CANDY BOXES

ON account of the greatly increasing demand for candy boxes of all kinds in every section of the country, the writer thought it well to devote a chapter to this important subject, and an attempt will be made to explain the styles and construction of the most popular models of candy boxes which are on the market at the present time. It would be almost impossible for one to describe all of the many different kinds of candy boxes which are being made today, so it is the writer’s intention to mention merely those boxes that may be considered as standard in the trade.

Standardization of the styles and sizes of candy boxes is something that is seriously needed in the paper box industry, but standardization cannot always be followed by the manufacturers of candy boxes for the reason that the confectioners often want odd-shaped and special sizes of boxes to make their product more attractive to the public. It is a fact that a beautiful, odd-shaped paper box helps greatly in selling expensive candies, and even a “freak” box that is attractive without being beautiful is nevertheless a powerful selling agent. When the confectioner wants an out-of-the-ordinary box, and is willing to pay the necessary cost, the box-maker should give the confectioner what he wants, but whenever possible to talk the confectioner into using boxes of standard sizes, the box-maker should do so, as the standard styles and sizes of candy boxes will serve well for every practical purpose.

DEMAND FOR SWEETMEATS

With the passing of strong drinks in this country came a greater demand for sweetmeats from every direction. Confectionery and ice cream parlors are taking the places of liquor saloons in many instances. New candy factories are being erected in almost every town and city. American men and women are consuming larger quantities of chocolates, chewing gum and candies than ever before—they are paying high prices for the best sweetmeats, and expensive grades of confections are selling more rapidly than the cheaper grades. All of this means more business for the box-makers, and the box manufacturer who is in a position to make fine candy boxes as a specialty may have all of this class of work that he may care to produce.

Many box-makers are specializing in fancy candy boxes. Their plants are equipped to handle this one line of product to the best advantage. By making a specialty of this line, a great deal of the work can be standardized in such a way that the blanks, wrappers, neck-strips, trimming paper, covering paper, extension bottoms, etc., can be cut to standard sizes. The operators, through working continually on the same styles and sizes of boxes, soon become very efficient, and are capable of producing a larger output than would be the case in a plant that is not specializing on candy boxes. All successful box-makers are specializing in some particular kind of work, and this is a custom which should be more generally followed in the trade.

SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINES

On the next page is a diagram which shows a systematic arrangement of machines for staying and wrapping extension bottom boxes and lids, affixing two laces in each box, and closing the boxes.

The extension bottoms are registered and attached to the box and lid blanks by means of a Stokes & Smith Extension Bottom Gauge, Model W.

The blanks are glued with a hand stencil and are placed in the gauge with the extension bottoms, after which they are delivered to the staying machine, which is elevated on a portable platform.

After the staying operation the boxes and lids are passed through a hopper to the operator of a Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine.

The operator of the gluing machine places the glued wrappers upon a revolving table within convenient reach of the wrapping machine operator.

From the wrapping machine the lids are discharged to a receiving table ready for closing. The boxes are discharged to a hopper conveniently located near the lacing machine operator, who applies the two laces to each box and then passes it on to the receiving table. The boxes are then conveyed to the table on which the lids have been discharged, where the boxes and lids are closed ready for packing.

This is one of the efficiency plans which is being used in many large box factories with successful results.

PLAIN CANDY BOXES

Plain candy boxes are made of chip-board, news-board, or straw-board, the board lined on the inner side with white news or book paper before being cut up into blanks of various sizes. The board is cut and scored to the required sizes on a cutting and scoring machine. The corners are then cut out of the blanks on either a single or double cornering machine. The top of the lid is covered on a topping machine. The corners of the box and lid are stayed on a staying machine. The sides of the box and lid are covered with white or colored glazed paper on a covering machine.

Plain boxes of this type may also be covered on the automatic wrapping machine, but in that case the wrappers must be cut out at the corners as described in a previous article. Either tight wrapping or loose wrapping can be done on a Stokes & Smith machine, or on an Alger Wrapping Machine.

