The origin of combs is one of the many things to which no date dare be fixed. Suffice it to say that the oldest of Egyption monuments bear testimony to the existence of the comb as an article of everyday use, though the teeth, in their little bit of boxwood, were rude and few compared to the fine horn combs of the present time.
One can only imagine a date for the first application of a comb prototype, the place being the Garden of Eden. There, after the first breeze, Eve no doubt fingered her disordered locks, and probably Adam was not above rendering what assistance he could.
Alike in shape, size and material (save horn) some of the modern combs remind us much of the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Ladies “in society” were then quite as careful of their personl appearance as those of the present day, their combs indeed reflecting the luxury of the times. Ladies’ combs were made of gold, silver, and other metals, but especially of ivory and tortoise-shell. There is a well-known old Scottish ballad where certain ladies are mentioned
Wi’ their gowd kames in their hair :
but doubtless gold combs adorned few heads or toilet-tables. It is certain that many women used combs more as articles of adornment that for purposes of cleanliness, and that even in comparatively recent times.
The experience of centuries has shown that there is nothing so suitable as horn for combs, but the arts and manufactures had made much progress before a now forgotten genius saw for the first time a comb in a cow’s horn. Certainly Great Britain can lay no claim to being pioneers in comb-making. By slow steps that art passed from Egypt to Greece, thence to Italy, France and finally across the channel to England, and considerable time elapsed ere it made its way over the border to Aberdeen, where it by- and-by found a permanent home.
Some time and much energy were required before Aberdeen could successfully boast of being the provider of combs for the uttermost part of the Earth. but in 1878 and 1889 the only medals awarded to the trade came to Aberdeen from Paris, and in 1900 came the Grand Prix itself when the decision of the judges, one of who was a French manufacturer of combs, was unanimous. The first Aberdeen international success was at London in 1862, then followed Vienna in 1873. Philadelphia in 1876, Amsterdam in 1883, Antwerp in 1885, Edinburgh in 1886, Chicago in 1893, and the grand prize at St Louis in 1904 – besides medals in other exhibitions.
In 1828, comb-making underwent a revolutionary transformation. This shift was primarily attributed to the combination of genius and machinery in the industry. A groundbreaking machine invented by someone named Lynn marked a significant advancement, replacing the traditional saws used to create comb teeth with a more efficient method. Lynn’s invention, known as “twinning,” enabled the simultaneous cutting of two combs from a single piece of horn, with the teeth initially interlocked. This innovation reduced material wastage and ushered in a new era in comb manufacturing. One individual who recognized the importance of this change was Mr. John Stewart, an Aberdonian and the founder of the Combworks. He was known for his energy and character, not only for his role in comb production but also for his involvement in advancing transportation in the northeastern region through rail and sea developments.
Ox horns, being larger than cows’, are more valuable; the largest combs are made from them. About six million horns are dealt with annually in addition to large quantities of hoofs.
When the horns have been delivered inside the works, the tips and root edges are sawn off. The tips are in much demand for buttons, umbrella and door handles, pipe mouthpieces, and many other purposes, while all scraps are valuable for fertilisers. The Aberdeen firm obtained a gold medal at the recent exhibition at St Louis for Keronikon, a valuable fertiliser produced from the waste horns and hoofs.
As in other manufactures, a beautifully finished article cannot be produced without passing through stages which are more or less disagreeable to persons of aesthetic tastes. It is only in the packing and warehouse rooms that the privileged visitor to a comb manufactory can fully appreciate the final result of the various delicate operations to which horn has to be subjected before it is worthy of a place on a fine lady’s dressing table.
Once the horns have been tipped, they are assorted according to size and quality. The next stage is the opening, a process by which they are flattened and shaped into rectangular plates, and this is carried out in a department with about forty furnaces. These plates are then sent to a large apartment where they are roughly cut into pieces for combs. When sufficiently heated, these pieces are placed on the twinning machines, which are of extremely complex action. Owing to the rapidity and peculiarity of the motion, the process cannot be followed by the visitor’s eye, but the result is evident – two pieces of horn (instead of one), each presenting a comb outline. The finest combs, however, where the teeth number sometimes about 60 to the inch, have to be otherwise cut, namely, by little circular songs mounted on spindles which revolve at great speeds, some of them over 1500 revolutions.
The teeth are then pointed, and go through several stages of intricate manufacture according to the quality required. The more expensive dressing combs are carved according to the fashion of the times, very finely made machines being used for the purpose.
The last stages, previous to packing, are in the scouring and polishing rooms. The former operation is performed by numerous wheels revolving at high speeds. In the polishing room wheels of cloth revolve at terrific rate, and, with the applications of the proper materials, the highest possible polish is obtained. Horn combs are made to imitate tortoise-shell, in which case the horn plates, before being cut into pieces for combs, are subjected to enormous pressure, with the result that a green colour instead of the natural white is produced. After the comb is almost finished in its green state, it is stained with dyes to imitate tortoise-shell.
Some combs are apt to leave the polishers hands with a bias, and there are may be other imperfections : such combs are at once sent back to be dealt with in the proper department, and thereafter the goods are ready to be despatched to all parts of the world, civilised and uncivilised.
Source : 1906 (March) Excerpt from “The World’s Work at Play” – The Making of Combs
