1046 TURKEY RED 



French were also the first to dye pieces with this colour, the arc having previously 

 been applied merely to the dyeing of yarn. The first establishments for dyeing this 

 colour in Great Britain were founded and conducted by Frenchmen. At the present 

 day Turkey-red dyeing is carried on in various parts of France and Switzerland, at 

 Elberfeld in Germany, in Lancashire, and at Glasgow. 



Turkey-red dyeing is essentially distinguished from other dyeing processes by the 

 application previous to dyeing of a peculiar preparation consisting of fatty matter 

 combined with other materials. Without the use of oil or some fatty matter it 

 would be impossible to produce this colour, of which indeed it seems to form an essen- 

 tial constituent. If the colour of a piece of Turkey-red cloth be examined in the 

 manner described under MADDER, it will be found to consist of red colouring- 

 matter and fat-acid, combined with alumina and a little lime. The colouring-matter 

 thus obtained is so little contaminated with impurities as to appear on evaporating its 

 alcoholic solution in yellowish-red crystalline needles. What part the fat-acid plays, 

 whether it merely serves to give to the compound of colouring-matter and alumina 

 the power of resisting the action of the powerful agents used after the operation of 

 dyeing, or whether it also modifies and imparts additional lustre to the colour itself, is 

 quite unknown. The formation of this triple compound of colouring-matter, fat-acid, 

 and alumina, seems at all events to be the final result which is attained. Nevertheless, 

 this apparently simple result can only be arrived at by means of a long and compli- 

 cated process, each step of which seems to be essential for its final success. The 

 details of the process vary considerably both in their nature and number, in different 

 countries and different dyeing establishments. They may, however, be described in 

 general terms as follow : 



The goods, after being passed through a soap-bath or weak alkaline lye, are oiled. 

 For this purpose a mere impregnation with oil would not be sufficient. The oil must 

 be mixed with a solution of carbonate of potash or soda, to which there is often added 

 a quantity of sheep- or cow-dung, the ingredients being well mingled, so as to form a 

 milky liquid or emulsion. Olive or Gallipoli oil is the kind generally used, and an 

 impure, mucilaginous oil is preferred to one of a finer quality. Drying oils are not 

 adapted for the purpose. In this liquid the goods are steeped for a short time, so as 

 to become thoroughly impregnated with it. In the case of pieces the liquid is 

 generally applied by means of a padding machine. After being taken out of this 

 liquid the goods are often left to lie for some days in heaps, and if the weather is fine, 

 they are then exposed on the grass to the action of the air ; otherwise, they must be 

 hung up in a hot stove. This process of steeping and exposing to the air is repeated 

 a number of times, until the fabric is thoroughly impregnated with fatty matter. 

 During this part of the process there can be no doubt that the oil undergoes a 

 partial decomposition and oxidation, so as to become capable of uniting, on the one hand, 

 with the vegetable fibre, and, on the other hand, with the colo\iring-matter, with 

 which it is subsequently brought into contact. The dung, by inducing a state of fer- 

 mentation among the ingredients probably promotes the decomposition of the oil into 

 fatty acid and glycerine, and the alkali serves to convey the fatty acid into every part 

 of the fabric, and to assist in its oxidation on exposure to the air. The process of 

 oxidation which takes place is sometimes so active as to produce spontaneous com- 

 bustion of the goods in the stove. It might be supposed that by previously saponifying 

 the oil, impregnating the goods with the soap, and after sufficient exposure, decom- 

 posing the latter by means of an acid, the same object might be more easily attained 

 than by the long process usually employed. This is, however, not the case, which 

 proves that we are still ignorant of the exact chemical nature of the change which 

 takes place during the oiling process. The supposition formerly entertained, that the 

 effect of the oiling consisted in a so-called animalisation of the vegetable fibre, is quite 

 untenable. In some establishments, the goods, after being oiled and stoved, are passed 

 through a bath of very dilute nitric acid, and then exposed to the air before being oiled 

 again, the process being repeated after every oiling. The nitric acid is supposed to 

 contribute to the oxidation of the oil. Several years ago a patent was taken out by 

 Messrs. Mercer and Greenwood for preparing the oil, previous to its being applied to 

 the cotton, by treating it with sulphuric acid, and then with chloride of soda, but 

 their invention, though apparently of some importance, has not generally been adopted 

 by Turkey-red dyers. 



After being oiled, the goods are steeped for some hours in a weak tepid solution of 

 carbonate of potash or soda. This operation, which is called by the French dtgraissage, 

 serves to remove the excess of fatty acid, or that portion which has not thoroughly 

 combined with the vegetable fibre. The liquid thus obtained is carefully preserved 

 for the purpose of being mixed with the liquid used for the oiling of fresh goods, the 

 quality of which it serves to improve. 



To this operation succeeds that of galling and mordanting. The goods, aft? r 



