H4 ANIMAL PROTEINS 



out by hand. The wool is graded as it is pulled and different 

 qualities kept separate : ewe wool, lamb wool, hog wool, etc. 

 The hair is next removed from face and shanks by means 

 of a l)lunt " rubbing knife/' and the pelt then immersed in 

 water. 



In the other method of depilation, by painting, advantage 

 is taken of the loose texture of the sheepskin fibre and of 

 the fact that the wool root is nearly halfway through the 

 skin. The flesh side of the clean skin is painted with a 

 creamy mixture of lime in a strong solution of sodium 

 sulphide (i4-24 Beaume). Care is taken to keep the 

 depilatant off the wool. The skins are folded flesh to flesh 

 and left for a few hours or until next day before unwoolling, 

 according to the strength of the sulphide solution. The 

 depilatory action is entirely chemical, being due to the 

 solvent action of the sulphide on the hair root. The lime 

 is sometimes omitted. After pulling, the skins are opened 

 up and washed in fresh water. 



The various classes of wool are sold to the wool- stapler 

 and so to the woollen industry. As this is a mechanical 

 rather than chemical industry, its discussion is beyond the 

 scope of this volume. However unwoolled, the pelt still 

 needs further treatment by the fellmonger. It needs 

 liming and unhairing. This is done in the ordinary way in 

 pits of milk of lime, through which the goods pass from 

 old to new limes in the course of about a week. This 

 plumps the fibres, separates the fibrils and kills the grease. 

 Paddles are used also to save handling. Shearlings are 

 sometimes limed 9-14 days and unwoolled without sweating 

 or painting. After liming the skins are unhaired and fleshed, 

 and placed in clean strong limes until sold to the tanner. 



Sheepskin pelts are sometimes preserved by pickling. 

 This consists in placing them first in a solution of sulphuric 

 acid (about f per cent.) together with some common salt. 

 The pelts swell up and imbibe the acid solution. They 

 are then placed in saturated brine, which causes a very 

 complete repression of the swelling, the pelts being apparently 

 leathered. In this condition or partly dried out they may 



