T H E G E 1 T \ C E N T E R L I B R A R Y PRACTICAL TREATISE ON DYING WOOLLEN, COTTON, AND SILK, INCLUDING RECIPES FOR LaC reds and scarlets— chrome yellows and oranges— and prussian blues— on silks, cottons and woollens. WITH EVKKY IMPEOVEMENT IN THK ART, MADE SINCE THE YEAR 1S& ALSO, A CORRECT DESCRIPTION OF SULPHURING WOOLLENS. BY WILLIAM PARTRIDGE. NEW YORK: WILLIAM PARTRIDGE & SON, 27 CLIFF-STREET. 1847. Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1834, by William Partridge, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New-Yorlc. llie Author informs Manufacturers and Dyers, that he is at all times willing and desirous to give any information and recipes, that may be in his power, respecting the manufacture of woollens and dying, free of cost. STEREOTYPED BY HENRY W. REES, 45 GOLD STREET, NEW-YORK. ixmsM CONTENTS used illiam Aurora — Recipes for, and orange . Bark — Swainp-niaple .... Black-oak, and golden rod Alder ..... Chestnut and butternut Black-dyeing — On .... Blue-black — To dye a, on sixteen pounds of cloth or yarn Black — Another, for twenty pounds of woollen . Blue-black — Another recipe for a, in which dye-woods are in the saddenings, for sixteen pounds of woollen cloth Black, jet — To dye sixteen pounds of cloth . To dye wool ....... A new method of colouring, discovered by Messrs. Vi Adams &- Co. ...... To prepare the chlorine water for . To dye, on silk. ...... Process of dying silk, by Vitalis To dye furs or hats ...... The English new process of dying, either blued in the vat or vvitliout .... A similar, without blueing . Blue-dying — On ..... Prussian — To dye on woollens Recipes for dying in the furnace . Navj' — Recipe for colouring a full, for mixing for satinett or other coai-se work. It is for eighty pounds of scoured wool ..... To dye, on cotton To dye, on silk ...... Prussian — To dye cotton and silk a Sapphire — To dye silk a .... . Mazarine — To dye silk a .... . Prussian — By Mons. Raymond • . Turkish — A handsome, for ten pounds of silk Best ultra-marine, for ten pounds of silk Blue — A dark, for ten pounds of silk .... To dye a handsome violet, on ten pounds of silk Blood-red colour — Recipe to dye silk of a . Bleaching salts — To use, for whitening cotton, yam, or cloth Brimstone or straw colour — For a, on cotton Brown -black, rich reddish — To dye sixteen pounds Brown — To dye ninety-two pounds of Saxony wool a dark, Adelaide shade ...... To dye one hundred and fourteen pounds of Saxony wool a beautiful and permanent . Paok 120 38 38 38 39 50 52 54 of an CONTENTS. Paqb and clean Brown — To dye one hundred and twenty-seven pounds of Saxony wool a deep tea, inclining to olive .... 8 To dye eighty pounds of Saxony wool a light and beau- tiful 8 To dye, on cotton ........ 135 For a real, on ten pounds of silk ..... 135 For a tea, on fifteen pounds of cloth, &c. . . 148, 149 For a red, of a very lively tint, on twenty pounds of wool 160 Browns — To dye, on woollens ...... 126-131 Recipes for olive . . . . . . .131, 132 BufF— Recipes for . 117 For a, on one hundred and twenty pounds of wool . .118 colour — For a, on cotton ...... Chocolate — To dye, on cotton Cinnamon colour — To dye wool For a, of a fuller colour, and more on the red For a very bright, on twenty pounds of wool Two recipes for a lot of very bright, done in succession in the same liquor To dye a, on ten pounds of silk To dye a beautiful, on both cotton and silk, by a new process Claret — For a very deep and rich To dye, on woollens .... Cloth — Cleaning, for dying, and the washing of wool ing colours after dying .... For sixteen pounds of . . . r Worsted, or yarn — To dye twenty pounds of Recipe for twenty-seven pounds of fine . Wilkius's patent mode for raising the nap of On mellowing, after fulling, before raising the nap . Cochineal and other dye-stuffs ...... Colour — For a very bright, almost a red, of the cinnamon hue To dye a double, having purple on the one side, and scar let on the other .... Colours, compound — Of .... On dying of double