MISCELLANEOUS PAPER BOXES.

IT is the writer’s purpose to devote this chapter to miscellaneous paper boxes that are in popular demand and which may be classed as specialty lines. Important facts about the style and construction of the various kinds of boxes will be given, and by carefully studying this practical information, the reader should be capable of making any of the boxes in question. In some instances, however, it would be necessary to employ the special machinery which will be referred to.

WEDDING, PARTY AND BANQUET BOXES.

For centuries it has been the custom for people attending a wedding reception to receive individual pieces of the wedding cake to take home as souvenirs. It is a pretty custom and doubtless it will remain in vogue until the end of time. Some brides simply wrap the pieces of cake in fancy paper napkins, but those who want to have things done right usually place the bits of cake in fancy paper boxes so as to prevent breakage. Some newly-weds go so far as to have the names of the bride and groom printed or die stamped on the lids of the boxes.

Wedding cake boxes are small in size, and are made in the shape of hearts, diamonds, clover-leaf, fans, etc. Small, plain, round, oval, square or oblong boxes are often used for this purpose, but the odd-shaped boxes mentioned are always the most popular.

In making a heart-shaped wedding cake box, for example, the side-piece of cardboard is placed around a heart-shaped form, after having been stayed together at the two ends. The top-piece, cut out in the shape of a heart of the proper size, is then inserted. After this has been done, the sides of the box are covered with fancy paper, the edges of the paper being turned over at the top and at the bottom. A heart-shaped piece of paper is then pasted on the top of the lid. Both the lid and the box are made in the same way—on forms—only it is not necessary to cover the bottom of the box with a heart-shaped piece of paper.

A box of this kind usually contains a shoulder, both the lid and box being of the same size. The shoulder-piece is set in after the box has been formed and covered. The stock for the top and bottom pieces is lined with colored or white glazed paper before being cut out in the form of hearts. The stock for the side pieces is also lined before being cut to the essential sizes. This means that the box and lid are lined on the inner sides before being made up as described.

HEART SHAPED BOXES.

When a heart-shaped box is to have an extension top and bottom, the top and bottom pieces are put on after the box lid has been made on the forms. The heart-shaped pieces of boxboard which are to serve as extension tops are about ¼ of an inch larger all round than the pieces of heart-shaped board which have properly formed the top of the lid and the bottom of the box. The covering may be done after the extension tops and bottoms have been attached, or the covering may be done before they are attached, but in the latter instance, it would be necessary to cover the extension top and bottom pieces, and their edges, before attaching them.

Other odd-shaped boxes, such as diamonds, clover-leaf, fans, etc., and made on the same plan as the heart-shaped box. Practically all boxes of this variety have shoulders. Some have extension tops and bottoms, others are made plain. The covering is done in fancy colored, glazed, embossed, watered or gloss-white paper. The box usually contains fine paper laces.

Fancy boxes of this class are frequently used at parties in the same way as at wedding receptions, the guests being presented with the boxes which are filled with candies, nuts, or cake.

At many of the special banquets given by clubs, business organizations and fraternal societies, ice cream and other desserts are served in fancy boxes, thus adding an unusual touch to the last course of the dinner. These “banquet” or dessert boxes are made in various odd shapes, and are also made square, oblong, round or oval, and as a general rule, there are no lids for the boxes which are covered with colored, gold, silver, white or embossed paper. The inside of a box, used for this purpose, should be lined with plain white book paper, rather than with colored paper, so that the coloring matter in the paper would not transfer to the dessert. Two fine paper laces add an artistic finish to a square, or oblong, box of this variety. The square and oblong dessert boxes are made in the same manner as plain set-up boxes, cut out of a single piece of boxboard, the corners stayed and the sides covered with colored or white glazed paper.

JEWELRY BOXES.

