Clipping:Baseball manufacture: winding machines
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
 |
| Add a Clipping |
| Date | Wednesday, January 30, 1889 |
|---|---|
| Text | Winding base balls by hand is a thing of the past. Machines have been invented to do the work automatically, consequently every ball is just like its fellow. Each machine winds two balls at one time. A little para rubber ball, weight three-quarters of an ounce, around which one turn has been made with an end of a skein of old-fashioned gray stocking yarn, is slipped into the machine. Then another, after which the boy in charges touches a lever, the machine starts and the winding begins. The rubber ball is hidden in a few seconds and in its place appears a little gray yarn ball that rapidly grows larger and larger. When it appears to be about half the size of a regulation base ball there is a click, the machine stops, the yarn is cut, and the boy picks out the ball and tosses it into a basket. When this basket is full it is passed along to another boy, who runs a similar machine, where a half-ounce of worsted yarn is put on. The next machine adds a layer of strong white cotton thread, and by watching closely as the white appears on the surface of the gray the beauty of the winding machine can be appreciated. There is perfect regularity, and no point where the thread crosses oftener than in another. A coating of rubber cement is next applied, and a half-ounce layer of the very best fine worsted completes the ball with the exception of the cover. Each ball when completed must weigh 5¼ ounces and measure 9¼ inches in circumference. The minute differences in the balls are equalized by the thickness of the cover. Each ball and cover is weighted before the cover is sewed on. The cover resembled two figure 8s in shape, and is cut from selected and specially prepared horse hides. A.J. Reach & Co, the patentees of the winding machines, employ about 500 hands at their factory in this city, and they about 40,000 balls now in stock. Several cheap grades of ball are also manufactured, those retailing for 5 and 10 cents being made from pressed leather shavings. |
| Source | Sporting Life |
| Tags | |
| Warning | |
| Comment | Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Submitted by | Richard Hershberger |
| Origin | Initial Hershberger Clippings |
Comments
<comments voting="Plus" />