Corbeaus — To dye, on woollens . Cotton — To dye black on . Second recipe for dying black on . Mode of dying, by the Africans, a fine blue colour Crimson — To dye ...... For a, on silk ..... Drab — To dye, on woollens ..... For a light red pearl, on thirty pounds of wool For a pearl, on sixty pounds of wool . For a pearl on thirty pounds of wool . For a dark pearl, on sixty-five pounds of wool For a thin pearl, on thirty pounds of wool For a dark green, on fifty-eight pounds of wool For a dark muddy, on sixty-five pounds of wool 118 134 123 123 124 124 124 125 131 146 25 57 88 118 170 177 32 160 168 102 165 147 61 62 169 140, 141 141-143 150-152 158 158 158 158 159 159 161 CONTENTS. Page . 162 . 162 . 162 152-155 155-157 . 159 . 150 . 37 . 25 . 39 ds of cloth Drab — For a muddy, on sixty-five pounds of wool To dye, on cotton ..... To dye a, on silk ..... Drabs — To dye red, on woollen .... To dye yellow, on wooiJon To dye green, on woollens Dun colour — For a, on sixty-seven pounds of wool Dye-drugs — Native-American .... Dying-furnaces, etc. ...... Dye-stuffs not indigenous, that could be raised in this country Fawn colour — To dye, on woollens .... 125. 152, 153 For a, on sixteen pounds of wool . . . .125 For a, on sixteen pounds of wool, not quite so red as the last. ....... For a, on sixteen pounds of wool, still less on the red hue .... To dye silk a, . . . Fermenting process — Description of the Fraud on the tare of imported goods . Fulling-mill — On the new . Green — For a deep bronze .... Invisible — To dve one hundred pounds of Saxony wool a light . true— Of .... For a very light grass, for forty-one pour To dye wool a true .... on wool — Second recipe for a true . true — For a very light, to be first dyed a very light blue . For a true, for sixteen pounds of wool, to be woaded blue as usual ......... Recipes for, in which the blue predominates . To dye sixteen pounds of wool, in which the blue slightly predominates ........ 105 Recipe for a blue, where the blue is stronger than the last, for two liundred and forty pounds of wool For a very light blue, for sixty pounds of wool. Recipe for a verj' dark, rather inclining to the blue, for sixteen pounds of wool, previously dyed to a fifteen cent blue, in the woad vat ....... For one hundred and forty-eight pounds of wool, for a dark, blue-bottle, to be first dyed in the woad vat to a thirteen cent blue . ....... For a middling blue, for two hundred and five pounds of wool, to be first woaded to a nine cent blue . For a very light, in which the blue predominates, for fif- ty-six pounds of wool, first woaded to a four cent blue . Recipes for, in which the yellow predominates . For a rich bronze, for sixteen pounds of wool, that has been coloured a full twenty cent blue .... For a bronze, on two hundred and sixty pounds of wool . To dye sixteen pounds of a lighter bronze .... 125 125 -126 42 3 2 7 102 103 103 104 104 105 105 105 106 106 106 107 107 107 107 107 108 VI CONTENTS. Page Green — For a fine olive, on sixteen pounds of wool, to be woaded to a nine cent blue ....... For a dark bottle, of the bronze hue, for one hundred and forty pounds of wool, made a full eleven cent blue in the woad vat ....... For an invisible, on two hundred and forty pounds of wool — a colour now very fashionable .... Bottle — To dye of different shades, on twenty pounds of wool ......... To dye red ........ Two recipes for dying, on cotton . ... Second recipe is cheaper, in which part of the blue is di rected to be put on with logwood .... To colour silk ........ For a Saxon, on silk ...... For a handsome, on silk, for ten pounds . ■^ For a, with weld ....... Introduction ......... Indigo — On the manufacturing of .... . Lac-scarlet — Scotch recipe for dying ..... William Partridge's recipe for dying twenty pound of stuff a ...... . Lac-spirits — Another Scotcli recipe for making Lather — To make soap lees for producing the Lavender on woollen ........ Lilac — To colour, on wool ....... To colour, on silk ....... Madder — On raising Madder browns — To dye dark and rich, on two hundred pounds of cotton yarn ..... Miscellaneous colours ........ Mordant — To make the ....... Morone — To dye, on silk To colour, on silk ...... Mud — For a Paris, on sixty -five pounds of wool . Mulberry — To dye, on woollen 145 To colour, on silk ...... Nankeen colour — For a, on ten pounds of silk Oil for wool — On ........ Olive — To colour cotton a permanent To colour cotton a cheap and common To colour silk a dark . . . . . Orange, and aurora — Recipes for . For an, on sixty pounds of fine cloth, in a spent scarlet liquor ......... For a common, on four pieces of flannel . For an, on nineteen pounds of wool .... For an, on cotton Chrome, on cotton ....... To colour silk an ...... . yellow — For a deep, on ten pounds of silk 108 CONTENTS. cotton yarn Orchille and cudbear — On .... Pearl — For a very light white, on thirty pounds of wool Pink — To dye ten pounds of cotton yarn a . Pink — To dye, on silk ..... Pinks — To dye, on woollen .... Prussian blue, dying — On .... Purple — To colour ninety pounds of fine cloth a rich To dye, on cotton .... To colour, on silk .... Pyroligneate of iron — To make a superior . copper — To make Recipe — First Manchester .... Red — To dye Turkey, on two hundred pounds of To dye the ..... Recipes for colouring .... For dying a flannel .... To dye a, on a long baize, weighing from fifty to sixty pounds madder — Recipe for a, for twenty yards of broadcloth, in which the tin liquor is not used lac and scarlets — To dye ..... To dye, with mungeet, on fifty pounds of woollen To dye, on cotton Recipe to dye a fine and permanent, on cotton . Recipe for a common, on cotton .... A German recipe for, on silk, for ten pounds Second German recipe for a handsome and blue — To dye colours compounded of . For a thin, on twenty pounds of wool For a Brazil, on twelve pounds of wool For a deep sanders, on forty-five pounds of wool For a bright, for mixtures, of the cinnamon hue Residuums — On the, remaining after dying chromic yellow and orange ...... Salmon colour — For a, on cotton .... Sawdust — White-oak ...... Scarlet and other colours — To make tin liquors for on woollen — Of ..... For dying sixteen pounds of woollen a bright For dying sixteen pounds of cloth a fine flame-coloured For dying a Nash, on two pieces of thirty-two yards each weighing irinety-six pounds ..... To colour, with the colouring matter of the stick lac . To dye a mock, on silk . Scouring liquor — A new .... To make the Scouring of wool ...... An entire new process for . Another process for Shellac — To dissolve, in water, used by the French as a varnish by pa])er stainers Silk — Process of ahuning .... vu Paoe 177 158 144 144 144 1 136, 137 137,138 138, 139 62 63 62 4 85 vm CONTENTS. Smoke — For a London, on fifty pounds of wool . Specific gravities — On ascertaining Straw colour — For a, on silk .... For a brimstone or, on cotton . Sumach Sweet balm . Tea-brown — For a, on fifteen pounds of cloth Tin liquors — To make, for scarlet and other colours To prepare nitro-muriate of, for woollen dying To prepare muriate of . To prepare sulpho-niuriate of . . . To make nitro-muriate of . To test, for copper or lead .... Ure's — Dr., comparative scale between Tweedle and B Vat — Silk indigo ....... Process of setting an ash .... Working the ash ..... To renew the ash ..... To make a new ash, after working out the old one Keeping the silk ash, in order On the cold indigo, used by cotton dyers Vessels — On the choice of, for colouring scarlet, as well as delicate colours, and of furnace-baskets, reels, et Violet blue — To dye a handsome, on ten pounds of silk Vitriol — To mix oil of, and indigo .... Water — The eflect which it has on dying . Weld plant — On the, as a dye, and its cultivation. White — Recipe for colouring one hundred and sixty pounds of woollen cloth a imiform .... To colour, on silk ...... Wine colour — For a rich, [or forty-eight pounds of fine cloth For a rich, on one hundred and twenty pounds of wool ...... P'or a rich, on thirty pounds of wool A fugitive, in imitation of the above Woad F1.GB 149 21 120 119 38 50 148, 149 19 other Wood-wax ......... Woollen goods — To prepare, for the furnace An improved method of preparing, for receiving lac-dye, discovered by the writer last year A now patent for fulling . ' . Wool, black — Recipe for sixteen pounds of . Recipe for colouring sixteen pounds of, for a black mixture Recipe for sixteen pounds of, for a black mixture . Yellow black, approacliing towards a jet — To dye sixteen pounds To dye on wool and woollen cloth .... To colour nine pounds of wool a fine .... To colour eighty-five pounds of wool of a strong For dying, on cotton ...... To dye, on silk ....... chrome — To dye, on cotton and silk .... APPENDIX On Prussian blue Dying. In my last edition I gave an account of a discovery made by Messrs. Wm. Adams & Co., of New York, of an im- proved process of dying black and Prussian blue on calico. I was informed, very recently, by a large dyer of Frankfort, Pennsylvania, that he had adopted the improvement, and had realized by it many hundreds of dollars. Such informa- tion is truly encouraging, and I hope many others have ex- perienced results equally beneficial. The discovery consists in oxydizing the iron before applying the colonng matter. I am of the opinion that dying and color-making are alto- gether the result of oxydizement and de-oxydizement. It has several times gone the rounds of our newspapers, since I published my last edition, that a new blue for woolens had been discovered superior to indigo in brilliancy and permanency. I would wish to put our manufacturers on their guard relative to this barefaced quackery. It has been long known that a Prussian blue can be made on woolen of a superior brilliancy to indigo ; but it has been as well known that this color will not stand the action of an alkali. Even the soap used in fulling the cloth will change the color. In the advertisement of the inventor, he asserts " that he has discovered a means of preventing this change." On seeing this I sent to his agent, Mr. Marshall, for a pat- tern of his color, and I never tested any Prussian blue on woolen that gave way more readily on the application of an alkali. I can assure our dyers that the property of an alkali to take prussic acid from iron, leaving the color a dirty green drab, is a law implanted on nature by supreme intelligence, and that man never can prevent its action. This color has been applied to a great variety of goods, APPENDIX. and its application may be much extended. It would answer for carpet yarn, or any other fabric requiring no alkali in its subsequent manipulations. On the New Fulling Mill. I sent to England to obtain a drawing and description of their new Fulling Mill, offering twenty-five pounds for it, but in this attempt I failed. I mentioned this patent in my last edition, and have obtained very little additional information. It is said to work with two pair of rollers, one of the rollers being a metallic cylinder into which steam is conveyed. The advantage is said to be fully equal to ten per cent, on the value- of the goods, and is, therefore, of too much conse- quence to our woolen factories to be neglected. * I was informed by a small sattinet manufacturer, from the state of New Hampshire, that he fulled his cloths with a pair of fluted rollers, and that the work was better done than by any old process. This must have been six or seven years since, as he quit the business more than five years ago. It is surprising that other manufacturers have neglected to follow an improvement so obviously beneficial. On Oil for Wool. The heavy duty on oil should long since have induced our manufacturers to find a home supply. It is an important item in woolen manufacturing, and can, no doubt, be obtain- ed cheaper at home than from foreign countries. When I was in Kentucky, finding oil very dear, I planted the sun- flower seed, had the seeds collected at maturity;^ the oil ex- pressed at a common oil-mill, and found it when used on wool to be fully equal to the best olive. I ascertained that about forty gallons could be expressed from the seed raised on one acre, and that the cake was equal to corn for fatting hogs or poultry. The bene plant is very abundant in Florida, the negroes using the seed in their soup. The seeds of this plant afford APPENDIX. 