DRUGGISTS’ PILL AND POWDER BOXES.
One of the most important branches of the paper box industry is
that which is devoted to the manufacture of druggists’ pill and
powder boxes. Only a comparatively few concerns are engaged in the
production of these specialties, and at the present time these firms
are practically in control of this class of business, for the reason
that their plants have been especially equipped for the production
of this line. In some instances these manufacturers have had special
machinery built for the particular needs of their factories.
While it is true that a great many of the small pill and powder boxes
are made by hand, by skilled workers who have had long experience on
this kind of work, it is also a fact that large numbers of small pill
and powder boxes are being made on machines. In one large plant, of
Philadelphia, there are several specially-built machines which are
being used for the making of round pill boxes of various sizes. The
owners of this plant will not allow strangers to see these machines
in operation; in fact, only certain loyal employes of the firm are
permitted to enter the department where these machines are located.
Another concern, who for the last sixty years has been making a
specialty of druggists’ pill and powder boxes, will not allow
visitors in the mechanical departments of the plant under any
circumstances. All “secrets” in the processes of manufacture are
carefully guarded, and only certain employes have admittance to the
work-rooms where round pill and face powder boxes are put together.
The manufacturers of pill and powder boxes in general seem to have
erected a “Chinese Wall” around their industry, and they should not
be blamed for this, as in some instances the manufacturers have spent
thousands of dollars in perfecting machines and processes, and these
of course are their own private property.
Nevertheless, the writer is of the opinion that no manufacturer
will lose anything by allowing visitors to walk through all
departments of his factory. Personality in business and quality
of product are things which cannot be stolen. You cannot steal a
man’s ideas, or rather his brains. Consider the business methods
of the Curtis Publishing Company, of Philadelphia, for example.
This company is said to have the best-equipped printing plant in
the world. Doubtless the reader knows about the superior quality of
_The Ladies’ Home Journal_, _The Saturday Evening Post_, and _The
Country Gentleman_--the three famous magazines produced by the Curtis
Publishing Company. This company invites the public to go through all
departments of its wonderful plant. This great $25,000,000 concern
is not afraid of anybody stealing its “secrets.”
“Competition is the life of trade.”
ROUND PILL AND POWDER BOXES.
Through the courtesy of one manufacturer of druggists’ pill and
powder boxes, the writer was permitted to see how this line of work
is produced, so far as the plant in question is concerned, and the
writer will attempt to explain the practical side of this work in
the following paragraphs. The reader will be particularly interested
in this subject, no doubt, when it is mentioned that some of the
facts presented have never before appeared in print, to the writer’s
knowledge. This is a bold statement, but we believe that it is well
supported.
Round and oval paper boxes, especially the smaller sizes such as
are used for face powders, pills, capsules, etc., are made by
highly-skilled labor and this class of work is considered to be the
most difficult in the paper box industry. Round work is far more
intricate than square-box work of any kind. It requires years of
practical experience for one to become a first class round or oval
box maker. Round work is an art, and many of the fine pill and face
powder boxes which are seen in drug stores are beautiful works of
art. The greater portion of round and oval work is done by hand,
although as stated, some round pill boxes are made on machines.
Round pill and powder boxes are made in a considerable number of
sizes and in a great variety of colors and trims. Round pill boxes
are made as small as three-fourths of an inch in diameter and with
a depth as low as eight-sixteenths of an inch. Then there is a full
range of sizes all the way up to three and five-sixteenths inches in
diameter, and even larger.
Plain, round, shouldered pill boxes are made from two round pieces of
box-board, two “rings” of equal size, made from paper, and one larger
“ring” which forms the shoulder or neck.
[Illustration: Round Shouldered Pill Box--Covered with colored glazed
paper, leaving four white edges.]
Note that a round box of this type does not have projecting edges
at the top of the lid and at the bottom of the box. The round top
and bottom pieces set within the rings. The ring is first placed
over a form; glue is applied to the edge of the round piece of
box-board, and this is then set inside the ring. A strip of thin
trim paper--gold, white or colored--is then pasted around the side
of the ring, the strip of trim paper being wide enough to extend
slightly over the top of the lid, or over the bottom of the box.
This extension of the trim paper helps in holding the round piece of
box-board to the edge of the ring and produces a smoothly-covered
edge.
THE FINISHED BOX.
Both the lid and the bottom of the box are made in the same manner
as described. After the trim-paper has been applied to the sides and
edges of the rings, strips of white or colored glazed paper are then
pasted around the sides of the rings (over the trim-paper), these
strips not being as wide as the strips of trim paper. The finished
box shows four edges of the trim, one at the top of the lid, one
at the bottom of the lid, one at the top of the box and one at the
bottom.
