660 CALICO-PRINTING 



applied in the printing for dyoing a self-colour, generally after the goods have been printed 

 in black and red mordant, or black alone, and dyed madder or garancin. It is com- 

 monly used for cotton velvets, the colour given to velvet appearing very brilliant from 

 the nature of the cloth. The process is as follows : Safflower contains two distinct 

 colouring matters ; one yellow, being soluble in water ; and the other pink, insoluble in 

 water, the latter only being valuble. The yellow matter is therefore carefully washed 

 away. To effect this, the safflower is put into canvas bags, 4 Ibs, in a bag, and those 

 bags put into running water and occasionally trodden upon till the water runs off 

 perfectly colourless from them. 12 of these bags are then emptied into a cask with 

 90 gallons of water and 10 quarts of pearlash liquor at 24 T., stirred up for 2 hours 

 after standing all night, drain off the liquor, add 90 gallons more water and 3 pints of 

 pearlash liquor ; stir up well, and after standing for three hours, drain off again ; this 

 weak liquor is saved for putting on fresh safflower : about 30 gallons of the safflower 

 solution is put in a tub mounted with a wince over it, and a mixture of vinegar and 

 lime-juice is added to it till it is feebly acid to test-paper. The carthamic acid, a rod 

 colouring matter of safflower, is thus precipitated, and remains as an exceedingly fine 

 j\wder in suspension in the liquid; 2 pieces of 30 yards of velvet are put in and 

 winced backwards and forwards five times, then wound upon the reel and allowed to stay 

 there half an hour, then wince five times more, wind up again and let stay half an hour ; 

 wince again five times and wind up again ; run off the liquor and put in 30 gallons oi 

 fresh liquor and acid as before ; repeat the process wincing three times of five ends each, 

 and letting lie wound on the reel half an hour each time ; then take out and wince in 

 very dilute acetic acid, hydro-extract, and dry. The pieces when wound on the reel 

 should be opened out flat or they might be uneven. Carthamic acid, being of a 

 resinous nature, has the property of attaching itself to cloth, and dyeing it a beautiful 

 pink like the petals of a rose : this dye is very fugitive, strong sunlight even being 

 injurious to it. There has been no way yet discovered of making it permanent. 



MTTBEXIDE. The purpurate of ammonia, or murexide, was discovered by Liebig 

 and Wohler in 1838, and in its pure state is one of the most beautiful products oi 

 chemistry. It is a crystalline substance of a beautiful metallic green, like the wings 

 of the cantharides fly, and is produced when uric acid is dissolved in dilute nitric acid, 

 the solution evaporated somewhat, and ammonia added ; from the beautiful crimson 

 liquid, murexide crystallises. This substance had, until a short time ago, no practical 

 application. M. Albert Schlumberger discovered that metallic insoluble salts, pos- 

 sessing all the brilliancy of the original substance, could be made ; and this fact was 

 soon applied to a practical use by the French chemists, who succeeded in fixing a 

 beautiful murexide crimson upon cotton cloth. The process was patented in this 

 country for French interests in February 1857, and was for some time in extensive 

 use. The process is as follows : 



Print in the colour. 



No. 227. 1 gallon water, 4 Ibs. nitrate of lead, 1 Ib. murexide, l Ib. starch ; boil. 

 After printing, hang a few hours, then run through a cistern with rollers above and 

 below, and provided with a cover, through apertures in which the pieces enter and 

 leave. This cistern is kept supplied with ammoniacal gas ; on leaving this cistern they 

 pass into water, and from that into a cistern charged with 2 Ibs. bichloride of mercury, 

 4 Ibs. acetate of soda, i Ib. acetic acid, 80 gallons water ; run very slowly through this, 

 wash and dry. In the first operation purpurate of lead is formed on the cloth, and 

 in the second, or changing bath, the lead is wholly or partly removed, and oxide of 

 mercury left in its space ; the resulting lake is a colour of great brilliancy and purity, 

 so much so that few of the ordinary colours will bear to bo looked at along with it. 

 Though perfectly fast as to soap, it appears that strong sunlight is rather injurious to 

 its permanency. 



This colour is now of historical interest only, aniline magenta having entirely 

 rendered it obsolete. 



A few outline illustrations of the various madder styles will render them more clear. 



1 a. Black, 2 reds, purple and brown on white ground. Print by machine in 

 colours 4, 6, 6, 9, 27, (No. 12 shade) and 18; age 3 nights ; fly-dung at 160 F., 

 second dung at 150 F., wash and dye with French or Turkey madder, bringing to 

 boil in If hour, and boiling hour; wash and soap twice at 180 F., wash ; chlorido- 

 of-lime bath (see No. 1 plate purples), wash and dry. 



1 b. Black, red, white and brown figures, covered in purple. Print in coloiirs, 

 4, 11, 34, and 18 ; when dry, cover with a fine pattern in 27, (12 shade) ; age 3 nights ; 

 fly dung at 170 F., second dung at 160 F. ; wash, dye, and clean as 1 a. 



1 c. Print in colours 6, 7 (No. 3 shade), 34; dry and cover in 7, (6 shade) and blotch 

 (or pad with a roller engraved with a pin, which lias the effect of giving a uniform 

 shade) in 7 (10 shade) ; age three nights, and treat as described under the head Swiss 

 Pinks. 



I d. Some printers prefer to mordant for Swiss pinks with alkaline mordants, con- 



