Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-09-10
A SCRUBBlNG BRUSH.
The Way 1t Is Made md the Reason
Lt Costs So Little.


The Way 1t Is Made md the Reason
It Costs So Little.
Two things have made 1t possible for
the modern lady of the house" to buy
for s or 10 cents scrubbiny brush
which would have cost her mother half
dollar, One is the invention OF the
brush filling machine, the other the
discovery of the possibilities Of fiber"
This Is a comprehensive word. 1t
embraces all sorts of vegetable SUBJ
stances which, from their stiffness
when wet, their tenacity and their d.
visibility, can be made to take the
pluce Of bristles. One of the common
est Is that known as "bass' or "bast"
1t is the leaf fiber of the piassava tree
and is imported from .Africn Ceylon
and South America. The factories re-
teive 1t in the form Of large bules, each
made up of separate hanks OF "pig
tails" which must first be hacked OF
eombcd, much as wool or flax is card
Cd.
When the iibcrs have thus been laid
parallel the bunch or pigtnil is pissed
TO The guillOtine, Il cutter In which the
material Is steadily fed forward, willie
Il blade Ike that of the French instru-
ment Of execution cuts ii into the de-
sired lengths.
Meanwhile the back of the future
brush has been prepared. 1t may be
mnde from any kind of hardwood but
beech, birch and maple are the favor
ties. The blanks are sawed to size
and are finished on The edges by re-.
Tolving cutters, like those Of IN ordi-
nary molding machine or OF the lathe
for turning lasts. They are then ready
to be bored
This was formerly done by IL drill
which made each hole separately. The
modern machine contains us many
drills rs there are holes To he bored
They may be arranged III any desired
pattern. and ut II single thrust will
bore all the holes and bore them to n
uniform depth. The bnck ana The MI
ing HOW come together. Tie fiber, cut
to twice the length OF each tuft, Is
placed IN the trough Of the Milling mn
chine, from which IL tooihrd rack picks
up exactly the same quantity encI
time-enough for one knot or turf As
this little bunch OF fiber advances ON
one side OF the mnclIine II strip OF iron
feeds forward Oh the other. The two
VIII meet above the holes III the bacl,
or the brush. which the operator Is
holding III place. but Just before that
happens II die descends anu punches
FROM the strip Of metal II small piece
shaped somewhat like an inverted pair
of trousers.
This bit Of iron Is known MS the IAN
Choir" 1t Is deposited. waistbnnd down
upon the center OF the tuft of fiber
That is simultaneously folded upon II.
self, thrust into the waiting hole in the
brush back and driven home by n
plunger.
The blow serves not merely to force
The knot or turf of fiber To the bottom
OF the hole, but, striking between the
two slinnks OF iron which represent
the legs Of the trousers. 1t spreads them
apart aud 80 drives the sharp outer ana
upper corners into the wood Mt the
sides of the hole. a pull on the turf
OF fiber merely presses these corners
deeper into the wood and locks the tnft
more securely.
Two brushes II minute Is the average
rate ut which I'LL this Is done. Tho
operators only duties nrc to see thar
the lnnchiue has Il sufficient supply of
fiber and Of metal tape mud that the
brush back is so placed TINT the plum
ger hits the hole accurately Youths
Companion.
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