8 about three gallons of oil to the bushel, and the cold expres- sion is fully equal to the best table oil. The raising of this seed was prohibited in France many years since, for fear of its ruining the olive growers. I have no doubt an ample supply of this seed could be obtained from Florida if proper arrangements were made. I obtained my information from Col. John Lee Williams, St. Augustine, Florida. This gentleman published a work on Florida about two years since, and would, no doubt, give such uiformation as would be required by any respectable manufacturer. They have lately introduced in England, two other vege- table oils for using on wool, the cocoanut oil, and the teal seed oil. The oil from the cocoanut is used only during the sum- mer months, it being too hard for use in cold weather. The teal seed oil is imported from the East Indies, and all I know about it is, that it has lately been much used in oiling of wool by English woolen manufacturers, and that a small quantity has recently arrived in New York. About three years since I heard of a process by which an equal quantity of oil and water could be mixed, so as to make a saving of about forty per cent, on the quantity of oil used on the wool. Having been informed that such was used by the Pontoosuc Woolen Factory, Pittsfield, Mass., I wrote to Mr. Clapp, part owner and agent of that factory, to make inquiry relative to the fact, and to solicit information as to the process. I soon received the particulars from that gentleman, with a request to make any use I pleased of it. It is very simple, as is every art when understood. Take one gallon of oil, and one gallon of water, and mix the two by adding as much liquid ammonia as will cause the oil to combine with the water — it requires from four to six ounces of single F. This process will answer with any kind of oil, and should be used by every woolen manufacturer. Fraud on the Tare of Imparled Goods. There is an evil rapidly growing in this country that must seriously affect the interest of our manufacturers and citizens of all classes. I refer to the frauds on the tare of imported 4 APPENDIX. articles. Some ten years since an occasional loss would be sustained of one or two pounds on ceroons of indigo ; so much has this fraud increased, that a loss of two pounds on each package is nothing thought of, it frequently extending to six or ten pounds on a ceroon. In one purchase of $16,000 a loss was sustained of nearly $1,000. Foreigners finding they can cheat us in one article, have lately been extending their frauds to others, and I doubt not that our country is now losing from two to three millions of dollars per annum by fraudulent packages, and this loss must ulti- mately fall on the consumer. If this operation be not check- ed we shall soon be losers to double and treble the present amount. There is one effectual cure for the evil — that the actual tare be taken at the customhouse, and this tare to be allowed on sales. Our citizens have to detei'mine if this shall be the only country in which open and direct fraud shall be sanctioned by the community. To dye Turkey Red on 200lbs. of Cotton Yarn. Boil the yarn six hours in a lye of pearlash of 1° Baumc. It is still better to make a soda lye. Wash well, wring out and dry. Prepare a tub of cold water, holding sufficient to soak the 2001bs. of yarn — put in it 251bs. of sheep's dung, strained through a copper sieve, add soda until the liquor stands at 2° Baume — then add 8lbs. of olive oil ; mix well, and work the cotton in this by 2lbs. at a time, adding as much of the liquor in another tub as will be sufficient to moisten each lot thoroughly. The above operation has to be repeated six times, making a fresh liquor for each without sheep's dung. Each time prepare a fresh tub with soda 1^° Baume and 81 bs. of olive oil. Between each dipping wring smoothly, hang in the air, and then dry in a warm room. 8th, Make another liquor of soda of 2° Baume, run the yarn through this, wring and dry as before. Make another tub with lukewarm water, put the cotton in, and let lie three hours — take it out, wash well, dry it in the air and then in a warm room. APPENDIX. 