a^ 



SILK M ANU AL. 



taining a number of skeins tied together. The 

 hanks are then untied, and several of them bound 

 together in a bundle of convenient size. This is 

 done that the silk may be handled without becom- 

 ing entangled. The silk is then prepared for un- 

 gumming, which is done by putting it in strong 

 soapsuds. For every hundred pounds of silk take 

 thirty pounds of soap and dissolve it in water. 

 Cutting it into small slices will facilitate its solu- 

 tion. Some dyers consider fifteen pounds of soap 

 sufficient, and think more injures the lustre of tlie 

 silk. 



After the soap is dissolved the kettle is filled up 

 with fresh water, and placed over a moderate fire 

 until it rises to the highest possible degree short of 

 boiling heat — for should it boil it would injure 

 the silk by making it flossy. When the bath, or 

 suds, is ready, the hanks of silk dre immersed in 

 it, or such parts of them as the capacity of the ket- 

 tle will admit, and suffin-ed to remain until it is 

 freed from the gum, which is determined by the 

 whiteness and flexibility of the silk. This opera- 

 tion is repeated until all the parts of the hank have 

 been immersed. After the hanks have been un- 

 gummed, the soap and water is wrung out of them 

 and they are next to un 'ergo a process which is 

 called bagging. 



BAGGING SILK. 



To bag silk, bags of strong coarse linen are pre- 

 pared. They are about fifteen inches wide, and 

 four or five feet long, and closed at the ends, with 

 one side left open. These bags are filled with 

 hanks of silk, laid in lengthwise, and sewed up 

 with strong thread. These bags are put into a 

 bath, or suds, prepared in the same mann.e, and 

 with the same proportions as the former, and boil- 

 ed for fifteen or twenty minutes. When the suds 

 begins to boil over it must be checked by throw, 

 ing in a little cold water. While it is boiling if 

 must be stirred often to bring up to the surface 

 such bags as are at the bottom of the kettle, or it 

 will be liable to be burned. It will also produce 

 more uniformity in boiling. This operation, it 

 will be remembered, is to be performed when the 

 silk is to be left white. 



Silk intended for dyeing is boiled in the same 

 manner, with this difference : the silk is continued 

 boiling three or four hours, and the kettle occa- 

 sionally filled up with water. For common col- 

 ors, tvvenuy, instead of thirty pounds are used in 

 making the suds ; but if intended to be dyed 

 blue, iron gray, or other colors, thirty pounds is 

 used. 



After the silk is supposed to be thoroughly boil- 

 ed, the bags are carefully taken out of the kettle, 

 opened, and the silk examined. If any part re- 

 mains unboiled, it must be put in and boiled again. 

 This is ascertained by the yellow, and a certain 



kind of slime on such parts as have not been 

 boiled. 



A more simple method of ungumming silk, has 

 long been practised in Connecticut, and it will 

 doubtless answer every purpose, provided meas- 

 ures are taken to prevent its becoming entan- 

 gled. This method is to merely boil the silk in 

 water saturated with a small quantity of solt soap, 

 or the lie of common wood ashes. 



SULPHDRING SILK. 



W^hen it is desirable to give silk a peculiar 

 firmness, it is fumigated with brimstone. This 

 process is called sulphuring, and is thus perform- 

 ed: — A high studded room or garret, without a 

 fire place, but with doors and windows which 

 may be thrown open at pleasure for ventilation, is 

 chosen for the operation. The skeins of silk are 

 hung on poles suspended from above cords, at the 

 height of seven or eight feet froui the floor. For 

 every hundred pounds of silk, a pound and a half, 

 or two pounds of roll brimstome is procured, 

 placed in a chafing dish, and set on fire. The 

 doors and windows are then closed, as are also all 

 crevices through which the fumes of the brim- 

 stone might escape. In this situation it is left for 

 twelve or fifteen hours, generally through one 

 night, when the doors and windows are opened. 

 When the room is sufficiently ventilated to admit 

 of going into it, the silk is taken down. The pro- 

 cess is sometimes repeated on silk designed for 

 some uses, particularly azure whites. 



ALUMING SILK. 



When silk is to be dyed, it sometimes under- 

 goes a process which is called "aluuiing," which 

 is thus performed. A solution of alum water is 

 first prepared by dissolving forty or fifty pounds 

 of alum, in forty or fifty buckets full of water, or 

 in about the proportion of a pound to a bucket 

 full of water. The alum is dissolved in hot wa- 

 ter, and then poured into the tub, or other vessel 

 containing the cold wattM*. In doing this, care 

 must be taken to stir it briskly, so that it may 

 mix ; otherwise the coldness of the water might 

 produce a crystalization or congelation, as it is 

 termed by dyers. 



The skeins of silk, after being washed and freed 

 of the soap by beetling are strung together by a 

 cord, care being taken that the hanks be not too 

 much rolled up, or folded one upon another, and 

 steeped in the alum of water, for eight or ten 

 hours. They are then washed and wrung with 

 the hands over the tub, that the alum water may 

 not be lost. They are then raised in clean water 

 and beetled again when necessary. 



In aluming silk, especial care must be taken, 

 that the skeins are not put into the alum water 

 until it is cold, as a warm solution would destroy 

 the lustre of the silk. 