The shoulder ring, or neck, is nearly double the height of the ring
which forms either the box or the lid. Paste is applied to one edge
of the neck-ring and the neck-ring is then placed inside one of the
box-rings, the end containing the paste adhering to the bottom of
the box. It is well also to put a small portion of the paste on the
side of the shoulder-ring which goes down inside the box. The lid, of
course, fits snugly over the neck.
Some round, shouldered boxes of this type are covered on the inside
with colored glazed paper, others have merely the tops and bottoms
lined with white paper. In the latter case, the box-board used for
the round top and bottom pieces is lined on one side before being cut
into circles.
The rings for the lids, boxes and shoulders, when made of white
paper, are naturally white on the inside. We will explain how the
tubes for the rings and shoulders are made later on.
[Illustration: Round, Shouldered Projecting Edge Pill Box--Covered
with colored enameled paper, leaving four gold edges.]
BOXES WITH PROJECTING EDGES.
Round, shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges are made in about
the same way as the plain, round boxes, with the exception that
greater care must be taken by the operator in wrapping the trim
paper around the projecting edges of the lids and boxes. Particular
care must also be taken in placing the round pieces of box-board
accurately in position over the edges of the rings.
For trimming the edges of boxes with projecting edges, light-weight
paper having special stretching qualities should be used. In the
trade this stock is known as “Round-work Glazed.” A. Hartung &
Company, of 506 Race street, Philadelphia, are in a position to
furnish this paper on special order. It can be supplied in white,
gold and in various colors. It comes in rolls 24 inches wide.
Many expert operators on round box work are capable of making boxes
with projecting edges without using forms for placing the tops and
bottoms of the boxes accurately into position. Some operators make
use of metal rings which are placed over the box-rings after the
round pieces of box-board have been attached to the glued edges of
the box-rings. According to the size of the boxes being made, the
metal ring’s outside dimensions are the same as the diameter of the
round pieces of box-board. The inside of the metal ring fits closely
around the outside of the box-ring. By careful manipulation with the
fingers, the operator with the aid of the metal ring, obtains an even
margin on the projecting edge all around.
Other operators do not use glue in applying the edges of the rings to
the round pieces of box-board, the strips of trimming paper serving
to hold the material together firmly. The strip of trimming paper,
with paste applied to one side of it, is neatly wrapped around the
outside of a box-ring and around the edge of the round piece of
box-board. One edge of the trim paper is then turned over the edge of
the round piece of box-board, and the other edge of the trim paper
is then turned over the edge of the ring. It requires experienced
fingers indeed to accomplish this tedious work without causing the
turned edges of the trimming paper to wrinkle. “Practice makes
perfect.” The skilled operator can produce a surprising amount of
this class of work during the course of a day. The finished product
shows the trimming paper smoothly wrapped around the boxes and lids,
and where the paper passes over the projecting edges of the boxes
and lids, not the smallest wrinkle in the paper is to be seen. The
turned-in edges of the trimming paper are even and smooth.
EDGES LEFT EXPOSED.
The operator holds in proper position one of the box-rings, and one
of the round pieces of box-board, as the trimming paper is applied.
After the trimming paper has been put on, strips of glazed paper, of
the color desired, are pasted to the sides of the boxes and lids,
leaving the edges of the trimming paper exposed.
Round, shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges are made in many
different sizes, some as small as one and one-sixteenth inches in
diameter, and with a depth as low as one-half of an inch. These boxes
are trimmed and covered with papers of various colors, and beautiful
effects are obtained when correct color schemes are chosen. White or
gold trimming paper harmonizes well with all other colors of paper.
A box covered with white trimming paper and bronze enameled paper,
leaving four white edges, forms a pleasing color combination. Bronze
and gold, light blue and white, red and gold, light blue and gold,
are only a few of the many good color schemes which are being used.
Some of the fine, round, shouldered pill boxes with projecting edges
are lined inside with silver, gold, colored or tin foil paper.
Some of these boxes are covered entirely with gold paper, others
are covered entirely with white or colored paper. Others again are
covered with fancy embossed, or watered paper, after gold or silver
trimming paper has been applied.
The tops of the lids for these boxes are not covered by the box-maker
as a general rule. Druggists who buy these boxes paste their own
printed round labels to the lids of the boxes as physicians’
prescriptions for pills, capsules, etc., are filled.
One can form some idea of the large number of round pill boxes which
are being consumed in this country when considering the number of
drug stores that are located in all sections of the United States.
The demand for high grade round pill boxes is constantly increasing.
At the present time, the supply of fine, hand-made pill and powder
boxes is not equal to the demand, as only a few manufacturers are
specializing in this class of product.
SHOULDERED MAGNESIA BOXES.
