218 



Popular Science Monthly 



Putting the Finishing Touches to a Collar 

 by Machinery 



THE home of the first collar, Troy, 

 New York, is also the home of the 

 latest improvement in collar machinery. 

 By the new power-driven finishing machines 

 manufactured there, three distinct opera- 

 tions are now performed where only one 

 was made previously. The machines con- 

 tain four attachments, 

 each consisting of a lower 

 and upper mold. The 

 thickness of the sides of 

 the cup-shaped lower 

 mold is equal to the 

 thickness of the tie-space 

 that is required between 

 the two bands of a collar. 



When two collars are 

 fitted to two of the at- 

 tachments and a lever is 

 pressed, the upper 

 molds of the attach- 

 ments are automatically 

 pressed downward 

 against the two collars. 

 At the same time, 

 steam is admitted be- 

 tween the two molds 

 as they press against 

 the collar. The action 

 of this steam for only 

 a few seconds causes 

 the starch to soften so that any starch cracks 

 that may be present are deftly removed as 

 their edges heal together. 



The thickness of the inner mold pro- 

 duces the tie-space. The pressure of the 

 molds smooths the collar and at 

 the same time makes it round 

 so that its two point- 

 will match when 

 the collar is closed. 

 All this is done in 

 the one operation 

 in five seconds. 



While this is 

 going on, two 

 more collars are 

 placed on the 

 other attach- 

 ments, and while 

 these are being 

 "finished," the 

 first two collars are 

 released. In this way 

 no time is lost and as 

 many as twenty collars 

 are done in one minute. 



The Ever-Popular Pickwick Chair 

 and Toy Table 



THE Pickwick chair is the most popular 

 piece of furniture in the nursery. 

 The chair is of wood, carved and painted 

 like a seated figure, the arms and hands 

 forming the chair-arms. The seat lifts and 

 toys may be stowed in. the chair, while 

 shirred cretonne pockets, which look just 

 like Mr. Pickwick's own coat pockets, hang 

 down at each side to hold toys. The toy 

 table is long and narrow. Its top can be 

 lifted up. 



A collar-finishing which performs three 

 different operations within five seconds 



A silver fork or other metal point 

 does as well as a pencil on this paper 



Writing on Coated Book 

 Paper with a Fork 



MOST persons are sur- 

 prised to learn that an 

 ordinary silver fork and 

 other metal forms write 

 on coated book paper 

 almost as clearly and 

 easily as the lead 

 pencil. This action is 

 not chemical but me- 

 chanical, though 

 some scientists argue 

 strongly in favor of 

 chemical action. 



Coated book-papers 

 are treated with a sub- 

 stance that may be 

 readily rubbed off; or 

 the position of the particles of the substance 

 may be so changed in their relation to the 

 surroundings that they do not reflect the light.. 

 Thus they give the part so changed by 

 the metal a black appearance, similar to 

 that of lead. Upon examining the 

 under a microscope it 

 impossible to find any 

 particles of the metal 

 hat have been 

 rubbed off, or any 

 evidence that the 

 paper itself has 

 undergone any 

 chemical 

 change. 

 Platinum also 

 marks the paper. 

 This is proof pos- 

 itive that the 

 action is mechani- 

 cal, because plati- 

 num resists all chemi- 

 cals except nitric and 

 hydrochloric acids 

 mixed (aqua regia). 



