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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



STRETCHING CEOTH IN THE TENTER IN A MASSACHUSETTS PRINT WORKS 



After the cloth has been printed, it is thoroughly dried, and then filled with steam, so as 

 to make the colors "fast," or, paradoxically, to prevent them from "running." After that it 

 is washed and dried again, then starched. Following the starching, it is put into the tenter 

 frames. These are about one hundred feet long and have an endless chain on each side and 

 steam pipes underneath. In them the cloth is dried and stretched to a uniform width. 



are continuous, and to stop often means 

 waste. 



As the cloth comes from the looms it 

 has a loose fuzz all over the surface, and 

 if the operators tried to print on it in that 

 condition, they would get about the same 

 result that is secured when trying to 

 write on coarse, rough paper with a 

 sharp-pointed pen — the lin< adhering to 

 the pen causes the ink to spread and 

 make blotches. To oveicome this the 

 cloth is first put into a machine called 

 the "cotton shear." This acts like a lawn- 

 mower, clipping off all loose threads and 

 knots and trimming the edges. 



But still the lint adheres, and it must be 

 removed before the cloth is in condition 

 for printing. Whoever has watched a 

 housewife singeing a chicken after pick- 

 ing it can understand both the reason for 

 and the method of singeing the cloth. It 

 is passed around rollers and through a 



gas flame at just such a speed that will 

 allow the flames to burn off all the lint, 

 but will not let it scorch the cloth. 



From the singeing machine the cloth 

 next goes to the bleaching kettles — kiers, 

 as they are known in the print works. 

 Here it is boiled for about twelve hours 

 in a solution of caustic soda. Then it is 

 washed and soaked for several hours in 

 bins containing dilute acid, which takes 

 out iron rust, stains, etc. It next gets 

 another twelve hours of boiling, another 

 washing, and another trip through a so- 

 lution of bleaching powder. After that 

 it is put into a pit and allowed to steep 

 for several hours. 



The effect is similar to the sun-bleach- 

 ing on the grass out in the door yards of 

 our grandmothers. It becomes pure white 

 instead of dirty yellow, and more readily 

 absorbs the dye when it goes through the 

 printing machine. Once more it is washed 



