Tarheel composition rollers are made by heating a mixture of hide glue, glycerin, water and orange pigment.

Specific amounts of each raw material is combined b weight for each batch of rollers.

Molding tubes and core centering stars line one wall of the roller casting shop, with the pressure kettle in the foreground.

Rollers for recasting are stripped of old material.

Old roller material is hand cut from cores with a sharp knife.

Steel cores are scrubbed clean by hand with a wire brush under hot water.

Jute twine is strung on steel cores to ensure composition bonds to surface.

Twine is wound and looped tightly without the use of knots.

Roller boxes are hand made to support a set of rollers.

Each box is custom built for a specific size roller.

Roller boxes are produced according to quality standards.

Core supports are precisely marked to keep rollers from touching.

Roller box support blocks are drilled to fit specific roller core diameters.

Tarheel Roller manufactures a variety of box sizes to accomodate any number of rollers.

Composition rollers are cast in a Gatlin gun style casting mold.

Prior to casting, each tube is cleaned with kerosene then swabbed with a special release.

Tarheel Roller uses the original composition roller guns from W.F. Isley Company.

Composition ingredients are mixed and melted in a steam heated, double-walled copper kettle.

The copper mixing kettle can melt a batch of about 150 lbs of liquid composition material.

Following casting, roller ends are trimmed to proper length wth an end trimming machine.

Each set of rollers is fitted in boxes for shipping.

Newly cast rollers are all given a final inspection.

Wooden shipping and storage boxes carry the Tarheel Roller logo.

A composition brayer roller is used for inking the metal cut of the Tarheel Roller logo.