SILK. 



requires a great deal of attention ; for there are feme worms 

 more lazy than others ; and it is very dangerous waiting till 

 they make themfelves a paffage, which ufually happens 

 about the fifteenth day. 



The firft, fined, and ttrongeft balls are kept for the 

 breed ; the reft are carefully wound. If there be no more 

 than can be well wound at once, they lay them for fome 

 time in an oven, moderately hot, or elfe expofe them, for 

 feveral days fucceffively, to the greateft heats of the fun, in 

 order to kill the infeft ; which, without this precaution, 

 would not fail to open itfelf a way to go and ufe ihofe new 

 wings abroad, which it has acquired within. Ordinarily, 

 they only wind the more perfeA balls. Thofe that are 

 double, er too weak, or too coarfe, are laid afide ; not as 

 altogether ufelefs, but that, being improper for winding, 

 they are referved to be drawn out into (lieins. The balls 

 are of different colours ; the mod common are yellow, 

 orange-colour, ifabella, or flefh-colour. There are fome 

 alfo of a fea-green, others of a fulphur-colour, and others 

 white ; but there is no necelTity for feparating the colours 

 and Ihades, to wind them apart, as all thefe colours are to 

 be loft in the future fcouring and preparing of the filk. 



Silk, ManufaSure of. In England, where filk is not 

 produced in any quantities to be employed by the manufac- 

 turer, he muft commence his operations upon the raw filk, 

 with no other preparation than that of being wound off into 

 flceins or hanks from the balls, or cocoons, which the filk- 

 worms form. 



In this ftate the filk is imported from thofe countries 

 where it is produced, as Italy, Flandel-s, Spain, Portugal, 

 Turkey, the Eaft Indies, and China. A thread of this 

 raw filk, drawn from the fl<ein, is found to be compofed 

 cf an affemblage of feveral of the fine fibres or threads 

 produced by the worms ; the fibres being united together 

 by a natural gum, which is in the filk, and which is foluble 

 in the hot water in which the cocoons are immerfed when 

 the filk is wound off. 



To prepare this raw filk for ufe, it is wound from 

 the fkeins upon bobbins ; the compound thread is then 

 twilled, to unite the conitituent fibres more firmly than 

 they can be by the gum alone ; and afterwards, being 

 wound again upon frefh bobbins, two or three threads 

 are twifted together to produce a ftronger thread, fit for 

 the vireaver, who warps and finally weaves the filk into 

 various articles of ornaments or utility, by proceffes very 

 fimilar to the weaving of cotton or linen, but more delicately 

 condufted. 



In the countries where the filk is produced, the manu- 

 facture may be more properly faid to commence with the 

 operation of winding or reehng off the threads into flieins 

 from the cocoons, or balls, in which the worms envelope 

 themfelves. Thefe balls become an article of trade, as foon 

 as the infeft within them is killed by expofing them to heat, 

 either of the fun, or in an oven, or by the fteam of boiling 

 water ; and, in general, the breeders of filk-worms fell them, 

 in this ftate, to perfone who make a bufinefs of the opera- 

 tion of winding. In Piedmont, wiiere capital filk is pro- 

 duced, it is condufted, as follows, by the aid of the filk 

 reel rcprefented in Plate Silk Manufacture, Jig. i. 



The balls are thrown into hot water, contained in a copper 

 bafin or boiler, A, which is about eighteen inches in length 

 and fix deep, fet in brick-work, fo as to admit a fmall char- 

 coal fire beneath it ; or if a fire of wood is intended to be 

 made, the fire-place muft have a fmall flue or chimney of 

 iron plate to carry off the fmoke. At the fide of the boiler 

 is placed the reel, which is very fimple. B B marks the 

 wood-framing which futtains its parti ; thefe are, the reel D, 



1 6 



upon which the filk is wound ; the layer a, which direfts th- 

 thread upon it ; and the wheel-work b c, which gives motion 

 to the layer. The reel, D, is nothing more than a wooden 

 fpindle, turned by a handle at the end ; and within the frame, 

 at each end, it has four arms mortifed into it, to fupport 

 the four battens or rails on which the filk is wound. The 

 rails are parallel to the axis, and at fuch a diftance, that 

 they will form a proper-fized flvein by the winding of the 

 filk upon them, (it is ufually a yard for each revolution.) 

 One of each of the four arms is made to fold in the middle 

 of its length with hinges, fo as to caufe the rail, which thefe 

 two arms fupport, to fall in or approach the centre, and 

 thus diminifh the fize of the reel, and admit the fkeins of 

 filk to be taken off at the end of the reel when the winding 

 is finilhed. 



Upon the end of the wooden fpindle of the reel, and 

 within the frame B, is a wheel of twenty-two teeth, to give 

 motion to another wheel, c, which has about twice the num- 

 ber of teeth, and is fixed upon the end of an inclined axis, 

 c h ; this, at the oppofite end, carries a wheel, b, of twenty- 

 two teeth, which gives motion to an horizontal cog-wheel 

 of thirty-five teeth. This wheel turns upon a pivot fixed 

 in the frame, and has a pin fixed in it, at a diftance from 

 the centre, to form an excentric pin or crank, and give a 

 backward and forward motion to the flight wooden rail or 

 layer a-, which guides the threads upon the reel : for this 

 purpofe, the threads are paffed through wire-loops or eyes, 

 a, fixed into the layer, and the end thereof oppofite the 

 wheel and crank, b, is fupported in a mortife or opening 

 made in the frame, B, fo that the revolution of the crank 

 will caufe the layer to move, and carry the threads alter- 

 nately towards the right or left. There is likewife an iron 

 bar, e, fixed over the centre of the boiler at e, and pierced 

 with two holes, through which the threads pafs to guide 

 them. 



To defcribe the operation of reeling, it fhould be under- 

 ftood, that if the thread of each ball or cocoon was reeled 

 feparately, it would be totally unfit for the purpofes of 

 the manufafturer ; in the reeling, therefore, the ends or 

 threads of feveral cocoons are joined, and reeled together 

 out of warm water, which foftens their natural gum, and 

 makes the fibres ftick together, fo as to form one Itrong 

 fmooth thread ; and as often as the thread of any fingle 

 cocoon breaks or comes to an end, its place is fupplied by 

 a new one, fo that by continually keeping up the fame 

 number, the united thread may be wound to any length. 

 The fingle threads of the newly added cocoons are not 

 joined by any tie, but fimply laid on the compound thread, 

 to which they will adhere by their gum ; and their ends are 

 fo fine, as not to occafion the leaft perceptible unevennefs 

 in the place on which they are laid. 



The woman who condufts the reeling is feated before the 

 bafin A, and employs a boy or girl to turn the handle of 

 the reel : a fire is lighted beneath the bafin A ; and when 

 the water becomes nearly boiling hot, fhe throws into the 

 bafin two or three handsful of cocoons, and leaves them 

 fome minutes, to foften that natural gum with which the filk 

 is impregnated ; then (he ilirs up orbrufhes the cocoons with 

 a wifli of birch or of rice-ftraw, about fix inches long, cut 

 ftumpy, like a worn-out broom ; the loofe threads of the co- 

 coons ftick to the wifli, and are drawn out : fhe then difen- 

 gages thefe threads from the wiflc, and by drawing the ends 

 through her fingers, cleans them from that loofe filk which 

 always furrounds the cocoon, till they come off entirely 

 clean : this operation is called la battue : and when the threads 

 are quite clean, fhe paffes four or more of them, if fhe in- 

 tends to wind fine filk, through each of the hales in the thin 



iron 



4 



