PRINTING ON CALICO. 



pofTelTes, viz. that fhould it be neceflary to pad a piece in 

 diluted acetate of alumine to obtain a pale lemon ground, 

 the yellow figures, previoufiy done by the above procefs, 

 will not give out any part of their colour to the fecond 

 mordant ; whereas, whenever a ftrong yellow has been pro- 

 duced in the common way, the pattern is very apt to fpread 

 and become irregular, and oftentimes To ftain the ground, 

 when the piece comes a fecond time into the acetate of 

 alumine. 



Obferving that the treatife from which we have made 

 fuch copious extracts, contains no particular direftions for 

 the preparation of that fuperior kind of calico-printing 

 called chintz -work, we applied to Mr. Parkes upon the 

 fubjeft, and he has furnifhed us with an original communi- 

 cation to fupply that deficiency, which is as follows : 



The term chintz-work is defcriptive of that kind of 

 cahco-printing which is employed for beds, window-cur- 

 tains, and other furniture, and it differs more in the richnefs 

 and variet) of the colours, than in any other circumftance. 



In relating the procefTes by which thefe beautiful prints 

 are produced, we fhall fuppofe the calico to be already pro- 

 perly bleached and calendered, ready to receive the impref- 

 fions of the block. The firll thing then to attend to is, to 

 apply the mordant for the colour which is intended to be 

 imparted in the firit inflance. Thus if a black be defigned, 

 a mordant of acetate of iron, commonly called iron liquor, 

 is thickened with gum, and printed upon the cloth in any 

 pattern that may have been felecled for the purpofe. If 

 this fame mordant be diluted with water, it will form a pro- 

 per mordant for a purple ; and the fame. Hill further 

 diluted, will, when it comes into the dyeing copper, form a 

 lilac. In this way, all the varieties of fhades, from a pale 

 lilac to a flrong purple, and from purple to a black, may 

 be produced by acetate of iron diluted with various pro- 

 portions of water, and then dyed with madder. 



In like manner, a colourlefs folution of acetate of alumine 

 thickened with gum or flour pafle, forms a mordant for 

 dark red ; if diluted with water it makes a common red ; 

 and by diluting it further and further every fhade of pink 

 may be produced. Again, by the admixture of acetate of 

 iron, and acetate of alumine, a mordant for chocolate 

 colours, maroons, &c. is formed, either approaching to the 

 purple or the red, according to the admixture ; that is, ac- 

 cording to the proportion of either of thefe original mor- 

 dants which may predominate in the mixture. 



When thefe feveral mordants have been printed upon the 

 calico, they are allowed to dry for two days or more in a 

 flove or drying-houfe ; they then go through the operation 

 of dunging, which conlills in rinfmg them in warm water, 

 in which a little cow-dung is diffufed, as has been already 

 defcribed. When the pieces are fufficiently dunged, which 

 is not the cafe till all the fuperabundant mordants are re- 

 moved, they are well-v.afhed in clean water, and then boiled 

 in a decoftion of madder, until the madder-bath is ex- 

 haufted. In confequence of different mordants having been 

 applied to the cloth, this one boiling in the madder-liquor 

 will at once produce all the colours above-mentioned. 

 When the pieces are thus dyed, they are to be rinfed in 

 cold water, and laid upon the grafs to bleach. B) this 

 expofure to the air for a few days, the whole of the ground 

 to which none of the mordants had been applied, will 

 become perfeftly white. 



The procefTes which have now been detailed, will pro- 

 duce what is called common chintz-work ; but if it be 

 defired to make the goods flill richer, by the addition of 

 yellows, bright ohves, drabs, &c. the cloth muft undergo 

 another feries of operations, which may thus be defcribed. 



Vol. XXXIX. 



Upon thofe parts of the calico which flill remain white, 

 any of the above mordants may be printed, according to 

 the efteft defigned to be produced, after which all the pre- 



that inflead 

 be immerfed 



. ■ , , • • arm decoftion 



ol quercitron bark, the Querais nigra of Linnsus ; a mofl 

 important dye-wood, introduced by Dr. Bancroft, and 

 which is found to give out a much brighter colour to iepij 

 water, than it does when treated with ioi/ing water, or with 

 water nearly approaching to that temperature. 



The effecl produced upon thefe prints by an immerfion 

 in a lukewarm decoftion of this American bark, will be 

 quite different from that produced by the madder ; upon 

 thofe parts of the cloth where the mordants have been 

 printed which before produced a black, a dark olive only will 

 be apparent, and inflead of pompadours will be drabs, and 

 inflead of reds we fiiall have yellows, which will vary in 

 intenfity according to the ftrength of the aluminous mor- 

 dant. 



Again, a further variety may be given to thefe prints, if 

 the yellow mordant, or acetate of alumine, be applied to 

 any of the colours which have already been dyed with mad- 

 der ; but this mull be done before the pieces are immerfed 

 in the decoftion of bark. This application will convert 

 the reds and pinks into different (hades of oranges, and the 

 hlacs into cinnamon colours. By means of thefe different 

 procefTes an endlefs variety may be given to the goods, and 

 a calico-printer of tafte will never be at a lofs how to pro- 

 duce a pleafing effect, whatever may be the patterns which 

 he has to imprint upon the cloth. This fecond immerfion 

 in the dyeing veffel will, however, give a yellow tinge to 

 the remainder of the whites, but a fhort expofure on the 

 grafs will obliterate it. 



When chintz furniture-prints are defigned to have as 

 much variety of colouring as poffible, a part of the remain- 

 ing white is often coloured blue or green, or of any fhade 

 between thofe colours, by a flill different procefs. This is 

 done with what is called pencil-blue, which is a preparation 

 that has already been defcribed. The blue is given by put- 

 ting in the prepared indigo with a pencil ; and the green is 

 produced by pencilling fome of the fame colour over certain 

 parts of the pattern which has already been dyed yellow. 

 When thefe colours have been imparted, the printing is faid 

 to be finiflied, and the pieces are hung up to dry for at 

 leafl twenty-four hours, after which they are rinfed tho- 

 roughly in cold water ; and when they have been dried with 

 care, they are properly calendered and put up for fale. 



Nothing now remains but to notice an improvement 

 which has been made of late years by the introduction of 

 cylinder-printing, and which has the advantage of fuperior 

 accuracy and neatnefs, as well as of great expedition. 



The machines which effedt this are rather complicated 

 and expenfive ; but they are fo contrived that the cylinders 

 on which the patterns are engraved, furnifh themfelves with 

 colour during their revolutions ; are kept clean by a fleel 

 knife, or JoSor as it is called, paffmg over their furfaces 

 the moment they have chai-ged themfelves with the thickened 

 colour ; and they have fuch a preffure given to them, 

 either by means of fcrews or levers, which can be tightened 

 or flackened at pleafure, that the whole furface can be 

 made to dcpofit its colouring matter with the greatefl cer- 

 tainty and exadlnefs on the cloth, while this rolls over it in 

 fuccefiion, from one end of the piece to the other. 



Thefe cylinders, which are made of copper, are from 



eighteen to forty -two inches in length, according to the 



width of the calico to be printed, and three and a half to 



4. I five 



