English prose literature; Exposition (Rhetoric); Readers -- Science
For machine-finished book and print papers, as well as for other cheaper
grades, the process ends with the calenders, after which the paper is
slit into required widths by disc-knives which are revolving, and so cut
continuously. Paper intended for web newspaper presses is taken off in
continuous rolls of the widths required, varying from seventeen to
seventy-six inches, according to the size of the paper to be printed.
These reels contain from fifteen to twenty-five thousand lineal feet of
paper, or from three to five miles. The amount of paper used in
disseminating the news of the day is enormous; sometimes one or two
mills are required to manufacture the supply for a single metropolitan
daily, while one New York newspaper claims to have used four hundred and
fifty tons of paper in one Christmas edition, which is about four times
the amount of its regular daily consumption.
After having been slit into the proper widths by the revolving knives,
ordinary flat and book papers are cut into sheets by a straight knife
revolving at proper intervals on a horizontal drum. The paper, in
sheets, is carried by a travelling apron to a receiving table at the end
of the machine, where the sheets as they fall are carefully examined by
experts, usually women, who remove any that may be imperfect.
The entire length of a paper machine, from the screens to the calenders,
is about one hundred and twenty-five feet, while the height varies, the
average being about ten feet. The machines, while necessarily of the
finest adjustment, are ponderous and heavy, weighing in some cases as
much as four hundred tons, this being the weight of the machine itself,
exclusive of its foundations. The machine-room is of necessity well
lighted and thoroughly ventilated, and should be kept clean throughout,
as cleanliness is an essential factor in the making of good paper. While
the same general process applies to all classes of paper made, the
particular character of any paper that is to be produced determines
exactly the details of the process through which it shall pass and
regulates the deviations to be made from the general operations in order
to secure special results. For example, some papers are wanted with a
rough or "antique" finish, as it is called; in such cases calendering is
omitted. Another special process is that by which the paper is made with
a ragged or "deckel-edge;" this result is obtained in some mills by
playing a stream of water upon the edge of the pulp, crushing and
thinning it, and thus giving it a jagged appearance. At the present time
this "deckel-edge" paper is being quite extensively used in high-class
bookwork. In the case of writing papers, as has already been stated in
the description of the beating engines, a vegetable sizing made from
resinous matter is introduced into the paper pulp while it is still in
solution, and mixes with it thoroughly, thus filling more or less
completely the pores of the pulp fibers. This is found sufficient for
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