REELING. 



95 



by being too far dissolved, causes the silk to come off 

 unequally. 



The filaments as they are wanted, are lightly thrown 

 upon the thread that is winding, and being gently rolled 

 with the thumb and finger, a union is effected. The 

 skin of the fingers should be smooth, or made so by 

 rubbing with sand paper. 



It is of some importance that the water employed for 

 reeling, should be what is usually called soft water, as 

 this more readily dissolves the gum, and prevents the 

 breaking of the filaments. It should be either rain 

 water, water from slow streams, or from ponds. 



If the water be too hot, the lustre of the silk will be 

 injured, particularly of the white silk ; so says M. Bene- 

 zech in his instructions to M. Amans Carrier. Nay 

 more ; if the the water be too hot, the thread will prove 

 dead, as it is technically termed, and without firmness. 

 Therefore the proper temperature of the water is not of 

 more consequence to the facility of the reeling, than to 

 the good quality of the silk. But should the heat of the 

 water be deficient, the ends of the filaments will not be 

 well joined, and the silk will be harsh. 



Sometimes the whole thread is broken by knobs ob- 

 structing its passage through the guides, or by an irreg- 

 ular and jerking movement of the reel. But in this 

 case the silk must never be joined by a knot, it is suffi- 

 cient that the parts be brought together, and united by 

 slightly twisting. 



Silk may be wound of any size, but it is difficult to 

 unite more than thirty filaments in one thread. The 

 art consists in preserving an even thread ; a thing only 

 to be attained by practice, since in the same cocoon the 

 fibres diminish, growing continually finer to the end; 

 and the united thread which is formed of three new and 

 two half-wound cocoons, is considered equal to the silk 

 of four cocoons. With the exception of the silk formed 

 of two cocoons, other silks are not distinguished, other 

 than as silk of three to four, or four to five, or five to 