5 Take 15lbs. of blue, and Tibs, of white galls, ground, pass the cotton through this as hot as the hand will bear — wring out, dry well, first in the air, and then in a hot room. Boil 201bs. of sumach one hour, strain and run the yarn through this as hot as the hand can bear — dry as before. Make mordant with 16lbs. of alum and a little pearlash — pass the cotton through this at a moderate heat ; dry as before. Make another liquor with 26lbs. of alum — run through, and wash it thoroughly — no drying required. To Dye the Red. Use l^lb. of the best madder to each pound of c tton. Let half the madder be of the best Avignon or French, and the other half of the best Dutch. Dye the 2001bs. in three kettles. In each kettle use 41bs. of pounded galls, and 4 pails of bullocks' blood — add the madder, SS^lbs., to each kettle. Put the cotton in on sticks, put fires under the kettles, handle the yarn well, and bring to a boil in 1^ hour. Take off the cotton from the sticks, run strings through it, let sink in the kettles, placing grating over each, with weights enough on the gratings to prevent the cotton from rising. Boil the cotton during 20 minutes, take it out and wash well. A kettle must be prepared with a dome cover, having a small pipe through the centre at top. The top must be screwed down with four screws — the whole must be very strong to prevent the steam from blowing it off. Use soft water, and add to it 19lbs. soda — soon as the liquor boils, put in the cotton, screw down the top, and boil it 12 hours. Take it out tiie following morning and wash it well. Dissolve 2lbs. of salts of tin in a tub of water, run the cotton through, and wring out. Take the liquor out of dome-kettle, clean it well, put in soft water, add 13lbs. of Marseilles soap, and |lb. salts of tin. Boil the soap until dissolved before adding the tin First dissolve the tin in water — put in the cotton and move it well — stir the liquor well before putting in the cotton. 1* 6 APPENDIX. Wash perfectly clean and dry v/ell. It is now finished. N. B. If more madder is used, use more of the other materials — if less madder, a smaller portion. To Dye, Madder Broions dark and rich, on 200lbs. of Cotton Yarn. Prepare the same as for red — give 7 dips in the oil and soda, and two dips iii a soda lye of 2° Baume — the more soda, the bluer will be the color. Mordants used to prepare for dying — 18lbs. of nut-galls, 201bs. of alum, 12lbs. of copperas, 31bs. of blue vitriol, and lib. of verdigris — dissolve these in a kettle of water, and strain through a cloth without disturbing the bottom. Work the cotton through this in two pounds each lot twice — well wash. Use for dyeing 2601bs. of madder — use the same process is for red, leaving out the galls and bullocks' blood — after ^fyeing boil in the dome-kettle, with 321bs. of soda, for 1^- hour. Take out, wash thoroughly, and dry. A great variety of shades may be produced by using less madder, and more or less of copperas and blue vitriol. To dye 92lbs. of Saxony Wool a dark Brown of an Adelaide shade. First dye the wool blue in the woad vat as deep as for a dark green, wash clean, and finish with the following dye- stufis : 81bs. chipped fustic, 95lbs. hyper-nic ; boil in bags two hours. Boil the wool two hours. Sadden with l^lb. ground logwood, l^^lb. copperas. Boil the wool one hour, let it lie in the liquor eight hours, land and wash. APPENDIX. 7 For a deep Bronze Green. To dye 107lbs. of clean wool — give a light shade of blue in the woad vat, and wash well. Boil in kettle. 