Comb

a well known instrument used in the care of the hair. A comb is a thin strip of any stiff, tough material, furnished with teeth. Several metal strips are set on a frame to make the curry comb used for animals. Toilet combs are straight. Curved combs of many shapes are used to hold a woman's hair in position. The combs of the ancients seem to have been made of wood, chiefly boxwood, and later of ivory. Modern combs are made in a variety of ways. Tortoise shell is heated until it is plastic, when the spaces between the teeth are punched out. Bone combs are first shaped. All the teeth are then cut at the same time by a number of circular saws running side on the same axis. Celluloid and metal combs are cast. Rubber combs are pressed into molds while soft and are afterwards hardened by vulcanization. In stamping out combs material is saved by having the teeth interlock. According to the latest statistics 34 American comb factories employ 1,399 people, and pay them $572,467 a year. The annual output is worth nearly $2,000,000. We also import many combs from abroad where they are made cheaply. See Hair; Barber