1^ CALICO PRINTING. 



and the whole cloth afterwards dyed with mad- 

 der and bleached, tlie pattern will appear in 

 red and brown. 



The mordants are applied to the cloth either by 

 a pencil, or by means of blocks on which the pat- 

 tern is cnt. Care must be taken that the printing 

 from the block does not spread, or that the impres- 

 sions from the several blocks do not interfere with 

 one another when more than one is apphed. For 

 this purpose it is necessary, that the substance used 

 as mordants should have a degree of consistence 

 that may prevent them ft'om spreading. Flour 

 paste, or starch, is mixed with the mordant when it 

 is applied by blocks, and gum arable when it is 

 but on by a pencil. This thickening reqiiires exact- 

 ness : if too little is used, the pattern will spread ; 

 and, if too much, the cotton will not receive a suf- 

 ficient quantity of the mordant, and will take the 

 dye imperfectly. 



In order that the impression given by the blocks 

 with the mordant may be seen easily before it is 

 dyed, the mordant is tinged with some colouring 

 matter that wdll not remain fixed. Decoction of 

 Brazil-wood is used for this purpose. 



Before printing, the cotton cloth is well bleached 

 and calendered, and laid smooth on a table : the 

 blocks are applied by hand, and struck with a 

 mallet. The cotton is then dried well in a room 

 with a stove, which not only fixes the mordant 

 more securely, but drives off part of the acetous 

 acid from its base, by which the mordant will com- 

 bine in a greater proportion, and more intimately 

 with the cloth. 



To discharge the paste and gum used with the 

 mordant, the cloth is next to be washed with warm 



