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the rcid, fo that the cloth may be perfefHy taftelcfs to the 

 tongue. It is a remarkable circumltaiice, that cloth may 

 remain immerfed a very confiderable time in a ilrong acid 

 liquor without rotting, but that if expofcd to the air or heat 

 of a ftove, if a very fmall portion of acidity remains in the 

 cloth, it becomes fo concentrated by heat, as to damage the 

 cloth immediately ; therefore too much attention cannot be 

 paid to this point. 



The ufe of the acid liquor above-mentioned is to diiTolve 

 any earthy or metallic matters inhertnt in the cloth, or 

 which may have been communicated to it accidentally, 

 or which it mav have derived from the impurity of the 

 allcali::e lalts uled in th.e bucking or boiling. 



A confiderable quantity of the acid liquor may be pre- 

 fervcd by palhng the goods which have been foured through 

 a tub of clean cold water, previous to wafhing them, and 

 replenllhiiig the four kettle with this acidulated liquor, rather 

 than water only. 



5th, IVaJ/jing. 

 After everv operation in which acids or alkaline fubftanccs 

 are ufed in blc iching, it is neceffary that the goods ftould 

 he well waflied in clear water ; it is therefore of the greateft 

 confcqutnce that the water of a bleach ground Ihould be 

 pure, and in confiderable quantities, fuch, for inllance, as is 

 perfectly tranfparent, will not curdle with ioap, nor yield 

 anv degree of blackntfs with powdered gall nuts, or, which 

 is a more accurate tell, with a tintlure of galls by infulion in 

 fpirits of wine. 



Various methods have been invented for the purpofe of 

 wafhing out the impurities of the articles to be bleached ; 

 fiich as cleanimg them in a large current of water by (baking 

 tliem with the hand in the llream, beating them on blocks of 

 wood with a flat paddle, or haiiJ-brufh, beating them on a 

 laiL'e fiat Hone with h)ng wooden levers, flatted underreath, 

 palling them over winches placed above veflels of water, or 

 nvers, as/^j. i. and ^. Plate II. pafling them betwixt plain 

 or fluted rollers, as /%. ^. and 6. putting them under fulling 

 tni'ls, or fulling ftocks, Zijig.'j. or within wafli-.vheels, as 

 Ji^: 1. av.d 2. and by many other modes, few of which are 

 equal, and perhaps none (uperior, to thofe of which enorav- 

 in.;sare here given, for doing the bufinefs firrply, effectually, 

 and with eaie to the workmen ; the latter point of which is 

 of confequence to be attended to, as it will be univerfally 

 found in every mechanical employment, that if the lead ad- 

 ditional labour or care is required from the workmen, how- 

 ever great the eittfts produced, prejudice or indolence will 

 prevent thtir doing juftice to the invention. Under thefe 

 circumilances, the walh-wheel reprefented in PlnteW. Jig. i, 

 3, 4, is the bell machine for general ufe, and the leall liable 

 to occafion damage to the goods. The front of the waih- 

 wheel reprefeiUed at A, fig. i. is fuppoled to be eight feet 

 diameter, exclulive of the buckets B, (hewn by dotted lines 

 on its periphery, which give it motion from the water falling 

 into them. This wheel is divided within into four pnrts or 

 quarters, by the Ilrong arms projefting from the fliafts D, 

 to the outer circle ; in each of thefe fepaiate quarters or boxes, 

 reprefented by dotted lines, one or more jjieces of goods 

 whicrt require wafliing, are put loofely folded together 

 through one of the holes C, of 14 inches diameter. 