Some concerns are making a specialty of jewelry boxes and the field for this product is very extensive. Many jewelers pack watches, rings, tie pins, dress pins, clasp pins, lockets, belt buckles, cigarette cases, match boxes, vanity cases, mesh bags, rosaries, fans, fountain pens, etc., in pretty paper boxes of the proper shapes, and not a few of these boxes are works of art. The writer recently saw a small paper box for a diamond ring, which cost the jeweler one dollar apiece, the party who bought the ring paying for the box, of course. The box in question was beautifully covered with thin, dark green leather, and four edges of the box were hand-tooled, the borders being finished in goldleaf. The interior of the box was lined with white satin, with billows and a rest for the ring formed of the same material. The box also contained a shoulder and the lid was hinged.

Some jewelry boxes are made in the regular set-up style, others are made with shoulders. Round and oval boxes are often used for watches, rings, lockets, necklaces, etc., while long, oblong boxes are used for tie pins, fountain pens, chains, gold pencils, envelope openers, pen knives, dress pins, hair pins, etc. Square boxes are adapted to silver and gold belt buckles, ladies’ shoe buckles, match boxes, cigarette cases, mesh bags, etc. The progressive jeweler carries a wide assortment of fine paper boxes, of many different shapes and sizes, so that he may have a box suitable for any piece of jewelry, or novelty, sold. He will even have sets of larger size boxes for holding silverware, toilet articles, fans, cut glass, picture frames, clocks, and so forth.

COVERED AND LINED.

These details will convey to the reader an idea of the great variety of paper boxes required by the average jeweler. Many of the smaller boxes are covered with white or colored glazed paper, and are lined and padded with silk, satin, plush or velvet, of a tint or color that will harmonize with the color or tint of the box covering. One of the most beautiful paper boxes ever seen by the writer was one of oval shape, used for holding a costly pearl necklace. This box contained a shoulder with the edges of the shoulder covered with white glazed paper. The outside of the box and lid was covered with golden-brown paper in imitation leather. The interior of the box and lid was lined with pale buff velvet, padded in the bottom of the box in such a way as to form a resting place for the string of pearls. Note the beauty of this color scheme.

One prominent jeweler has a complete assortment of paper boxes, all covered with light blue embossed paper, and all lined with white satin paper, those for rings, pins, etc., having padded rests formed of white satin. The name-card of the jeweler is die stamped in bronze blue ink on the lids, or wrappers for the lids. The color effect is very pleasing. The wrappers for lids of jewelry boxes are die stamped or printed with the card of the jeweler before being pasted to the lids.

Jewelry boxes seldom have extension edges. These with shoulders, or necks, are made in about the same way as the druggists’ pill and powder boxes, a description of the construction work having been given in another chapter of this series of articles. The set-up box is made from a single piece of boxboard, lined with white glazed paper, cornered, stayed and covered with colored, glazed, white, watered or embossed paper.

GARTER, SUSPENDER, HANDKERCHIEF, NECKTIE AND
COLLAR BUTTON BOXES.

All paper boxes of this class are made on the plain, set-up pattern, the lids extending down over the sides. For example, a garter box is made from one piece of light-weight boxboard, cornered, stayed and covered with white glazed paper, while the lid is covered with a printed or lithographed wrapper inscribed with the particular name of the garter. We refer to the well-known brands of men’s garters. Many of these garter boxes contain holiday wrappers (for Christmas gifts) handsomely done in bright colors, and the lids have thumb-holes at two sides so that they may be easily lifted.

Many garter, suspender, necktie and collar button boxes are fitted with cut-out inserts for holding the contents attractively. These cut-outs are of light-weight folding cardboard and are produced on cutting and creasing presses.

Suspender, handkerchief and necktie boxes are often covered with fancy colored wrappers suitable for the holiday trade. The designs on the wrappers are printed or lithographed, and are usually applied to the lids of the boxes with the aid of wrapping machines. Some are loose-wrapped, others are tight-wrapped. Not a few fine handkerchief boxes are covered with colored or embossed paper, and hand-painted designs appear on the lids. The stock for handkerchief, necktie and suspender boxes is usually lined with plain white paper before being made up. There is an increasing demand for better quality boxes of this variety.

CIGARETTE BOXES.

