proportion of injurious salts, and weakening the forci 

 of the solvent. The proper proportions for this opera 

 tior^ as ascertained after many experiments on a largi 

 scale, are 7 or 8 Ibs. of water, to 1 of silk 1-12 

 1-6 is sufficient for the greater number of colors : for 

 yellow, unbleached silks, it is necessary to add from 50 

 to per cent. ; for unbleached white silks, 25 per 

 cent, of soap. The water being in the kettle, the door 

 f the furnace closed, leaving only a few live coals in 

 it, in order that the bath may be kept quite hot, bul 

 Vithout boiling ; for Dr. Bancroft says, that silk ought 

 never to be submitted to a boiling heat, either when 

 the mordant is applied, or afterwards in the dying op- 

 eration, as a high temperature, besides injuring the 

 texture and lustre of the silk, would detatch and sep- 

 arate the mordant, before the coloring matter could 

 have combined, and produced an insoluble union with 

 both. Those eminent French chemists Ttienard and 

 Roard, also confirm Mr. Bancroft's views. 



Whilst this bath is preparing, the hanks are to be put 

 upon the pegs or pins, and when the bath is ready, the 

 silk is to be put into it, and left therein, until all the 

 part dipped is wholly freed from its gum ; which will 

 be easily seen, by the v/hiteness and flexibility which 

 Ihe silk acquires when deprived of it. The hanks are 

 then placed again on the rods, to undergo the same op- 

 eration in the parts not yet steeped ; they are then to 

 !be taken out of the bath, in proportion as they are 

 found divested of their gum. 



The silk, thus ungummed, is to be wrung upon 

 the pins to remove the soap in it ; then to be dressed, 

 by being arranged upon the pins and upon the hands, 

 in order to disentangle it ; then a cord is to be run 

 through the hanks, to keep them down during the boil- 

 ing. About 8 or 9 hanks may be placed on a line. Af- 

 ter this the silks are to be put into bags of strong coarse 

 linen. These bags are to be put 14 or 15 inches wide 

 and 4 or 5 feet long, closed at both ends, but open 

 lengthwise. When the silk is put in them they mus 

 toe stitched up each bag will hold 30 Ibs. of silk. 



The silk thus bagged is to be submitted to a similar 

 oap bath, as above described, to undergo a boiling for a 

 quarter of an hour ; when it begins to boil over, it is 



to be checked by adding cold water. The bags during 

 boiling must be often stirred to prevent the silk from 

 burning. This operation is performed with silk intend- 

 ed lo remain white. 



BOILING SILK TO BE DYED WHITE. 



For boiling silks intended for common colors, 20 Ibs. 

 of soap to 100 Ibs. of raw silk. The process of boiling 

 the same, as the first described, with this difference 

 only, that as the silk is not to be freed from its gum, 

 the boiling is to be continued three hours and a half, 

 taking care to fill up from time to time with water. 



If the silks are intended to be dyed blue, or iron 

 gray, sulphur, or other colors, which require to be set 

 in a very deep white ground, in order to acquire the de- 

 sired beauty, there are to be used 30 Ib?. of soap to 100 

 Ibs. of silk, and the boiling to be continued three or 

 four hours. After being supposed to be boiled enough, 

 Jet the bags be raised with a stick, placed on a frame, 

 and examined if there be any parts where the liquid 

 ha not penetrated. This is easily ascertained by the 

 yellow and a certain kind of slime remaining on those 

 parts. Should this defect be discovered^ the bags of 

 silk must be again boiled until it be remedied. The loss 

 in boiling: is about one-fourth in weight. 



SULPHURING. 



The silks to be sulphured, should be extended on poles, 

 placed 7 or 8 feet from the ground, in a high apartment 

 without a chimney, where the air may freely circulate 

 by leaving the windows and door open. For every 100 

 Ibs. of silk, take 1 1-2 pounds of roll brimstone, put it 

 into an earthen pan or iron kettle, at the bottom of 



which a layer of ashes is to be placed ; pound the rolte 

 of brimstone coarsely ; then set fire to it and smoke 

 the silk during the night. The next day the door 

 and windows are to be opeaed, to let the smell of the 

 brimstone escape and dry the silk. If the silk should 

 not thus be dried, apply live coals in chaffing dishes or 

 some other convenience. 



ALUMING. 



After having washed the silks, and divested them of 

 the soap by giving them a boiling, pass a cord through 

 them as when they are to be boiled; then take 50 Ibs. of 

 alum, for 50 buckets of water (dissolve the alum first 

 in hot water,) stir it well on emptying the solution of 

 alum into the tub, and it will prevent congelation. 

 This bath will answer for 150 Ibs. of silk to be steeped 

 in it until the solution begins to have a fetid smell. The 

 silk should not be put in until it is perfectly cold. If 

 the alum water should appear too weak, more alum is 

 to be added. 



PROCESS OF DYING SILK. 



A HANDSOME YELLOW. 



^Note. The following receipts are proportioned to 10 

 Ibs. of silk previously boiled.] 



Take H Ib. of alum 



20 Ibs. common Lady's (St. Mary's) Thistle 



J Ib. wood ashes. 



Dissolve the alum in a kettle containing ten buckets 

 of water, pour the solution into a vat, fix your silk upon 

 ods, in the usual way, steep it in the solution, work it 

 well therein for an hour, take it out, and lay it aside 

 wet, for further use. 



This being done, put ten buckets of water in a kettle, 

 add the St. Mary's Thistle, and boil it well fora quarter 

 f an hour, run the decoction through a sieve into a 

 ail, to separate the coarse parts from it; let it cool, un- 

 il you will be able to bear your hands in it, steep the 

 silk in the liquor, work it well therein for half an hour; 

 then take it out, wring it, and lay it aside, in its wet 

 state for further use. 



The pails or vessels in which you dress the silk with 

 alum, and in which the liquor is, must be filled, and 

 kept full, during the process of working it, to within a 



few inches of the top; and. should there be occasion to 

 fill up, or to increase the quantity of liquor with water, 

 care must be taken not to make it too cool, but to pre- 

 serve, at all times, a degree of heat, in which the han4 

 can be barely held. While this is doing, the St. Mary's 

 thistle must be put into the kettle a second time, with 

 fresh water, and be boiled again. Then take out the 

 silk, dip out some of the liquor, in which you had pre-r 

 viously worked the silk, and add as much of the liquor 

 of the second boiling to it as Was taken therefrom, so 

 that the first quantity will be preserved. The liquor 

 must now, as well as each time before you steep the 

 silk in it, be stirred well; then steep the silk in the li- 

 quor again, and work it well therein for half an hour, 



The liquor may, in this latter process, be made a little 

 hotter than it was in the first; but be cautious not to 

 make it too hot, as the silk would be considerably in- 

 jured thereby. 



During this second process the wood ashes are to be 

 dissolved in a kettle, into which you have poured some 

 of the liquor of the second colouring, boiling hot; stir 

 ihe liquor and wood ashes well, and then let it settle. 

 This being done, pour some of the clear part of the so- 

 ution into the yellow liquor, after having first taken 

 out the silk, stir the whole of it well, steep the silk 

 n it again, and work it well therein during fifteen min- 

 utes. At the expiration of this time, or sooner, as you 

 may deem it necessary, take out a small quantity of the 

 silk, wring it, and examine whether it has retained the 

 required colour; should this not be the case, a small 

 [uantity of the solution of wood ashes must be added to 



