CUTTING AND CREASING FOLDING BOXES.
One of the most important branches of the paper box industry is that
devoted exclusively to the making of all kinds of folding boxes and
cartons, and this branch of the business has been growing wonderfully
during the last few decades. The manufacturers of folding boxes are
in a class by themselves, and as a general rule, they have nothing to
do with the making of set-up paper boxes, although some of the larger
plants are producing both folding boxes and set-up boxes.
There are good reasons why it would not be advisable for the
average box maker to handle both folding boxes and set-up boxes in
his factory, and the principal reason is the matter of mechanical
equipment. The folding box plant must be equipped with machinery
which cannot be used for the production of set-up boxes, and in a
like manner, the set-up paper box plant calls for machines that
cannot be used for the manufacture of folding boxes. Another fact to
consider is that operators on folding boxes are usually skilled only
in that line of work, while operators on set-up boxes know but little
about the work on folding boxes.
Henry Ford, the automobile king, declares that specializing is the
main reason for his great success in business. Says Mr. Ford:
“Any manufacturer or merchant, to be successful, must specialize. Do
one thing. Do it well. Sell at one standard price--and you’re just
bound to succeed.”
[Illustration: =Tooth Pick Carton.= No gluing required. Holds
together when folded.
Plain lines represent steel cutting rules.
Dotted lines represent steel creasing rules.]
There should be a “tip” here for many a box manufacturer.
Folding boxes are now being used for holding a great variety of
merchandise such as, for example, bottles containing medicines, cakes
of soap, toothpicks, tubes of tooth paste, bottles of perfume, many
different kinds of drugs, brushes, cough drops, cakes and crackers,
safety razor blades, powders of various kinds, tools, grass seed,
herbs, dried raisins, butter, spices, rice, sugar, absorbent cotton,
bandages, etc. This list gives merely an idea of the many different
uses for folding boxes, and it would be possible to add to this list
hundreds of other articles which are packed in paper cartons. The
drug trade alone uses great quantities of the smaller-size folding
boxes for holding pills, tablets, medical goods, etc. Countless
numbers of the larger size cartons are used for holding cereals,
cake, tea, dozen lots of cigarette packages, dry goods, etc.
A folding box, or carton, is made from a single piece of cardboard,
cut and scored in such a manner that it may easily be folded and
glued together so as to form a complete box. The cutting and creasing
dies are made by the box maker, from steel cutting and creasing
rules. The blank sheets of stock are cut and creased, with the steel
dies, on either platen presses or cylinder presses. The cut out
sheets are then glued together at two ends on a gluing machine.
EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR A SMALL CUTTING AND CREASING PLANT.
One Cutting and Creasing Press, size of platen, 14 × 22 inches.
One Cutting and Creasing Press, size of platen, 21 × 30 inches.
One Steel Rule Bending Machine.
One Steel Rule Cutter.
One Power Circular Saw.
One Power Jig Saw.
One Imposing Table.
One Power Gluing Machine.
Supply of Cherry and Black Walnut Board, in strips of various
widths for blanking out large steel dies.
Supply of Laminated Wood for holding Steel Cutting Rules in
Odd-Shaped Dies, such as Circles, Ovals, Hearts, etc.
Supply of Labor-saving Wood, Lead, Steel and Iron Furniture, in
assorted sizes, for blanking out space in Steel Dies.
Supply of Steel (Hard) Cutting Rule, in full-length strips.
Supply of Steel (Soft) Cutting Rule, in full-length strips.
Supply of Steel Scoring Rule, in full-length strips.
Cabinets for holding Furniture.
Work Table, fitted with vise for bending Soft Steel Cutting Rule.
Supply of Corks in assorted sizes.
Supply of Cork in strips.
LePage (or fish) Glue for make-ready on presses.
Box-Makers’ Glue for gluing Folding Boxes on Gluing Machine.
Set of tools, including Pliers, Files, Hammer, Mallet, T-Square,
L-Square and Steel Straight-Edge.
With this equipment, the box maker would be in a position to make
all kinds of steel cutting and creasing dies for every variety of
folding boxes, also all shapes of steel cutting dies for cut-outs of
advertising novelties, cardboard fans, odd shapes for fancy boxes,
etc. With this equipment, the box maker could also manufacture all
sizes and all styles of folding boxes up to those requiring blanks of
cardboard as large as 20 × 28 inches. It is the writer’s purpose to
explain all the technical work necessary in the making of the steel
dies, made-ready on the presses, and other practical work relating to
the making of folding boxes, cartons, advertising novelties and so
forth, and if this information is carefully studied and followed, the
apprentice in box making should have no difficulty in producing all
of the work in question.
