British Pathe

Filmed at Birmingham. "Making Tennis balls is an all-round matter - from the early "say it with rubber" stage..." C/U of a machine which punches a holes from rubber. C/U of rubber circles being put into metal moulds. A machine then presses two metal moulds together. Various C/Us of the moulds being...

Filmed at Birmingham. "Making Tennis balls is an all-round matter - from the early "say it with rubber" stage..." C/U of a machine which punches a holes from rubber. C/U of rubber circles being put into metal moulds. A machine then presses two metal moulds together. Various C/Us of the moulds being taken off the tennis balls. "(A little gas-forming chemical for the inside.)" C/U of woman picking up little white tablets with tweezers and weighing them. C/U of the tablets being ground down with a pestle and mortar then the powder is placed into the rubber tennis ball halves. C/U of woman rubbing tennis ball halves in glue then pressing top halves onto bottom halves. "The heat of the next operation changes the inside powder into gas - " A metal frame holding many tennis balls is lowered into a vat of hot liquid.

"Now, the extra rubber cover - " High angle shot of women working at benches. C/Us of women applying rubber to the outside of the balls. "And every other stage a test to ensure accuracy in material and weight - " C/U of woman weighing the balls. M/S of woman placing balls into moving holders. A man randomly tests a ball by bouncing it! "Then the outer cover - " C/U of a machine which punches out material for the outer cover. C/U of woman pasting the outer cover. Various shots of women sorting the outer cover and applying it to the outside of the balls. It all seems a very painstaking and time consuming process. Woman uses a rolling tool to glue the outer cover on. M/S of the factory floor. Lots of women at work. Shot of the balls in a press device. C/U of the gauge and thermometer of the press. Various shots of the tennis balls being weighed and measured - quality control. High angle shot of the factory floor. We see a woman testing the balls for bounce. The balls drop from on high, then bounce out of a container. High angle shot of the balls passing down a conveyor belt. "Well done - a good and faithful servant - !" M/S of a tennis match - perhaps at Wimbledon, spectators in the foreground.

Was an item in Eve's Film Review issue number 524.