500 ON THE TOBACCO PIPE MANUFACTURE, ETC, 



the oil ; while the ashes, consisting of salts of potash, lime, and carbon, 

 remain in the bowl. 



The colouring of the pipe is not so much attributable to the deposits 

 of oil in the bowl, as to the smoke itself. To illustrate this, procure two 

 pipe bowls — one large, the other small ; in the small bowl place the 

 tobacco, and fix it in the larger ; then ignite the tobacco, and you will 

 find that although nothing but smoke comes in contact with the outside 

 bowl, it will colour much sooner than that which contains the tobacco. 



The clay is extracted from the pit in square blocks which weigh 

 about thirty-two pounds. These are dried, and if dirty are scraped 

 clean with a knife ; they are then broken into small pieces, about the 

 size of a hen's egg. These pieces are soaked in a slight excess of water, 

 in tubs, iron tanks, or any suitable receptacle, for forty-eight hours. 

 They are then taken out, and mixed with the cuttings or parings, for 

 the purpose of preventing any waste, and also with the view of absorb- 

 ing any extra moisture, and giving the clay its required firmness and 

 plasticity. They are now beat with an iron bar, ground in a clay mill, 

 or passed between rollers, according to the circumstances or notions of 

 the maker. The clay is again worked into square blocks from 56 to 

 SOlbs. weight ; this weight is generally computed by the number of 

 grosses each block will make, as the 4-gross or 6-gross block. Workmen 

 accustomed to make the same sized pipes for several months, can judge 

 the number of pipes each lump will make to a dozen or two. The clay 

 is now placed on the bench, one corner of the ball resting upon the end 

 of a board, called a rolling board, to the right of the operator, who 

 grasps with his right hand sufficient clay for two pipes ; this he divides 

 with his left hand, and this is done so equally by the sense, of touch, 

 that out of a gross of these divided pieces, which are called nips (from 

 being nipped in two by the fingers), you w 7 ould scarcely find one that 

 would vary more than a quarter of an ounce in weight. The nip is now 

 placed under the palms of both hands on the board, and is elongated 

 from the point, or what is to be the mcuth-piece of the pipe, graduating 

 in thickness to the bowl, about one-third of the nip being left on the 

 thick end of what is called a roll. These rolls are laid in bunches of 

 from 12 to 16, and are dried until they are fit for moulding. To test 

 this they must stand on their heads or bowls without bending, then they 

 are considered sufficiently dry. 



Moulding gives the pipe any required shape, by the assistance of a 

 screw-press and lever. In commencing this process the bunch of rolls 

 is carefully divided, and laid loosely upon the bench, the point or 

 narrow end of the roll near the left hand of the moulder. This point is 

 taken between the fore-finger and thumb of the left hand, the wire to 

 drill the pipe is in the right hand, and is drawn across oiled wool to 

 prevent the clay from sticking to the wire. But the greasing of the wire 

 is not sufficient of itself to the true boring of the pipe. The wire must 