Plain candy boxes are made in ¼, ½, 1, 2 and 5 pound sizes.

TELESCOPE CANDY BOXES

These are made in the same manner as plain set-up boxes, with the exception of the lid which is as deep as the box, and which sets down over the sides of the box, permitting the box to contain an overflow of candy. Boxes of this kind usually have the lid loose wrapped, but many are tight wrapped, or are covered in the regular way on covering and topping machines.

The loose wrapped candy box is very popular on account of its artistic appearance. The same wrapper tightly glued on the lid would not look as well as the loose wrap. This statement applies to telescope candy boxes. The loose wrap plan saves a considerable quantity of glue, as the glue is applied only to the margins of the wrapper.

The majority of telescope candy boxes are covered on wrapping machines, although many are covered by hand. The shape of this style of box is long and rather narrow, so far as the smaller sizes are concerned. They are made in ¼, ½, 1, 2 and 5 pound sizes.

LACING

Paper lacing adds decidedly to the appearance of the interior of a candy box, and it helps in making the contents of the box look tempting. Nearly all good candy boxes contain lacing for the reasons mentioned, and some have lacing which is of excellent quality. In some cases the box has two laces, one on either side, and in other instances, a plain or fancy fly leaf on one side.

The Stokes & Smith Lacing and Fly-Leafing Machine is a very useful device on this class of work. It will glue and insert laces or fly-leaves to the boxes as fast as the operator can handle them.

A great deal of lacing and fly-leafing work is still being done by hand operators, and one advantage of the hand-work is that a pure white paste may be used, while the machine requires glue to run properly. On fine candy boxes sanitary white paste should be used for the lacing or fly-leaves, as a yellow glue would not look as clean.

The U. S. Lace Paper Works, Inc., of New York City, supply many different varieties of lacing to the trade. This paper may be run on the Stokes & Smith Lacing and Fly-Leafing Machine, or on the Bird Fly Machine. Sample books of the lacing will be furnished on request.

SHOULDERED BOXES WITH EXTENSION TOPS AND
BOTTOMS

Manufacturers of fine chocolates and candies are using shouldered boxes with extension tops and bottoms to a great extent as containers of this product, and many boxes of this variety also have padded tops.

The boxes and lids are first made in the same way as plain set-up boxes. Separate pieces of box-board, about ¼ of an inch larger on all four edges than the size of the box, are then glued to the tops of the lids and to the bottoms of the boxes. After this has been done, the boxes and lids are then wrapped with the covering paper, the paper being turned in over the top edges of the box and the corresponding edges of the lid. The shoulder, or neck section is then set in the box.

The John T. Robinson Company, of Hyde Park, Mass., has designed an extension edge machine which is especially adapted to this kind of work. The machine automatically glues and places the blanks on the tops and bottoms of the boxes, placing the blanks accurately into position so that the margins are the same on all four edges. Stacks of the blanks are set in the machine which is equipped with a glue-fountain and rollers for applying glue to one side of the blanks. As the operator places a box or lid on the form, an automatic feeding device moves the glued blank to the box or lid in just the right position. This machine is adjustable, of course, to blanks of various sizes. The Stokes & Smith Extension Bottom Gauge is another time-saving device for this kind of product.

As mentioned before, the Stokes & Smith Wrapping Machine is well adapted to the work of wrapping candy boxes having extension edges, but when this or any other wrapping machine is used for such work, it is essential that the wrappers be cut out at the corners to suit the requirements.

In the case of a padded top for a candy box, this top is applied after the cotton wadding has been put on and covered. First, the cotton wadding is loosely placed on the piece of box-board which is to form the top. Second, a sheet of heavy paper, same size as the wadding, is laid over the top of the wadding. Third, the top is then wrapped with the covering paper, turning in over the under-side of the top. Fourth, the covered, padded top is now glued to the top of the lid which has previously been covered on the sides. This is said to be the most efficient method for making lids with padded tops, although it is practicable to cover the lid while the piece of box-board and wadding rests upon it.

