| Show manufacture OF TORTOISE SHELL ithe the american the manufacture of tortoise the hea 1 is a restricted industry nece necessarily pearily and requires a nice quickness and good judgment the principal modes of manipulation in the preparation of the shell for manufacture into various articles are anu ana welding ane or pressing process con ates sis s in beating the shell until it is pliable after which it is slowly and carefully oare lully pressed into moulds having the form of the object de desired alred when cold the mould is removed and the article ri icle polished it Is in this way that balls balls on combs and other round and shaped ornaments are made this pressed shell can never be mended 11 broken nor matie made into any other shape it if heated it resumes its original shape and seems to have lost its welding pro erty altogether in welding the shell the parts to be joined are beveled to a very thin edge and are then laid together with a piece of fresh shell to make a thickness oven even with the remainder of the piece the wb le ie to is subjected to the moist heat beat f aul auldine ding or boiling water which gradually affens st fiens it after whish it is subjected k ejected to a strong pressure until the parts are securely joined it is then worked in the usual way many peo eo pie suppose that tortoise shell can be malieu but this to is a mistake if it could be done there would be an immense gain in the availability of the she 1 a great deal of which is now waited wat ted as all of the waste which is considerable could be utilized and the danger of ruining the shell in welding or prok pressing sing would be elimina ted et forts have been made to discover a method of melting the shell but so far it has resheed resit fed all attempts very few articles are made from a single thickness i f the shell morcombe for combe and hair bair pins from two to four or five are welded together in heavier articles such as paper backs for hand mirrors anu ana bru brushes sheia handles tor for eyeglasses eye glasses fan sticks and other things a alzen are often used in all carved work several plates are welded together ther in order to give the workman a body to work upon sometimes very light and dainty open carved work on a single plate is seen it is lao lav elike in ltd its delicacy and fragile aco so BO that it is oftener a mere treasure f elvill ful workmanship than for uie ue the older the tortoise the heavier and more vau va u ahle able is his armor of course all species of tortoises and turtles live to a great age sometimes ove one undred hundred b years Side comb making is work which requires great expertness the two combs are made frum one alece a little wider than one finished comb which is first made soft then a deep fine zigzag cut is ia made through the middle of the piece the zig zigzags being nearly the length ot oi the tei let th this must be done very quickly and the two pieces immediately torn lorn ae as sunder otherwise the edges of the out will unite firmly again and the work if not the hell thell t ilot if will be rendered renu ered useless the under shell or plastron plat tron is highly valued also fornde ir ft what is called callea in trade amber she 1 it is almost arent and very thin several being required before it can be shaped or carved the shell abell from the claws la Is also used bring being ot a light yellow color it is welded to form light streaks where variety ol of coloring is sought after the chinese Jh luege and japanese are very expert in the manipulation of tortoise torto ebed and make many articles arl lolea not attempted by european and american exquisite workmanship in this material cornea comes from naples as also do the best workmen employed here |