Numerous brands of cigarettes of the better quality are packed in paper boxes of the set-up style, and the lids in most cases are hinged to the boxes, the hinge being formed of tape or linen. Cigarette boxes of this type are usually made of light-weight boxboard, and are equipped with shoulders. The inner side of the boxboard is lined with white paper, and the stock is then scored and cut so as to form long, oblong strips after being folded and stayed. The strips are then “chopped” up into small sections of the essential sizes to make the sides for the boxes and lids. The shoulders for the boxes are made in the same way. The blanks for the bottoms of the boxes and for the tops of the lids are cut to size on a rotary cutting machine, although it is possible to cut the blanks, from small piles of full-size sheets, on a regular paper cutting machine, but for the sake of accuracy blanks of this kind should be produced on a rotary cutter.

After the top and bottom pieces have been inserted, the boxes and lids are covered with white or colored glazed paper. The shoulders, or necks, are then put in the boxes. Printed or lithographed labels are put on the inside as well as on the outside of the lids.

When the boxes are to be hinged, the hinging material is applied to the box and lid, on the inner sides, before the shoulder pieces are set in the boxes.

Many cigarette boxes (not folding boxes) are made on the same plan as the larger size set-up boxes, the box and lid being cut from single pieces of cardboard; creased, cornered, folded and stayed in the usual manner, but when boxes that are made this way have shoulders, the register of the box and lid is not as accurate as in the case of the box and lid being made from long folded sections.

STOCKING BOXES.

Great quantities of paper boxes are continually being consumed in the stocking industry for packing the stockings in convenient lots for the trade. The average box contains half a dozen pairs of hose, or stockings, and often the retail dealer gives the box to the buyer of half a dozen pairs, which means that a box of this kind should be of good quality and attractive to some extent.

Stocking boxes are all of the set-up type. Some have shoulders, others are on the telescopic pattern, some are made with ordinary lids. The stock is usually lined with white paper. The covering is often done with colored glazed paper. In some instances, the edges of the lids and boxes are trimmed with paper of another color. Sometimes fancy laces are placed in fine stocking boxes. The label of the stocking manufacturer is placed on one end of the box.

When putting on the lids of finished stocking boxes, or in fact, when placing on the lids of any oblong boxes, the operator can save time by setting on the lid over the narrow way of the box, rather than by placing the lid over the long way of the box.

OYSTER AND ICE CREAM BOXES.

Some concerns are making a specialty of ice cream and oyster boxes, and special automatic machines are used for printing, scoring and cutting the boxes to the required specifications. Oyster and ice cream boxes are made from Manila tag-board, and the inner side of the board is given a coating of sodium silicate (liquid glass) so as to make the boxes “water tight” to a considerable extent. Boxes of this class may be produced on cutting and creasing presses, with dies made of steel cutting and creasing rules, but as stated, this work is usually done on special machines having great speed capacity. An oyster box is glued and folded together, while an ice cream box is usually wire-stitched at the sides, and is equipped with a handle of tape. Oyster pails, and paper dishes are also wire stitched. We refer to paper dishes used by grocers for holding loose jelly, pepper sauce, lard, etc. The oyster pails have wire handles. These specialties offer a big field for the box maker who may also include milk bottle tops in this line.

SUIT, HAT AND FLOWER BOXES.

There is a promising field for numerous box makers who would care to specialize in the manufacture of suit, hat and flower boxes. We refer to folding boxes of this variety which are made with lock corners and slits, and which may be produced from single pieces of box board in a very simple manner. The Hobbs Creasing Machine, and the Hobbs Lock Corner Cutter, have been especially built for this work. On these devices the blank stock is creased and cut in such a way that both the lids and boxes may easily be folded together without staying, gluing or wire stitching.

Plain suit, hat and flower boxes are made from folding Manila boxboard and practically all of the plain boxes are made on the telescopic pattern. No covering is done.

GRAINING BOARD FOR SUIT, HAT AND FLOWER
BOXES, ETC.

