vi.% Report en the ManufaHure of Halt, 



bars may be about two feet, and its breadth eighteen inches. The fides into which the bars 

 are fixed, are flightly bended into a circular curve, fo that the balket may be fet upright 

 on one of thefe edges near the right hand end of the hurdle, where it ufually ftands. The 

 cloths are linen, and dyed of a dark olive brown. Befides thefe implements, the workman 

 is alfo provided with brown paper. 



The bowing commences by Ihovelling the material towards the right hand partition with 

 the baflcet, upon which, the workman holding the bow horizontally in his left hand, and the 

 bow-pin in his right, lightly places the bow-ftring, and gives it a pluck with the pin. The 

 ftring, in its^return, ftrikes part of the fur, and caufes it to rife, and fly partly acrofs the hurdle 

 in a light open form. By repeated ftrokes, the whole is thus fubjefled to the bow, and this 

 beating is repeated till all the original clots or niaffes of the filaments are perfectly opened and 

 obliterated. The quantity thus treated at once, is called a batt, and never exceeds half the 

 -quantity required to make one hat. 



When the batt is fufficiently bowed, it is ready for hardening^ which term denotes the firfl: 

 •commencement of felting. The prepared material being evenly difpofed on the hurdle, is 

 firft prefied down by the convex fide of the bafket, then covered with a cloth, and prefled 

 fiicceflively in its various parts by the hands of the workman. The preflure is gentle, and the 

 hands are very flightly moved back and forwards at the fame timethrough a fpace of, perhaps, a 

 quarter of an inch, to favour the hardening or entangling of the fibres*. In a very fliort time, in- 

 deed, the ftufF acquires fufHcient firmnefs to bear careful handling. The cloth is then taken ofl^ 

 and a llieet of paper, with its corners doubled in, fo as to give it a triangular outline, is laid 

 upon the batt, which lafl: is folded over the paper as it lies, and its edges, meeting one over 

 the other, form a conical cap. The joining is foon made good by prefTure with the hands 

 on the cloth. Another batt, ready hardened, is in the next place laid on the hurdle, and the 

 cap here mentioned placed upon it with the joining downwards. This laft batt being alfo 

 folded up, will confequently have its place of jun6tion diametrically oppofite that of the inner 

 felt, which it mufl: therefore greatly tend to ftrengthen. The principal part of the hat is thus 

 put together, and now requires to be worked with the hands a confiderable time upon the 

 hurdle, the cloth being alfo occafionally fprinkled with clear water. During the whole of 

 this operation, which is called bafoning-, the article becomes firmer and firmer, and contrads 

 in its dimenfions. It may eafily be underftood, that the chief ufe of the paper is to prevent 

 the fides from felting together. 



The bafoning is followed by a ftill more efFeftual continuation of the felting, called zvork- 

 ing. This is done in another fhop, at an apparatus called a battery, confifting of a kettle 

 (containing water flightly acidulated with fulphuric acid, to which, for beaver hats, a quantity 

 of the grounds of beer is added, or elfe plain water for rinfing out), and eight planks of wood 

 joined together in the form of a fruftum of a pyramid, and meeting in the kettle at the mid- 

 dle. The outer or upper edge of each plank is about two feet broad, and rifes a little more 

 than two feet and a half above the ground ; and the flope towards the kettle is confiderably 

 rapid, fo that the whole battery is little more than fix feet in diameter. The quantity of ful- 



* For the caufes and mechanifm of felting, fee the note in Philof. Journal, I. 400. 



phuric 



