Chapter 4

Your affectionate King

Max.

ToMr.Johann Lothar FaberManufacturer.”

Mr.Johann Lothar FaberManufacturer.”

With joyous emotionL. Fabercommunicated this gracious mark of honour to all assembled, by reading it aloud from the tribune, concluding with a triple cheer for His Majesty KingMaxin which every one joined with the greatest spirit.

He then gave the health of his two brothers, who so faithfully and energetically seconded his exertions, which was received with joyous acclamations echoing again and again from the vast assembly; then his fellowworkers for the manufactory outside its pale, as also all his business friends and especially the artists, who, by patronising his manufactures and appreciating their value for art had so materially contributed to the extension of his fame.L. Faberthereupon recited a poem the fundamental idea of which was the motto of the manufactory:

“Truth, Respectability, Industry.”

This recital served as an introduction to the unveiling of an allegorical tableau executed byMaarof Nürnberg representing partly the activity of the Factory, and mercantile enterprise, and partly an appropriate allusion to the Jubilee festival. Then a short address followed by the presentation of a congratulatory testimonial toL. Faberon part of the authorities of the council of trade of Nürnberg was made, which elicited a cheer for the same. ThenMaarthe artist made a speech upon the history of the lead pencil and its application to Art, thankingL. Faberin the name of his colleagues for the cheer given them and concluding with a toast for the establishment.

A small brochure setting forth the contents of the Festival Album before mentioned and containing a capital piece of poetry composed by a relation of theFaberfamily was then distributed among the guests.

A number of speeches and toasts were now made and given by the workmen themselves, who were fairly carried away by excitement, which one and all breathed a spirit of attachment and gratitude, and of which not a few, spite of their simple character, caused feelings of emotion. Performances of their singing clubs alternated with those of the band until as darkness drew near the illumination of the festive grounds and an extensive portion of the park presented a fresh tableau. Bengal lights illumined several of the more lovely points and a pyrotechnic display brought the festival to a conclusion at nine o’clock, when all the participators departed in the gayest spirits and with hearty wishes for the continued prosperity of the Manufactory.

The foregoing description of the Jubilee festival ofA. W. Faber’sPencil manufactory may be appropriately closed with the mention off a transaction which was no less a gratification than an honor to the proprietor of the same:

On the morning of the eighth of October a deputation of the magistracy and representatives of the Commune of Nürnberg, consisting of the two Burgomasters,von WächterandSeilerand the President of the College of the Commune, Dr.Lindner, proceeded to Stein in order to presentJohann Lothar Faberwith the diploma of honorary citizenship of the City of Nürnberg, which reads as follows:

“The Magistrate and representatives of the Commune of the Royal Bavarian city of Nürnberg have conferred upon Mr.Johann Lothar Faber, proprietor of the Pencil manufactory at Stein in the Royal Jurisdiction of Nürnberg, in appreciation of the many and important services, which he has rendered to industry in general and the trade of Nürnberg in particular, by an unanimous resolution the honorary citizenship of thecity of Nürnberg, and, after obtaining the most gracious consent of His Majesty the King, caused this deed to be drawn up for him. Given under the great seal of the city and the signatures of the two Burgomasters as also that of the President of the College of the Commune.

Nürnberg the 16thSeptember 1861.

von Wächter, I. Burgomaster.Seiler, II. Burgomaster.Lindner, President of the Presentatives of the Commune.”

von Wächter, I. Burgomaster.

Seiler, II. Burgomaster.

Lindner, President of the Presentatives of the Commune.”

The celebration of the hundreth anniversary of the existence of the Factory afforded the proprietor of the same a welcome opportunity of dedicating this memoir to all his honoured business friends and patrons as a token of his gratitude and esteem and at the same time of giving them a pretty perfect sketch of his Factory and a view of its internal arrangement. With this latter object he had the nine views, attached to the end hereof, taken, which represent a faithful sketch of the chief points of the establishment and by means of which it is possible to form a tolerably accurate idea of the Lead pencil Manufacture.