KIND OF PAPER STOCK USED FOR FOLDING BOXES.
The ordinary news-board, chip-board and straw-board, such as used
for the manufacture of set-up boxes, is not adapted to folding boxes
for the reason that these boards have a tendency to break when
folded. The stock used for folding boxes includes Manila tag-board,
bristol-board, clay coated Manila, Manila-lined board, and other
kinds of pasted boards which are tough and flexible. Coated box-board
comes in white, colors and tints. One side is coated in white, color
or tint, the other side being of Manila. When the box is to be
printed, the printing is done on the coated side. This stock comes
500 sheets in a ream, size 22½ × 28½, the weight running from 90
pounds to 200 pounds per ream. This stock also comes in rolls, and
may be run in rolls on rotary printing presses.
Among the well known firms who supply folding box-board of all kinds,
are the following: A. Hartung & Company, of Philadelphia; Berton C.
Hill Company, of New York City; Baird & Bartlett Company, of Boston,
Mass.; C. L. LaBoiteaux Company, of Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland
and New York City, and the White Pigeon Coated Paper Company, of
White Pigeon, Mich.
MAKING THE “DUMMY” FOR A FOLDING BOX.
The “dummy,” or pattern, for a folding box is the first requisite.
For example, a carton is wanted for holding a glass jar of cold
cream. If any printed matter, such as a booklet, directions for
using the cold cream, etc., is to be packed with the jar, inside the
carton, this must be considered when determining the size of the
folding box.
Attach the printed matter to the jar, held with rubber bands. Then
place two blocks of wood on either side of the jar, the blocks and
jar standing on a table. The blocks should stand close to the jar and
its printed matter. Now lay a ruler across the jar and blocks, and
the ruler will give the dimensions for the top and bottom of the box.
Next, lay the jar on its side, and set the two blocks at the top and
bottom of the jar. Span the ruler across the blocks. This will give
the dimensions for the height of the box. This same method is used in
taking the measurements for all kinds of boxes.
By opening flat some carton which is nearly the size and style of the
new carton desired, the box maker will have an idea of the layout
for the die which will be necessary for the new carton. Follow the
measurements taken with the aid of the blocks, and with pencil,
ruler, penknife and blank sheet of stock, make up a dummy for the
desired folding box. When completed, the flat dummy will appear like
this diagram:
[Illustration: (Dummy folding box.)]
This dummy will serve the box maker in measuring off the sizes of
steel cutting and creasing rule which will enter in the construction
of the die. Before attempting to describe the building of the steel
die, however, the writer believes that it would be well to give
details about the furniture and other material used in the building
of the die, so that the reader will become familiar with this
material as it is handled in the proper order. Later on complete
information will be given about the construction of the die, the
make-ready of the forms on the presses, “corking,” striping, and so
on.
KINDS OF FURNITURE USED IN MAKING DIES FOR FOLDING BOXES.
Cherry, or black walnut, is excellent material for blanking out
large steel dies, as cherry and black walnut are woods which are not
greatly affected by atmospheric changes. A soft wood, like white
pine, for example, would readily take moisture in damp weather,
expanding enough to throw the rules in a die out of register with
the make-ready on the press, and this would mean damage to the
make-ready as well as changes in the sizes of the boxes which are
being cut out. The Cherry Lumber Company, of Cincinnati, O., supplies
first class cherry and black walnut wood in strips, and from these
strips the box maker may cut the pieces of blanking-out furniture to
the sizes required for the steel die. This wood is about ¹¹⁄₁₆ of
an inch in thickness, which is the right height to hold the steel
cutting and creasing rules firmly in a vertical position, and on
extremely heavy forms it would prevent possible bending of the rules.
The box maker uses a power circular saw in cutting this wood to the
wanted sizes. The sawing must be done truly vertical, as even a
slight angle on the end or side of a piece of wood furniture would
cause the rule coming in contact with that end or side to have the
same angle, resulting in that rule cutting lower than another rule
which was absolutely true, vertically, and it would also affect the
face-size of the die to some extent. This means that no furniture for
die-blanks should be cut with a hand saw, as hand sawing is seldom
accurate.
[Illustration: Showing one of the New Style Imposing Tables; iron
top. Equipped with complete fonts of wood furniture for locking up
forms. Also has racks for holding forms, or chases.]