Some expensive candy boxes in the larger sizes, square or oblong, have extension edges as wide as ½ of an inch, but in such cases the box-board used for the tops and bottoms should be of heavy weight so that the wide, covered edges will not break easily. Most extension edges on candy boxes average from ? to ¼ of an inch.

Many shouldered candy boxes with extension edges have padded tops; are covered with fine colored and embossed paper, and are tied together with silk or satin ribbon of a color that blends well with the color of the covering. When ribbons are used, the ribbons are inserted between the bottom of the box and the piece of box-board which forms the extension edges, which means that the extension-bottom piece must be glued to the bottom of the box after the ribbons have been applied. The ends of the ribbons are to be tied in large bows over the top of the lid after the sweetmeats have been placed in the box. Or, the ribbons may be in the form of loops, which slip over the lid.

The shoulders, or necks, are made in long strips; are folded and stayed at one corner, and are then cut to the proper sizes for insertion in the boxes. The cut sections of shoulder-strips are covered with glazed paper, at the top edges, before being set in the boxes.

Box-board used for all good candy boxes is lined on one side with white news or book paper before being cut and scored.

TRAYS FOR CANDY BOXES

Not a few of the better-grade candy boxes are fitted with trays for holding the different kinds of chocolates, etc., separately. Some of the larger-size candy boxes have several trays, arranged either in groups or in tiers. Others have merely one tray. These trays are made of the ordinary, light-weight box-board in the same way as set-up boxes, cut, scored, cornered, stayed and covered with white glazed paper. Before being cut, the box-board is lined on one side with white paper.

FLAT CANDY BOXES

Flat candy boxes are made as low as 1 inch, and are made in various sizes. They are used for holding single layers of chocolates, caramels, gum-drops, etc., and by reason of their long and wide shape they have the appearance of holding more material than is actually the case. The flat box of this type is usually of the telescopic pattern, extension edge bottom, the lid fitting down over the sides of the box, although many are made without extension bottoms. Sometimes small ends of ribbon are glued to the inner sides of the lid, the ends of the ribbon extending outside so that one may readily lift the low lid with the aid of the ribbons.

Thumb-holes at the sides of the lids are advisable with boxes of this kind. The thumb-holes are cut after the lids have been covered. There are several thumb-hole cutting machines on the market which are capable of handling all varieties of such work.

THE DUPLEX SHOULDER-BOX PRESSER

The Stokes & Smith Company, of Philadelphia, is manufacturing the Duplex Shoulder-Box Presser which is a time-saving device for all kinds of shoulder-box work. The use of this machine prevents the sides of the boxes from pulling away from the shoulder, and it also eliminates finger markings so noticeable in hand-work.

This company also manufactures a Shoulder-Box Gluing Machine which is intended for gluing the inside of shoulder-boxes, and the device is a big time-gainer over the ordinary hand method of gluing necks, or shoulders.

ROUND CANDY BOXES WITH EXTENSION EDGES

All round candy boxes are made by hand by skilled operators who have had long experience in the one line of work. Practically all round candy boxes are made with extension tops and bottoms, and have shoulders, although some are being made with plain tops and bottoms. The round, shouldered box with extension edges is formed of four (4) pieces of box-board—two disks, the side-piece, and the neck.

The disks are cut out to the proper sizes on a die-press by means of round steel dies. When plain covering paper is to be applied to the tops, or fancy covering paper for that matter, this paper is also cut to the necessary sizes and shapes with the aid of round steel dies.

For the side-pieces of round candy boxes the stock should be a quality of strong cardboard which will roll easily into “rings.” The ring is held together at the two ends with a strip of stay-paper, or linen, glued to the inner side of the ring.

