusk.
After this FIRST block IN cut to the trsI
limit OF economy the others may be cut
comparatively easily.
Bsvins Art Always to ss Exercised.
But there IL the saving art even In
this saving UP OF these SECTIONS. There
10 the upward curve To the tusk tn be
accounted FOR. Al n first glance "
might appear well enough To laynen 70
make these four savings In parallel
lines across the tusk. As a matter OF
fact. they must b. mad. from the In
side Of the curry. In lines diverging
from a commo cent? which would BE-
somewhere about the spot where the
sawyer would stand. The saving rem
ders the ends OF thp block like those
OF a piece % cake cur frnm a thick bit
OF pastry having he hole up through
the center. The object. OF course. Is
to get the greatest possible diameter
for the ball.
When rhe ivory ~ cur In ghis MANNER
the depth OF the sand crncks that ssrow
Mt each md may he seen. But right
here the ivory turner has necessity FOE
caution " the weather outside be at the
freezing point Or below. \ wintry blast.
blowing over a Sertipu of this ivory.
may sptt IL through and through Tx
n piece of glass. n draft hrouxh n
crack In n partition of ms workroom
last winter cost me n 80 block. and ~
hadn't lain 90 tn. sh~ir longer rn.sn
ave minutes.
But the sand crrVR nsnlf IL fro15Is
enough for my man In the work. n
may be only u mmut" fraction ~ nm
finch deep. ar " may be- n third of an
inch. IL may run straight toward th~
center OF the tusk ~ II may take -
turn which, WIN leave the thinnest pos
sibIe shell of surface between 70 and
the finished sphere. re,dy 10 crack OF ~
ths nrst touch ~ a cue How 20 an
tkclpate the angie OF these cracks and
eut To the IN wing OF n 5.O00th part 81 m
'uch belongs To the art ~ the turner.
Harness Ring One Of By-Produets.
when tn. bali block II In hand. ready
for cutting. the object of the turner Is
to save the last possible Scrap of the
substance. II IN here that the Ivory
harness ring that was once so popular
In saved. Allowing for the curve OF the
ball a more or less Triangular cutting
In made from each end " the block.
This triangular material H. n rough cir
Gle in form. having Ia q the greatest
thickness of material that " possible,
while leaving enough for the ball IT,
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