The box maker saves the pieces of cherry and black walnut, when
old dies are broken up, and these pieces of wood are used again in
building other dies.
Steel, iron and lead labor-saving furniture is also largely used in
the construction of steel dies, and in many instances, series of
small dies for drug cartons, etc., are entirely blanked out with
labor-saving lead or iron furniture. What is called “improved metal
furniture” (lead) in the printing trade is very useful for the
box maker. This furniture comes in many different sizes--standard
sizes--and is stored in cabinets which have compartments for each
size. Within a short time the box maker becomes familiar with the
standard sizes, and when blanking out a die he can tell at a glance
what sizes of metal furniture are needed to fill in the blank places.
The sizes of this improved metal furniture are known as “2 × 4 ems,”
(pica); “3 × 4 ems,” (pica), and so on up to the larger sizes. Often,
the smaller sizes of metal furniture are used in conjunction with
larger sizes of cherry or black walnut wood to fill in the blank
places of spacious dies.
STEEL FURNITURE USED.
Steel sectional furniture, notched at the ends, is also used for
building spacious steel dies. This steel furniture (as well as the
iron and lead furniture) may be bought in regular fonts, or complete
sets, from the American Type Founders’ Company, Jersey City, N. J.,
or from any of the printers’ supply houses. These concerns also
supply the cabinets for holding the furniture conveniently. For the
information of those not acquainted with the printing terms, it is
explained that the term “point” in printing means 72 points to an
inch. The steel sectional furniture comes in 24-point width with
12-point notches at the ends; 36-point wide with 18-point notches;
48-point wide with _three_ 12-point notches; and 54-point wide with
_two_ 18-point notches. It also comes in a full range of lengths, all
the way up to 24 inches long.
[Illustration: Showing Style of Patent Steel Furniture with
interlocking corners for forming hollow squares and oblongs.]
With four pieces of this sectional furniture almost any size square
or oblong frame, up to 24 inches, may be formed simply by putting
the four pieces together. The frame is used for blanking out a
square or oblong space in the die-form. At times several squares and
oblongs can be made in this way and used instead of wood blocks or
small pieces of metal furniture. The steel sectional furniture is
absolutely accurate and it can be assembled very rapidly.
[Illustration: “Challenge” Improved Labor-Saving Metal Furniture,
with Chamfered Edges.]
Plain iron furniture is to be had in a large number of standard
sizes, but the smaller sizes are used by many box makers for blanking
out portions of steel dies, the larger spaces in the form being
filled in with blocks of cherry or black walnut. The iron furniture
is comparatively inexpensive, and it will stand hard service for a
life-time.
[Illustration: Showing style of Morgans & Wilcox Enlarged Iron
Furniture.]
Enlarged iron furniture comes in many different sizes and is
particularly adapted to blanking out extra-large dies. The larger
sizes of this material, such as for example, 25 × 100 ems (pica),
are very popular with die-makers. In each piece of enlarged iron
furniture are two round holes, on the top so to speak, enabling the
die-maker to handle the piece of furniture easily by means of the
round holes. (Pica means 12 points in printing parlance.)
[Illustration: “Challenge” Labor-Saving Iron Furnitures.]
Mammoth iron furniture is made on the order of enlarged iron
furniture, and it comes in pieces as large as 60 × 120 ems (pica.)
Round holes are in each piece, making it light in weight and easy
to handle. Special cabinets are furnished for the enlarged and
mammoth furniture. The cabinets are subdivided for holding the
different sizes of material, and by looking over the contents of
these compartments, the die-builder can see exactly what sizes of
furniture is available to suit the requirements of each die. The
cabinets save a great deal of time, as the die-maker does not have to
“sort out” the furniture from a “mixed” assortment of sizes.
[Illustration: Showing Cabinet holding font of No. 3 Mammoth Iron
Furniture. Opposite side of Cabinet holds other sizes of Mammoth Iron
Furniture. This Cabinet also holds all standard lengths of M. & W.
Interlocking steel furniture.]
In these days of high wages and short working hours, the folding
box maker should have a plentiful supply of both wood and metal
furniture, and the furniture should be systematically stored in
cabinets so that the die-maker can work to the best advantage.
A plentiful assortment of improved metal furniture, plain iron
furniture, and enlarged or mammoth iron furniture, in cabinets, will
pay big dividends in any folding box plant.
STEEL CUTTING RULES AND STEEL CREASING RULES.
All dies used for cutting and creasing folding boxes are constructed
of steel cutting rules and steel creasing rules, and with the proper
material and devices, the box maker will have no difficulty in
building his own dies to suit all requirements.