First, the ring is placed over a form to obtain the proper round shape. Second, one of the round pieces of box-board, which is to form the top or bottom and extension edges, is placed to the edges of the ring in accurate position. Third, the operator then applies the covering paper, wrapping it around the sides of the ring and turning over the edges of the paper, top and bottom of the ring. The box and lid are both covered in the same way, the paper holding the round disks of box-board to the edges of the rings. Fourth, a round piece of paper is pasted to the lid of the box. Fifth, a slightly smaller ring than the one forming the side of the box, and higher, is glued to the inside of the box. This forms the neck, or shoulder. The box is now complete.

Plain, round candy boxes are made much in the same manner, only the round disks of box-board are inserted at the top edges of the rings. Boxes of this model usually have shoulders, although some few are made on the telescopic pattern, the lid being large enough to fit down over the edges and sides of the box.

Through the courtesy of Jesse Jones Company, of Philadelphia, the writer is able to furnish information in reference to large round boxes with convex, or dome tops—information which is very practical and valuable. The Jesse Jones Company for many years has been noted for the production of round and fancy candy boxes and this concern has been successful in building up an extensive business in this line.

Dome tops for large-size round boxes, such as the five-pound size, for example, are made after the lids and boxes have been covered. The finished boxes are lined up on a spacious table. The lids are then inverted and placed upside down over the top edges of the boxes. Over the inverted lids soft, dampened pieces of muslin are spread. Each inverted lid is then filled with fine buck-shot, and while holding the buck-shot the boxes and lids are allowed to stand in that condition for several hours. The dampened muslin and the weight of the buck-shot causes the top of the lid to shape into an almost perfect convex form. This is said to be the best process for doming the tops of large round boxes. The lids for large-size oval or odd shaped boxes can be domed in the same way. It is necessary, of course, for the box-maker to have on hand a considerable quantity of the fine buck-shot when following this plan.

ART CANDY BOXES

Some fine candy boxes are covered with silk or satin, and on the tops of others are glued fancy “cut-outs,” such as pictures of girl’s heads, yachts, flowers, etc. Hand-painted designs, pictures, etc., are glued to the tops of some of the larger-size boxes. There is always a strong demand for beautiful candy boxes of this kind, no matter how costly they may be. They are particularly popular at Christmas time.

LARGE, ODD-SHAPED CANDY BOXES

The larger-size candy boxes, like the five-pound size, are often made in the form of hearts, diamonds, hexagon, octagon, square with round corners, oblong with round corners, shamrocks, fans, keystones, shields, and other figures. Nearly all boxes of this variety have shoulders and extension tops and bottoms. The pieces of box-boards for the tops and bottoms, whatever the shape desired may be, are cut out by means of steel dies, and the cover paper for the tops are also cut out with steel dies, so that the paper will accurately fit on the tops, or lids, after the other covering work has been done.

Moreover, for fancy boxes of this class, smaller pieces of box-board than the pieces used for the extension tops and bottoms must also be cut out into the shapes of hearts, diamonds, etc., to be used as formers for the boxes and lids, as follows:

First, the strip of heavy cardboard for the side of the box is stayed together at the ends, and the side-piece is then placed around a form of a heart, diamond or whatever the subject may be. This correctly forms the sides of the odd-shaped box, but to keep the shape permanently, the smaller piece of box-board is set in at the top, and the sides of the box are then covered, the edges of the covering paper being turned at the top of the form so as to hold the set-in piece firmly. The form may now be removed from the box, and the covered extension-edge piece of box-board glued on. The lid is constructed in the same way.

Another, and perhaps a better method is in placing the side-piece on the form; setting in the bottom or top-piece; gluing on the extension-edge piece, and then covering the box in such a manner as to wrap the edges of the covering paper around the sides and extension-edges. The cut out piece of covering paper—a heart, diamond, or whatever it may be—is then pasted to the top of the lid.

It is to be understood that the side-pieces, and the set-in top and bottom-pieces are lined on the inner side with white or colored glazed paper before the boxes and lids are made. In other words, the stock is lined before being cut into the different shapes.