T8 REELING SILK. 



a small furnace, raised to near a boiling heat. 

 precise degree of temperature cannot be determined 

 until the reeling is begun, as different compositions of 

 silk, require different degrees^of heat in reeling. If 

 on trial the water is found too hot or too cold, it may 

 be varied by increasing the fire or adding cold waten 

 If the water is too hot they furze out in unwinding. 

 A little experience on this point, will enable the reel- 

 er to keep the water at the proper temperature. 



The reeler having placed her basin of water on the 

 furnace and provided herself with a small whisk of 

 broom corn, or sharp twigs, she throws in a handful 

 of cocoons and presses them under the water for two 

 or three minutes, in order to soften the gum of the 

 silk, and thereby loosen the ends of the filaments. 

 She then stirs the cocoons with the end of the whisk 

 as lightly as possible, until one or more of the fibres 

 adhere to it. She then lays aside the whisk and 

 draws the fibre towards her until it comes off clean 

 from the floss and the fine silk begins to appear. 

 She then breaks off the thread, and collecting the floss 

 first taken off puts it aside. She then applies the 

 whisk again, to get hold of the fine fibres. This oper- 

 ation is repeated until a sufficient number are collect- 

 ed to form a thread of the intended size. She then 

 unites the fibres, and passing the thread through the 

 guides, attaches it to one of the arms of the reel.^ 

 Another thread is in like manner to be prepared and 

 passed through the other guides, and attached to the 

 reel when two skeins are intended to be wound. 



Both threads being fastened to the reel, it is turned 

 with a regular but slow motion, until the threads are 

 found to run freely, when it may be more rapidly 

 turned. If it happens, as it often will, that some of 