The apprentice in the folding box industry should carefully note the
fact that there are two kinds of steel cutting rule--one kind is
called “hard” cutting rule, the other kind is known as “soft” cutting
rule. The hard steel cutting rule is used for all straight-line die
work which does not call for the rules being bent into round, oval or
odd shapes. The soft steel cutting rule is used in all cases where
rule-bending is to be done. For example, a die having round corners
for the flaps of folding boxes would call for the use of _soft_
cutting rule in forming the round corners. All odd-shaped dies, such
as dies for cutting hearts, semicircles, ovals, etc., are made of
soft steel cutting rule on account of the soft rule bending to the
special shapes easily. “Square” dies for cutting diamonds, oblongs,
crosses, keystone, and other straight-line work of this class, are
made of hard steel cutting rules.
The “hard” and “soft” steel cutting rule, and the regular creasing
rule, comes in strips from 24 to 30 inches long, and is sold by the
foot. The standard height of steel cutting rule is .923 in. The
standard height of steel creasing rule is .918 in. Both the cutting
and creasing rules are made in various thicknesses, from 2-point size
up to 6-point size, but the 2-point cutting and creasing rules will
do for the greater portion of all folding box work. The following
list will give the reader an idea of the standard kinds of steel
cutting and creasing rules:
[Illustration: Cutting Rule]
[Illustration: Scoring Rule]
No. Description Height Thickness
A-10 2-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .029”
A-11 3-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .042”
A-12 4-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .057”
A-13 6-point Hard Black Cutting Rule .923” .083”
A-14 2-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .029”
A-15 3-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .042”
A-16 4-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .057”
A-17 6-point Hard and Polished Ctg. Rule .923” .083”
A-18 2-point Soft Cutting Rule .923” .029”
A-19 2-point Hard Scoring Rule .918” .029”
The Simonds Manufacturing Company, of Fitchburg, Mass., is a large
manufacturer of all varieties of steel rule for cutting, scoring or
perforating. This concern is in a position to furnish the folding
box maker with any kind of steel cutting or steel creasing rule. The
American Type Founders’ Company, of Jersey City, N. J., or any of the
printers’ supply houses, will also furnish the box maker with steel
cutting or scoring rule.
THE WORK-BENCH FOR THE FOLDING BOX MAKER.
A good, substantial work-bench, fitted with drawers, tools, vise,
steel rule cutter, etc., is an essential for the folding box maker.
The box maker who is “handy” may readily build his own work-bench
with the necessary lumber, but for the information of those who may
not know about it, the American Type Founders’ Company has a steel
work-bench which is very convenient for the purposes of a folding
box making plant. On request, this company will send illustrated
circulars describing this steel work-bench.
THE STEEL RULE CUTTER AND THE STEEL RULE BENDING MACHINE.
While it is possible for the folding box maker to cut steel rules to
all required sizes for dies on an ordinary lead and rule cutter, such
as is used in a printing office, nevertheless the writer strongly
advises the installation of a “Hercules” Steel Rule Cutter in the
folding box factory. This device is made by J. F. Helmold & Brother,
of 1462 Hamburg street, Chicago. It is especially built for cutting
all thicknesses of steel cutting, or steel scoring rule, to any
lengths wanted.
If the box maker desires to cut steel rule on an ordinary printers’
lead and rule cutter, this device must be kept in first class order,
and the cutting must be done in that part of the machine which is
intended to cut only heavy brass rule.
[Illustration: The “Hercules” Steel Rule Cutter.]
The Multiform Rule Bender is an excellent device for bending steel
rule. It is made by the J. A. Richards Co., of Kalamazoo, Mich. This
concern also makes steel rule cutters, combination rule benders, box
maker’s special saws, etc.
[Illustration: The “Eureka” Steel Rule Bender.]
The “Eureka” Rule Press, or steel rule bender, is another great
time-saving device for any folding box factory. This machine is made
by J. F. Helmold & Brother, of Chicago. This Rule Press, with its
equipment of molds, is capable of bending steel rule to any of the
odd shapes required in steel rule dies for folding boxes or cartons.
Some die-makers do all of the steel rule bending with the aid of a
powerful vise and pliers of various sizes. The steel cutting rule
is heated by means of a gas flame so that the rule may be bent more
easily. When working with the heated rule the die-maker wears heavy
canvas gloves to protect his hands from the hot rule. After the
heated rule has been bent to the wanted shape, heat the rule again
and immerse in cod oil. This re-tempers the rule.