Thefirst platerepresents the sluicing process. On the left hand side of the picture the blacklead is seen in its original casks, on the right hand side the clay. These two raw materials are here washed and then passed on in pans to be dried.

Thesecond plateshows the grinding which goes on day and night, the composition of blacklead, clay &c. being ground fine while in a wet state, and then dried in ovens especially adapted for that purpose.

Thethird platedepicts the preparation of the lead. The workmen to the left in the background are forming a plastic mass of the composition bywetting it with water, which while still wet is passed into the cylinder of the press where it is forced through a copper plate, at the bottom of the cylinder, in the centre of which there is an opening of a peculiar shape. As is seen in the representation the lead thus pressed through the cylinder assumes the shape of a ring and is then carried by the workmen on the right upon boards and lying in a straight position, to a moderately warm place to dry. Before however the lead is completely dry, it is cut into sticks of the proper length for filling the pencils. After the drying comes the annealing in peculiarly constructed ovens. This process takes place in hermetically closed vessels of clay or iron in which the sticks of lead are placed in a horizontal position.

In thefourth platethe method of cutting, sawing and planing the wood is seen. In the foreground to the right lies a balk of Florida Cedar wood. These balks are from 10 to 15 feet in length and 8 to 24 inches in thickness. They are first cut across with an upright saw in pieces of the length of a pencil, which pieces are then cut into sticks by small circular saws as shown on the right hand side of the view, the sticks being thereupon planed smooth by the machine in front. Behind the planing machine the grooving machines are situated by means of which the smoothly planed sticks are cut with fine circular saws into top and bottom pieces, the latter of which are furnished with grooves.

Thefifth platerepresents the process of glueing the sticks of lead into the wood. At each glueing table there are three workmen, one of whom smears the two pieces of wood with glue, while the second places the lead in the groove and the third, after the two pieces are fixed together, trims the pencils, which are then placed in a press and firmly pressed together by means of screws. The round bundles seen in this view are partly finished pencils and partly tops and bottoms.

At this stage of the manufacture the pencils are all square and are now passed on to the planing shop represented in thesixth plate. There they are cut to the exact length by means of fine circular saws and then planed roundor square, oval or even hexagonal or trigonal by the planing machines, which they reach in a square form.

The seventh and eighth plates show those operations which are carried on by females.

In theseventh plateto the right the workwomen are seen engaged in polishing the pencils with colours, and to the left those who by means of a lever press stamp the name of the firm upon them.

At last the polished and stamped pencils arrive at the room, where they are made up into packets as represented in theeighthplate. Here they are fastened up in dozens, covered with tickets and packed either by the dozen or the gross.

Theninth platerepresents the dwelling houses and manufacturing Premises. The residence on an elevation to the left is that of the proprietor of the Manufactory, below which is seen that of his brother. The two houses in the middle were dwellinghouses in former times and have been used for years as Countinghouse, Warehouse and Sample-show-room. The workshops lower down on the right stand close to the river Rednitz and the machinery therein is set in motion by waterpower, whereas in the other premises higher up steam is the agent employed.

Schlemmen.Atelier de la purification du graphite.Sluicing the lead.

Mahlen.Moulins à moudre le graphite.Grinding the lead.

Bearbeitung des Bleies.Atelier de la manipulation de la mine.Grinding the lead.

Sägen und Hobeln des Holzes.Atelier du sciage et rabotage du bois.Sawing and planing process.

Einleimen des Bleies.Atelier du collage de la mine dans le bois.Gluing room.

Hobeln der Bleistifte.Atelier du rabotage des crayons.Planing room.

Poliren und Zeichnen.Atelier de vernisage et numérotage.Polishing and stamping process.

Binden und Verpacken.Atelier de l’empaquetage des crayons.Tying and packing room.

Fabrik in Stein bei Nürnberg.Fabrique de Crayons.Pencil-Manufactory.

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