Handsome effects are produced by graining boxboard for suit, hat and flower boxes, etc. Jute or Manila is generally used when graining is done. Charles Beck Company, of Philadelphia, supply a Rotary Printing Machine which has been designed for producing various kinds of graining. This device is equipped with an intaglio printing roller, inking rollers, fountain, feed-board, etc., and the sheets of boxboard are printed by the intaglio process on the order of this illustration:

Different patterns of graining, imitation alligator-skin and other designs can be produced on the Beck machine by changing the intaglio cylinders which contain the patterns engraved below the surface of the cylinders. The printing cylinder is first inked all over, some of the ink depositing in the engraved places on the cylinder. The surface of the cylinder is then wiped clean, leaving the ink in the engraved places. The impression in the printing transfers the design in the cylinder to the sheet of boxboard—steel plate printing, as it were.

Large size suit and hat boxes are also made with the corners folded in and the ends of the boxes folded over, held firmly together by means of heavy wire staples. Boxes and lids of this kind are made from single pieces of jute boxboard, the blanks properly creased on a creasing machine so that they will fold readily into form. These boxes are usually of the telescopic pattern; are comparatively cheap, and are strong enough to withstand hard service.

ROUND HAT BOXES.

Milliners and hatters dealing in the better grades of hats are large consumers of round and oval hat boxes. Some of the fine millinery boxes are covered with fancy embossed, colored or striped paper, and these are presented to the buyers of the hats. The square-shaped hat boxes, however, are the most popular on account of their lower cost, and of course they are just as useful as the round and oval boxes.

The round or oval hat box is formed of a side-piece and a set-in bottom-piece, the lid being made on the same plan. The side-piece, after being stayed at the two ends (on the inner side) is placed on a round or oval form. The bottom-piece is then set in. The turned-in edges of the covering paper serve to hold the sides and the bottom of the box together. After the sides of the lid have been covered, and the edges of the covering paper turned in, a round, or oval piece of covering paper is pasted to the top of the lid.

SUIT CASES AND TRAVELING BAGS.

Several of the larger paper box manufacturing concerns are making suit cases and traveling bags as a side line in addition to the regular lines of paper boxes. These suit cases and traveling bags are of the lower-priced variety, no genuine leather entering into their production. The inside of the cases and bags is of heavy chip-board, lined with leatherette paper. The outside is covered with heavy “leatheroid.” Iron frames are essential in the cases, and the material is held together with copper or brass rivets. This is a specialty line which should have the consideration of many other box-makers who have plants equipped for the production of such work.

POCKET CIGAR CASES.

Many cigar dealers furnish customers buying loose cigars with paper cases for protecting the “smokes” while held in the coat pocket. These cigar cases are made of single pieces of Manila board, round cornered, and folded so as to form a holder. The sides are formed of strips of heavy paper, glued on the inner edges of the Manila stock, and folded so as to allow for expansion when the cigars are inserted in the case. One long and narrow piece of Manila tag-board, folded in the center, and two narrow strips of Manila paper, each strip containing a center fold, make the cigar case complete.

Any box-maker is in a position to manufacture paper cigar cases of this kind. The stock can be cut to the necessary sizes on an ordinary paper cutter, and the round cornering can be done on a regular round cornering machine. No creasing-work is essential, as all of the folding can easily be done without any creasing. The sides of the cigar cases may be imprinted with the names of retail tobacco dealers distributing them, or with the names of cigar manufacturers who supply the cases gratis to the dealers. The cases may be made and sold in large quantities.

BOXES FOR HARDWARE, GLASS, PICTURE FRAMES, TOOLS,
TOYS, ETC.

There is always a strong demand for plain, common-grade paper boxes, made on the set-up pattern, for holding hardware, glass, picture frames, tools, toys, books and any other things which do not call for high-grade boxes. Plain boxes of this variety should be made of heavy-weight chip-board, news-board or straw-board, and the corners should be stayed with tape or wire stitched. The creased edges of the boxes and lids are often stayed on the outer sides with the ordinary brown staying paper so as to prevent breakage of the boxes and lids at the places where creased. No covering of any kind is necessary. Paper boxes of this class may be made up during slack seasons, and they always find a ready market, especially when they are moderately priced.