MODE OP MAKING SEWING SILK, AND SILK TWI3T IK CON- 

 NECTICUT. 



Ths following is the method followed in Connecticut 

 as recommended to the secretary of the treasury by 

 Daniel Bulkley, Esquire. 



" The raw silk is first spooled on bobbins, the num- 

 ber of which is in proportion to the size of the intended 

 thread from the first spinning, and, to facilitate the op- 

 eration, they are put into warm water. The silk is 

 again spooled, taking two or three bobbins, according 

 to the size of the intended thread. After being spun, 

 it is reeled into skeins, each of forty yards in length, 

 or half a knot of the country reel, as required by a law 

 of the state. About twenty-five of these skeins are put 

 together, like a skein of cotton or woollen yarn. They 

 are then boiled, adding a small quantity of soft soap, or 

 ley of wood ashes, to cleanse them from the gum, they 

 are then ready for dying. 



Silk twist is spun in the same manner, except that it 

 is always of three cords. The winding of twist is done 

 on a machine imported from England." 



We have a small establishment for spinning by water, 

 with a machine similar to a throstle frame of a cotton 

 mil). The silk is first spooled by hand on bobbins, 

 which are placed on the top of the frame ; the thread 

 of raw silk passing from it under a wire through a 

 trough of water, then through rollers to the spindle. 

 A single frame may contain from thirty to fifty spin- 

 dles, and can be attended to by one person. The doub- 

 ling and twisting may be done by the same frame at 

 the same time, by giving the bands to a part of the 

 spindles of a contrary direction. As many threads are 

 put to a spindle as are required to make a thread of two 

 or three cords. Silk spun in this way is far superior to 

 that done by hand. The machine will spin from two to 

 three pounds in a day. A pound of silk after being spun 

 and cleansed will weigh about ten ounces, and form one 

 hundred and seventy skeins; the threads of sufficient 

 size to sew woollens. If spun finer, it would make 

 more. It increases little or nothing in weight when 

 dyed. Silk is sold by the skein ; one hundred of which 

 will measure one-third more than half a pound of 

 Italian, or English silk, of the same sized threads One 

 woman can make from twelve to fifteen pounds 

 of raw silk, in a season of six weeks." 



FREPARiTION OP WASTE SILK. 



" All the cocoons pierced by the moths ; those form- 

 ed with holes at one or both ends; the light cocoons 

 deemed improper for winding, after the insects have 

 rbeen cut out, or threshed out, and the pellicles remain- 

 ing after winding of the silk, are to be collected ; and 

 if it be wished to retain the yellow color, they are put 

 in a copper kettle with water, and trampled with the 

 feet; turning the cocoons, and adding a little fresh wa- 

 ter from time to time, until it be found that the silk 

 separates properly, upon tedding it out with the fin- 

 gers. They are then tied up in a clean cloth, which is 

 dipped in a clear stream, or water is poured on them, 

 until it runs off without color, and spread out to dry." 



WASTE WHITE SILK. 



" Waste silk intended to remain white, is to be treat- 

 ed in the following manner : 



Put the cocoons in a kettle of cold water, and let 

 them lie 24 hours : then boil them in a copper kettle, 

 adding a quarter of a pound of soap for every pound of 

 cocoons : when the soap is dissolved, tic up the cocoons 

 in a clean cloth, put it in a kettle, and boil until the 

 cocoons have become white. The water should entire- 

 ly cover the cloth ; then take out the cloth, and dip it 

 in a clear stream, or pour water on it till it comes off 

 clear ; then spread out the cocoons in the sun to 

 dry. 



ON SPINNING INFERIOR QUALITIES OF E1LK. 



In every filature, one or more reels are devoted to the 

 spinming with the carrelet, the inferior qualities of silk, 

 which cannot be spun on the common reel. The car- 

 relet, is thus described by M. Reynauld, of Paris. Tlce 

 frame is larger than the common silk reel, and has 

 commonly a wheel with four arms. The most essen- 

 tial difference in the frames, is that of the head pieces. 

 To these are added a board which carries two or four 

 bobbins. If there are only two, they are placed longi- 

 tudinally one above the other. If two threads are to 

 be wound at a time, two other bobbins are added, and 

 placed between the other two in the same position. Af- 

 ter the cocoons have been threshed, a number of the fi- 

 bres are collected to form a thread, which is passed 

 through one of the two eyes of the board of the bob- 

 bins, of the same form as that of the traversing bar of 

 the silk reel ; then it is wound round both bobbins at 

 the same time : being first carried to the first and re- 

 turning round the second, it passess between them, giv- 

 ing a twist to the part of the fibre which was extended 

 from one bobbin to the other. The spinner then takes 

 the same end, and passes it through the eye of the 

 traversing bar, and attaching it to the wheel, it is set 

 in motion. If it be wished to wind two skeins at one 

 time, a second thread is prepared, and attached to the 

 second pair of cylinders or bobbins, whence it passed 

 through the second eye of the traversing bar, and then 

 fixed to the wheel at a proprr distance from the first 

 end. 



The silk called /ram, which is slightly twisted, and 

 used for the filling of stuffs and for inferior silk for bon- 

 nets ; the dupions or double cocoons, are also reeled on 

 the carrelet in France. These latter require softening 

 in hot water five or six minutes. 



In France the coarse fibres taken off the cocoons and 

 laid aside, are called fantasie ; it is first boiled, then 

 carded and spun : the best of it is used for filling after 

 being slightly twisted.'a'nd the inferior for the chain of 

 stuffs. In' Connecticut ihe coarse thread of the cocoons 

 are made into a ball, then reeled, boiled in soap and 

 water, rinsed, dried, cut into one and a half inch pieces, 

 then carded on cotton cards and spun like wool or cot- 

 :on. 



The pointed cocoons, or such imperfect ones, as are 

 made by feeble worms, or in cold seasons, when the 

 .emperature of the apartment is not attended to, are 

 first deprived of their gum, by being immersed in wa- 

 ter, or soap and water, dried, and then spun upon the 

 wheel, and forms an even and fine thread. 



In Connecticut, family sewing silk is made from the 

 good cocoons, from which the moths have escaped. The 

 shrivelled case of the pupa, and any eggs which may 

 lave been deposited in the cocoon, are first taken out ; 

 .hey are then boiled in soap and water, rinsed, gently 

 iqueezed, dried, an'd spun on a foot wheel. Knitting 

 thread for stockings and mils, is ajso made from them. 

 They make the best sewingsilk, by doubling the thread, 

 reeled from cocoons and twisting it on the common 

 wheel. The skein is first boiled in soap and water, 

 and it lies on a dish containing enough soap-suds to keep 

 t moist, while the process of reeling is going on. 



To organzine silk. The thread is first twisted from 

 /ight to left. The silk in twisting, turns off on other 

 jobbins somewhat larger than the first. These bobbins 

 are then to be exposed to the stream of water, to which 

 have been added two ounces of white, or castile soap, 

 r the latter best,) 18 ounces of olive oil and four or five 

 pounds of wood ashes The bobbins are put in a kettle, 

 the bottom of which is pierced, and placed on the ves- 

 sel of water, when it boils with a cloth over it, and 

 permitted to remain until the silk begins to swell, and 

 to detach from the bobbins. They are then to be taken 

 away, and the second throw' or twist given to the 



