Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-06-16
HOW CELLULOID IS MADE
Process Is Secret-Injurious to the Health
of the Workmen.

Ceiluloid is chemical substance mad,
mainly of paper and crude campbor in
initiate ivory, tortoise she'll coral. amhar
glass, etc. Considerable secrecy is fu.ir
tanned by the makers OF celluloid ~ Ia
their respective methods of manufactrrs
says Il writer in Fabrics, Fancy Gnmds
and Notions, put apart from lyeStuns
and acid it may he said TO consist Of
about equal quantities of paper and
camphor.
The process of its making is not com.
plicated one, although it is one that is
highly injurious TO the health Of those
employed i'll handling the ingredients
The working men are compelled to wear
clothing of rubber, and invariably bear
traces of the strong action of the chem
icals used, their faces appearing CORPSE
like and CHASTITY. The first operation IN
the manufacture of celluloid is the prem
aration of the paper, which is composed
of cotton and birch wood.
This made, it is wound upon hollow
spindle holding several hundred yards in
length. y roll of the paper is slowly nm.
wound, being saturated with Il miX,ur.
of five parts of sulphurc acid and two
parts of nitric acid, which falls upop Il
i'll Il fine spray. This changes the ce.u-
lose of the paper into propylin guncotton.
The excess of the acid is eXpelled hy
pressure and the paper washed. Ii Is
then ground to pulp and bleached
After thoroughly drying the pulp there
Is added to 1t Il due proportion of cam
phor. This is done by carefully weigh,
ing, mixing the two ingredients thorough
ly and pressing it in canvas jackets be-
tween plates. 1t is at this point that the
dye matter is added to make the celIuIoid
any desired color. In the next operation
the mixture is subjected to the grinding
and pressure of masticators. These ma.
chimes are simply heavy iron rollers
about four feet long, geareu together 10
turn inward. As the grinding continues
the mass becomes more and more homo
geneous and nearer to the finished ap-
pearance of celluloid.
1t is then taken from the masticators
in the form of huge sheets, eight feet by
four feet i'll size and one inch thick.
These sheets are piled one on top nf the
other until they ill a heavy iron box.
which latter is run under a steam heat
ed hydraulic press, where it remains un-
der enormous pressure for about two
hours. This is done for the purpose of
welding the supclimposed sheets togeth-
er in the form of d solid cake.
On removal the big celluloid cake is
cut into sheets of the desired thickness.
This may vary from One-thousandth Of
an inch to a full inch or more, according
10 lile variety OF SOOuS INTO WnlCH the
material is to be worked After cutting
the sheets are hung up in drying rooms.
six or seven months to season" ccllu-
loid having the peculiar Wrapping quail
ties of wood if worked up without due
regard to this fact.
From the seasoning rooms the sheets
so to the various departments of the fac
tory. Those taken to the novelty de
partment are cut, turned and pressed
into any number of fancy articles. The
smaller articles are cut out of the sheets
of celluloid while cold. then dipped into
hot water. bent and shaped, and plGuEed
into cold water again to retain Their
shape. The comb manufacture is SIM
pier than with hard rubber The teeth
are stamped out with dies, either by
hand or machinery, and are then uaI-
ished with cold water and pdmice stone
Combs are cut from sheets Of amber
tortoise she'll and Ivory" cellulod
All three of these compositions are care
fully made. and the limitations Of One
genuine substance are so faithful rs FREE
quently to pass through the LANDS "i
experts undetected.-Ne York sun