Fig. 2. (hews the back part ot the (aid wa(h-whecl, which 

 is made of (olid planks, excepting a grate offiendcr iron bars 

 niarked R, which encircles the wheel underneath the fepa- 

 ration boards or bottoms of the buckets ; the ufe of this 

 grating is to admit within the wheel a current of clear water 

 from the pipe (^ When an equal number of piece goods have 

 been introduced into each of the four divilions ail the wheel 

 by the holes, C, &c. above mentioned, a current of clear water 



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is permitted to run through a cock from the pipe Q, agaiuft 

 the grating R, which allows it to flow tieely through into 

 the boxes, or thofe parts of the wheel wliich contain the 

 goods ; a valve is then opened from the trough P, commu- 

 nicating with a large relervoir or ftreaiu of water, a fiifiicient 

 quantity of which is let into the outlide buckets from the 

 valve, to give the proper motion to the walh-wheel contain- 

 ing tlie goods. In every revolution of the wheel, the goods 

 in each quarter of it are thrown twice, by the fimple motion 

 of the wheel, with great force againll the arms which form 

 the tour divifions of it; viz. once in going down, and once 

 in rifing up. The ear can diftingu'fli by the firmr.eis of the 

 found when the wheel moves with proper velocity ; and a 

 greater or lefs quantity of water is allowed to aft ;:pon the 

 buckets till that is attained, which ufually is when the wheel 

 makes 15 or 16 revolutions in a minute. -During the \\ hole 

 time the wheel is in motion, the ftream ot clear water from 

 the pipe Q^ flows upon the goods within the wheel in every 

 diredtion ; and the dirty water, produced from thus wafliing 

 the goods, runs out of the wheels from a nuirber of holes 

 bored through the wood-work near the axle, and a few made 

 ■in the front near the outer crcle of the wheel. Fig. 4. 

 fliews an end view of the wafh-uheel, about thirty iiicLes 

 wide, with the manner that the bucket-work is made 



It has been found toanfwer equally well to make ufe of a 

 greater number of wafli wheels of a fmaller iize, as lix feet 

 diameter and two feet wide, of which feveral may be put 

 in motion at once by a large water-wheel, horfes, or a llcam 

 engine. 



The goods, when taken out of the wafh-whcel, y.re to be 

 unfolded, and taken to tlie river to be llrcamcd, or may 

 be v."i(hed from any impurities which may ren:ain in the 

 folds by means of a winch N, Jig. i and 3. Plate II. where 

 fix pieces of cloth are rcprefeiiccd in the adion of walhing 

 in a large wooden back divided into fix partitions, to prevent 

 the pieces of goods entangling vvtli each other. Fig. i. is 

 a fide view of tlie operation, where the dotted lines reprtftnt 

 the partitions which ieparate the goods; I, a trundle wheel, 

 .which being put in motion by the cogs, H, of the wafli-wheel, 

 turns the winch on its axle, which winch may at any time 

 be detached from it by the handle M drawing the catch K 

 from the hook, as is (liewn in the top eiewjfg. 3. where alfo 

 is explained, at the letters OOOOOO, the manner in which 

 each piece of goods is kept in its proper place on the winch, 

 by the partiti. ns above mentiontel, and by angular flips of 

 wood nailed to the back and partitions. 



To affill the drying of the goods after wafhing, they are 

 ufually paffcd betwixt two fmall rollers, commonly called 

 fqncezers, reprefented at Jig, 5, where G is a folid wooden 

 frame, containing two wooden rollers, each from 10 to 16 

 inches long, on an iron axis, which rollers receive a pro"j>er 

 prefTure by means of the two fcrews T afling on an iron bar 

 V, w Inch rells on the two ends of the axis of the top roller, as 

 fhewn by the dotted lines. In proportion as the fcrews prefs 

 the iron bar upon the axle of the top roller, it brings that 

 roller clofer in contaft with the bottom roller, and occafions 

 more water to be preffed out of the cloth, which is pafftd 

 betwixt them loofely drawn together, fomething like a rope, 

 and the goods therefore require lefs time in the fubitqucut 

 drying. In this ph^te the Iqucezcrs are connetted with the 

 wafli-wheel above mentioned by a fquare iron focket, which, 

 as IS fhewn at F, Aides occallonally upon the fquares of both 

 axles. Fig. 4. fliews at S the buckets of the walli-wheel, on 

 which the water falls to give it motion ; H, the cogs round 

 its axle, which work the trundle wheel I. 



Fig. 6. P/ate II. fhews two views of another machine 

 ufed for cleanfing cotton goods, confilling of two fluted or 



grooved 



I 



