HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



tests as to the value of wHte and red hickory 

 for the spoke people and in their report as 

 to the result of the investigation they say 

 'that weight for weight red and mixed 

 hickory have as great a resilience factor as 

 white wood and are equal in mechanical 

 value.' With this supreme authority it is 

 simply a matter of education of the buyers 

 to 'insure red handles being given the recogni- 

 tion to which they are entitled. 



"It is therefore suggested that the best 

 selection of all red ax handles be put under 

 the select grade, but that they shall be packed 

 separately and branded on cases "All Bed 

 Select," and that they shall be sold at same 

 price as the regular select grade of goods. 

 Also that the association issue a circular let- 

 ter to the trade setting forth the value of red 

 hickory and urging its use, and that same be 

 distributed by the members of the associa- 

 tion." 



An Interesting Feature of the Next Meeting. 

 H. 1). Hartley, secretary uf the National 

 Hickory Association, called at the ofSce of 

 the Handle Manufacturers' Association in 

 ChieagOj July 23. Mr. Hartley is well posted 

 ou nil hickory matters, and is in close touch 

 uith manufacturers of wagon material and 

 other lines in which that wood is employed. 

 He states that it is now the intention to 

 make the National Hickory Association one 

 composed of organizations engaged in spe- 

 cial lines of manufacture, which would nat- 

 urally be eligible, rather than continue it 

 along the line of having individual firms con- 

 stitute its membership. This is undoubtedly 

 a better plan and one which will enable the 



broader iield, and 



association to cover 

 greater fidelity. 



Mr. Hartley has been invited to address 

 the next meeting of hickory handle manufac- 

 turers on the work of his association, and on 

 various phases of the hickory supply ques- 

 tion. He considers the new three-grade Ust 

 recently submitted by special committee 

 strictly in keeping with present conditions, 

 and in fact necessitated by them, and be- 

 lieves that the association would do the wise 

 thing in adopting it. The Forest Service has 

 fully demonstrated that the commercial value 

 of red hickory should be as great for most 

 purposes as that of white, and efforts to 

 have it included in the higher grades of stock 

 have been successful with manufacturers of 

 wagon material. In the work of experiment- 

 ing which the government carried on for 

 two years or more, the members of the Na- 

 tional Hickory Association furnished the nec- 

 essary land, timber, machinery, and in fact 

 all equipment for conducting the tests in the 

 most approved and thorough manner, and 

 their outcome should be a source of much 

 gratification to users of this material. 



Secretary Hartley believes that the handle 

 association could accomplish wonders in get- 

 ting red hickory established by a little educa- 

 tional campaign among buyers of handles, 

 for he believes that they are amenable to 

 reason in this matter, and certainly to proof. 

 He has kindly consented to outline the work 

 the National Hickory Association has accom- 

 plished so far for an early issue of the 

 Record, and it goes without saying that han- 

 dle manufacturers will take pleasure in hear- 

 ing from him along the same line, at the 

 next meeting. 



Hardwood Matches. 



strenuous efforts have been lu progress the 

 jiast half dozen years to produce suitable com- 

 iniiii matches from material other than the 

 <ir(Uuary soft wood. There are several rea- 

 sons for this. One reason is that the species 

 of soft woods which have been utilized for 

 making matches for many years are becoming 

 exhausted. The expense of getting the proper 

 lumber has been increasing right along. This 

 has compelled match manufacturers to ex- 

 jieriment. They have undertaken to produce 

 matches from something else. 



Another reason why manufacturers have 

 turned their attention to producing matches 

 from hardwood and various other materials 

 recently is because the hardwoods are prefer- 

 able for some reasons. The fire underwriters 

 in certain portions of the country prohibit 

 the use of soft wood matches in mills and 

 other places where fires are liable to be caused 

 by the soft wood matches breaking off at the 

 liead while scratching them, causing the 

 lighted head to fly off among inflammable 

 material. Many fires can be traced to this 

 source. Hardwood matches being tougher and 

 more elastic do not break off so readily. 

 Again, hardwood is used necessarily in the 



111 (if certain engraved or polished 

 and fine, surface-finished stock, which 

 ornamental but costly. 



In making hardwood matches the process 

 differs in some particulars. The blocks are 

 selected as in Fig. 1. There are several oper- 

 ations involving the reduction of the block 

 to the little cylindrical forms of matches. 

 Sorrtetimes the stripping process is employed, 

 by which the strips are shaved off from the 

 revolving block as in Fig. 2. The long strip 

 is readily cut into matches by machinery pos- 

 sessing the required blades for mechanically 

 performing the work. There is not very much 

 hand labor employed in the making of the 

 modern hardwood match. Again, instead of 

 the strip method, in some shops the blocks are 

 quartered as in Fig. 3, and each piece is taken 

 in hand for splitting. The individual pieces 

 are reduced to the size of matches and fin- 

 ished. 



Still another operation involves the reduc- 

 tion of the pieces of wood to pulp form. 

 Various kinds of pulp are used, some is made 

 from old rags, and paper from the pulp mills 

 is used. This is mixed with the pulp of 

 wood and matches are pressed from it. In 

 reducing the wood to pulp digesters and boil- 

 ers are employed. 



After the pulp is formed it is passed 

 through tubes to make the round form of the 

 slender strand. One of the tubes is shown 

 in Fig. 4. It is of steel and is held in place 

 by the bolted cap A. The tube proper is 

 marked B. The pulp in process of pressing 

 through the bore in the tube is marked C. 

 The bore is made the right size to reduce the 

 strand of pulp to the standard match diam- 

 eter. After the long strands are made and 

 partly dried cutting them into match lengths 

 follows. Then comes dipping and the matches 

 are ready. 



Pressed wood matches in ribbon-like form 

 are also seen on the market now, one of which 

 is shown in Fig. 5. A finished pulp match 

 is shown in Fig. 6. It is possible to cut 

 cards of matches from pressed wood pulp. 

 Fig. 7 shows one of these cards. Instead of 



Irawiug the pulp thr 



tubes into round 



