PREPARATrON OF CATCLT. 225 



easily cleaned from fat ; but then the workman must be more than 

 ordinarily attentive ; and the different lyes for the washings must 

 be made stronger with alkali, and applied more quickly, hi win- 

 ter, all goes on in better order, and the operation is more certain. 

 The manufacturers of this article generally place their workshops 

 in cool places, where there is a little dampness. 



The intestines being now ready to be twisted, they are taken out 

 of the alkaline solution. Some manufacturers plunge them again 

 into fresh water, and wash them well therein ; but, although they 

 become, by this method, of a better color, and take the sulphur 

 better, they run the risk of being weakened. 



To twist and finish the cords, a machine is used—a kind of 

 frame, two feet high, and tive feet long ; on one end of which are 

 placed a number of pegs ; and in the opposite end are bored, with 

 a large auger, a number of holes, inclined in such a way, that when 

 pegs are placed in them, to attach the cords to, they may not be 

 liable to slip and come out. The intestines are now selected ac- 

 cording to their size ; and two or three of them are taken, and the 

 ends twisted round one of the pegs first placed ; and the other 

 ends are carried to the opposite ones, and attached to them. Two 

 turns of the intestines around the peg are sufficient to prevent their 

 slipping. When fixed to the pegs, they must not be drawn tight ; 

 as they would be subject to snap during the twisting, if sufficient 

 play were not given to them for that operation. 



If any of the intestines should be found too short to reach th» 

 opposite side of the frame, they must be lengthened, by pieces cut 

 off any others which may be too long 5 and care must be taken to 

 make the ligature near the last-placed peg, to preserve the cord of 

 an equal size in its whole length ; as otherwise it would be false in 

 its tone. 



The frame being filled up in the manner we have described, two 

 or three of the pegs, bearing one end of the intestines, are fixed to 

 spindles, if the machine contains several, and turned round several 

 times ; passing the finger and thumb of the left hand frequently 

 from one end of the cord to the other, beginning at the spindle. 

 When all the cords have undergone this operation, and the pegs 

 are all replaced, the whole frame is placed in the sulphuring closet, 

 with several others ; as it would not be worth while to sulphur 

 one at a time. 



The sulphuring closet is placed in a damp place, surrounded as 

 much with water as possible. An earthern vessel, containing the 

 sulphur, is placed in it, with the frames ; the sulphur is then set on 

 fire, and the closet well closed in every part, to confine the fumes. 

 When the cords have remained a sufficient time — which, of course, 

 varies in some measure, according to circumstances — the frames 

 are taken out, and placed on the refresher, and rubbed with a 

 horse-hair cloth. This done, they are again placed in the frame, 

 twisted anew, and returned to the sulphuring closet, to undergo 

 the same process as before. If the state of the atmosphere require 

 29 Vor,. J. 



