36 On BleacJthig. 



w eavcr's dressing as before mentioned ; to which may he 

 added a Httlc butter or tallow. An addition oi'the last article 

 takes place by the dropping ot" the candles during the winter. 



The first object then is to divest the cloth ot the sowings. 

 This is done by steeping in water, sunmicr heat (76^ of 

 Fahrenheit), and washing. 



The second is to dissolve the grease applied by the 

 weaver, and some of the resinous part. This is done by a 

 boil or buck in alkali, and \\ ashing. 



The third is to divest the cloth of iron; which is most 

 effectually done by steeping in sours for 10 or 1-2 hours, 

 and washing immediately. 



After another boil, the bleacher may proceed as before 

 mentioned; or proceed in any other maimer his experience 

 or opinion may direct — as he will derive all the advantages 

 stated to result from the use of sours previous to exposure 

 to air or bleaching liquor : let his after-process be any one' 

 of those now in use. 



But I by all means advise him to throw his cloth loose 

 into the steeping-kieve, furnace, sours, and bleachins: li- 

 quor, during the early part of the process, so that the cloth 

 may be equally acted upon ; by which means he will avoid 

 those dark clouds which must always appear when the cloth 

 has been kept in the band durins: the above processes. 



Those who use the rope-net and crane (and every one 

 ought to use them) will find no additional trouble, and will 

 be much pleased with the evenness of the pieces. 



Let the first sour be strong, and wash well: the other 

 sours may be continued in the usual stages of bleaching, 

 using one less in consequence of the previous sour*. 



The strength of the boils should be proportioned to the 

 quantity of resin or colouring matter of the cloth ; conse- 

 quently the first should be the strongest, as the resin or co- 

 louring matter of the cloth is capable of saturating a greater 

 quantity of alkali than it is afterwards: and it should be re- 

 collected that the cloth possesses, in the first instance, the 

 crease of the weaver's dressing, which, by uniting w ilh the 

 alkali, becomes saponaceous (soapy), and is in consequence 

 easily washed off. 



The alkaline hydrometer should by all means be used by 

 the bleachers to ascertain the strength of their leys : they 

 will in a moment see the number of ounces of alkali to a 

 gallon, and can by a simple tablet see how many gallons 

 are necessary, so as to give them a certain weight to each 



• Muriatic is preferable to fulphurcoiis acid, especially for tlie aftcr- 

 jours, as it possesses the power of dissolving oxides of iron (iron moulds), 

 t f^cc the table, p. 39. 



piece. 