Among the other kinds of small paper boxes which are used extensively
by pharmacists are plain, round, shouldered magnesia boxes, as they
are termed in the trade. Round boxes of this variety are higher in
form than the pill boxes which have been described, and they are used
for holding other powders in addition to magnesia. (Insect powder,
for example). Some boxes of this model have a depth of three inches,
while the diameter of the lid is one and fifteen-sixteenths inches.
[Illustration: Round Shouldered Magnesia Box--Covered with colored
glazed paper.]
Round, shouldered boxes of this class are made in about the same way
as plain, round pill boxes, the round pieces of box-board being glued
to the inside edges of the rings. In some instances, the sizes of the
rings for the lid and box are both the same. In other cases the depth
of the ring for the box is considerably larger than the depth of the
ring used for the lid.
The shoulder, or neck, for this kind of box consists of a tube which
is almost the same height as the interior of the box. One edge
of this tube is glued to the bottom of the box. Some glue is also
applied to the side of the tube, so that it will hold firmly to the
inside of the box. On account of the neck on this style of box being
higher than the neck on a pill box, some slight difficulty would be
experienced in placing the lid of the box over the neck. To overcome
this, a slit, running slightly on an angle, is cut into the neck with
a sharp knife. This slit causes a lap-over of the neck, at the edge,
making it an easy matter to slide the lid on.
PURPOSE OF HOLES
Before cutting the slits in the necks, some operators punch small
holes, with a bodkin or an awl, in the sides of the necks, at a point
where the length of the slit is to be determined. The hole serves two
purposes: First, it acts as a guiding mark when the operator cuts the
slit; second, it has an influence on the lap-over, allowing it to be
moved freely as the lid is placed over it.
Round, shouldered magnesia boxes are covered with glazed or enameled
paper, white or colored. Trimming paper is seldom applied. When
tubes, or rings of white paper have been used in the construction of
these boxes, the covering paper for the side of the box and side of
the lid may be cut to widths that will permit four white edges of the
box to show. These white edges make the box and lid appear as though
they had been trimmed with white paper. The reader is to understand,
however, that in the case of a round box with projecting edges, it
would be necessary to apply trimming paper, before pasting on the
regular covering paper, as the trimming paper serves to hold the
round piece of box-board to the edge of the ring.
In the case where the tops and bottoms of plain, round boxes are to
be covered with glazed or enameled paper, there are two methods of
covering: One method is in having one side of the box-board (which is
to be used for the tops and bottoms of the boxes) covered with glazed
or enameled paper before the box-board is cut into round pieces. The
other method is in having round pieces of the paper, of desired size
and color, cut out with a die, and the round pieces of paper are then
pasted to the tops and bottoms of the boxes.
Labels for round magnesia boxes are usually pasted to the sides of
the boxes, and for this reason the tops and bottoms of these boxes
are frequently covered with glazed or enameled paper, the same color
as that applied to the sides of the boxes.
As mentioned in a previous paragraph, some plain, round boxes,
not having projecting edges, are trimmed on all four edges with
“Round-Work Glazed Paper” before regular glazed or enameled paper is
applied to the sides, but as a general rule, only round boxes with
projecting edges are treated in this manner.
HOW THE “BARRELS” ARE MADE.
To a person not familiar with the process of manufacturing round and
oval paper boxes, it would appear that the sides of the boxes are
formed of light-weight cardboard, rolled to the required shape. Such
is not the case. The tubes, or “barrels” from which the rings for the
boxes are cut, are made of paper. The tubes from which the shoulders
or necks are cut, are also made of paper. Manila stock is used for
tubes of the cheaper grade. Machine finished book paper is used for
tubes of good quality, and the tubes which are used for the making
of the finest face powder boxes are constructed of white coated or
enameled paper. This will explain the beautiful gloss-white surface
which may be seen on the inside of expensive face powder boxes.
[Illustration: Knowlton Tube Cutting Machine.]
The various kinds of paper used for the making of tubes comes in
rolls, and can be supplied by any of the well known paper dealers
in rolls of standard widths. What is known in the printing trade
as 50-pound manila, 50-pound machine finished book, and 80-pound
enameled or coated-one-side, are the kinds of paper generally used
for making the different varieties of tubes. These papers can be
furnished in all of the standard weights or thicknesses.
Parallel tube rolling machines are necessary for this class of work.
James Brown, Jr., & Sons, Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pa., have invented
a tube rolling machine which is capable of turning out twenty-two
“barrels,” sixteen inches long, per minute. This machine is equipped
with a paste tank, a steel mandrel of the desired size, a cut-off
device, and a roll of the paper, say sixteen inches wide. Adjustments
can be made so as to roll the tube to any required thickness.
Three or four complete revolutions of the mandrel are all that are
necessary for a tube which is to be used for small pill boxes. Flour
paste is recommended in making tubes of the kind in question, but
dextrine or any of the patented cold glues on the market may be used
for the purpose.