LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2842, 1 November 1883, Page 5

LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

THE ACME BARB WIEE FACTORY. About two months ago we announced that a barb wire factory was about to be established m Timaru. During that time the proprietor?, Messrs Howey and Elliott, both old residents, have been busy fitting up a email thed opposite Messrs Wood and SmitU'e, m the Main South Hoad, ai:d m manufacturing the necessary machinery, and now tlie factory, which they have named the " Acme Barb Wira Factory," is m full awing. It is cot a very pretentious affnir at presant, but for a work started entirely by private enterprise and without any preliminary fuss, it is a very hopeful beginning, and we trust that before long tha proprietors will find tho demand for their productions necessitating the enlargement of their premises and the multiplication of their machinery. This ia exactly the sort of inimlrf that is moit neeJci m the town, us the employees aro jontbs such as v.-ould find it very difficult to get remunerative employment, and for that roason it is worthy of tho best support that can bo given it. The demand for barbed wire peems to be increasing, and the extra freight on tho manufactured urtiele leaving sufficient room for profit to locil manufacturers, tliero is evidently plenty of scope for on undertaking of tlie kind. The success of the twj fa-tories m Oamiru prove this. The main condition of eucocrs, of course, is that the qualify of the production should be equal to that made elsewhere, and the " Acme" wire appears to bo a good one. The double wire will make a strong fence, and tho barbs are firmly fixed. Customers, no doubt, may havo the b.irbs made of different lenotlis to suit their requirements. The followina description of the process of manufucture will interest most of our readers : The wire is received at tho factory m ordinary cails, tho sires at pro.-ent u?ed boing Nob. 10, 12 and 13. An operative places a oil on « turn-tuble from which ho winds it on reels of convenient fire for handling, and proper.y fitted for the next operation. Two of theso reels of wire are planed omo ab.ive the other m a strong frainewurk at the lower end of the B hed, and a wire frjm each is carried to the other end, and made fast to a receiving reel The wires are then stretched by turning the supply reels with a handlo for the purpose. and tbry are then held tiut by a ratchet and p*wl, os al?o U the receiving reel. Tho barbin" is then done, the process being exceedingly simple. A boy attired m a leather apron Ctted with a poctet m front m which is held a number of barbs, picks up two of them, and plucing a pair of plyers with a double joint like a pair of nutc-racVore, ovrr tho wire?, thrusts ono end of a b^rb into a holo m each leg of the plyers. lie then places on the wires the twisting lever, which is a flit bar about a foDt long with a circular slot m one side at Iho middle, and on tho side facing tho plyors thero aro two projecting lugs. The slot m tho twisting tool i» slipped over tho wireß, and tho lugs catch the long ends of the bsrbs, and the boy giving the tool a couple of turns round tha wires, the thing iB dove. A toy puts on tho barbs at tho r^te of twelve per minute. In fact, tho rapidity with which the work is dove, and the simplicity of the contrivnnces n«cd m doing it, aro astonishing. The barb 3 are placed about fivo inches apart, nnd, to serve as a guide to the workers, a lath is hunp parallel to each set of wires, en wh:c'> I 9 plainly marked the re quired distant 1 --'- A boy nt a bench cuts tho barbs. A coil of wire is placed on a revolving table, and >3 the cutting proceeds tho wire " pays out without any difficulty. Tho barb cutter contains a small cam press, which works a vertical knife, the lover the operator uecs bong about two feet lor.g. An adjustable etop is fixc-d on the front of the cutter, allowing any length of burb to bo cut. The ends of the br.rb ore of coumo cut at no angle co as to be sharp, baL it is a short cut, so that there is no probability of the point turning m ordinary use. .Placed directly underneath thecutterio a receiving box from which the hands employed take a supply of barbs aa required. Tho bjy works the machine with great dexterity, and cuU fast enough to keep eight boys busy b-u-biug. As tho burbing proceeds a bny follows with a paint-brush, and Rives each barb a good dab of thick blick paint. When a length of wire has besu barbed, the two wires aro twisted together. Thiß is effected from the receiving end, whore, the sirglo reel is placed. This red revolves, so as to take up tho wire when barbod, m a strong iron frame just large enough to take it m easily. Tbia frame Bgain, with tho reel within it, is fixod on. tin nxle which runs on the sido opposite tho wires through ft strong wooden pillar, and is thero connected through come nn»U gearing to & haodle, Tho hsudlo being turned, Ibe ftuiae

I an! vthfcl renlviap, the length of wire is twisted. Previous t> twisting a weighted brake bver is brought down on a woodou friclion w!,rel r.n eich FQpply reel, and the ratchet paw! is lifted. While the twistiDg is being performed these brakes allow the wires to aUwly unwind, and to prevent tbe wire wll '°" '? U'ua paid out from twisting eiio, a T ( er T contrivance, consisting of a clip with a SU6 p en ded weight, is slipped over them. ih. c i ip v Bled on the wlres at a d.stanco of about w , feet {rcm the tnking . off reels, nnd whilst a ; s U9e( j fcr the pur . pose mentioned, also help* to keep the wires cbec together while they art heing barbed. After tbe twisting U accomplished, the bolt on tbo roeeiving reel is shot into ilo place, and fastened by a thumb-screw to prevent, unwinding, and the pawl being slipped, a handle is applied to the axle of the reel, and 'he barb=d »nd twisted wire is wound on it ; i _ APeratisn of, course bringing out anofl" 1 ' lonil 'c wire t0 be barbed. After 1251 bto r?? o *^ has been coiled on the reel it is taken off a.-, v theQ r£ad fortho msr ket. Tho room be.ng _ atber D f onl four lengths of wires are worked at a lime, two boy. working at eacft- th- Wllll lho ■ appliances provided, single, do .»,,„ aud tr3b i 3 barbed wire can be lurned out. The number of hands, all bays, en^Warl at tho faclory is nine— two to each ot tbo four lengths of wires, -ons attending to the barb cutter, and an odd hand. Should the business turn out a eucceas, as there seems no rowoa to doubt, tin proprietors intend enlarging tho building and. increasing the number of their hands. As it is, the scene iotße the little factory is a very busy one. The proprietor? being both practicil men, they will, it may bo expected, leave no atone unturned to make their concern a feature of the town. as a local industry atd employer of libor. They nutunlly depend onour farmers to support them, and evjry member of that important clasa m the district should make it his business to inspect without delay the Aome Barb Wire Factory, and tbe wire it is turning out, and if they find it up to the mirk— and we believe they will — to make use o f *' whenever they want barbod wire ot aU- a understand Messrs E,owpy and Elliott have mido arrangements with most of the business firms m town to keep supplies of the wire for sile. Before concluding we maj mention that the patterns of the machinery used were inado by Mr Elliott, the cattinps by Mr Hat--1 the bl'-icksmith work by Sir Bawstorn, and the -oodwork of ths reel* by Mr J. Jockf on.