701bs. fustic for three hours, then add 9lbs. redwood, lOlbs. mull madder, and 5lbs. of ground logwood. Boil wares two hours, and wool two hours, then sadden with 41bs. alum, and |lb. of copperas, boil wool one hour, and add to the liquor 71bs. ground fustic, 3lbs. mull madder, l^lbs. alum. Just bring the liquor to a boil, draw the fire, and let lie eight hours — land and wash. For a beautiful Adelaide on lOOlbs. Saxony wool. To be dyed a light shade of blue in the woad vat, and well washed. Boil in kettle TOlbs, of hyper-nic and 2lbs. of argol for 1^ hour — boil the wool li hour — then add 4lbs. of ground log- wood, and lib. of copperas, boil wool 1 hour, lie in 1 hour, pump up, run off, and wash well. To dye lOSlbs. Saxony wool a dark olive green. To be dyed a light shade of blue in the woad vat, and well washed. Boil in kettle llOlbs. of chipped fustic for 21 hours, then add thirty pounds of mull madder, and eight pounds of bar- wood — boil half hour, put in the wool and boil it 2i hours — then add 5lbs. of alum, and 5lbs. of mull madder, boil one hour, let the wool lie in all night, land and wash well. To dye llilbs. Saxony Wool a beautiful arid permanent Brown. Boil 851bs. fustick in bags for 2 hours ; take out the bags and add to the liquor 24lbs. barwood, 12lbs. mull madder, and lib. of logwood, boil liquor one hour, run up, heave the wool in, handle well and boil two hours — cool down and strew over SIbs. alum, 2lbs. logwood, and l^lb. copperas, boil one hour, lie in liquor seven hours, land, wash well, and then blue in the woad vat until of the required shade. A great variety of shades may be made, by giving more or less of the blue, as well as by adding or diminishing the propor- tions of dye-stuffs. 4 8 APPENDIX. To dye lOOlbs. Saxony Wool a light Invisible Green. First prepare the wool by boiling it in a clear liquor of alum, using 261bs. for one hour, land and wash. Prepare a kettle with clean watei*, add SOlbs. of weld, lOlbs. of fustick, and 5lbs. of logwood — boil the wares 2 hours, and the wool two, cool down and sadden with 2lbs. ground logwood, and one of copperas, boil wool one hour, let lie cooling 7 hours, wash well, and dye in blue vat to the color wanted. Note — That as weld is very little in use here, half the quantity of quercitron bark may be used, or two thirds as much of fustic. A great variety of shades of invisible green may be made by increasing the proportion of logwood in the preparation, and by adding lighter or darker shades of blue To dye 12'! lbs. Saxony Wool a deep Tea Brown, inclining to Olive, Boil in bags SOlbs. fustick, and 13lbs. of logwood for 3 hours, take out the bags, and add to the liquor 61bs. of bar- wood, and 3lbs. of ground logwood — boil the wool in this for two hours, then sadden with 2lbs. of alum, and 2|lbs. of copperas, and 3lbs. of logwood, boil 1 hour, let lie in 9 hours, land, wash well, and then dye in blue vat to the re- _ quired shade. To dye SOlbs. of Saxony Wool a light and beautiful Brown. Boil in bags 701bs. of fustick for 2i hours, then add to the liquor 131bs. barwood, 71bs, mull madder, and 3lbs. of ground logwood, heave in the wool and boil 2 hours, cool down and sadden with 4lbs. alum and lib. of copperas, boil 11 hour, lie in 7 hours, land, wash, and dye in blue vat to pattern — a vat very weak of indigo must be used for light colors. INTRODUCTION. Dying is in every branch a chymical art, and the play of affinities are so numerous, and in most instances so rapid, as entirely to escape the notice of common workmen. Menof science have paid but little attention to this art, nor can it be expected they will pay much till other more interesting subjects are perfected, as it will require much time, and numberless tedious and expensive experiments. The im- provements that have been made during the last twenty years, and they have been numerous, have been developed by practical men, possessing more or less scientific know- ledge. I would strongly urge every practical dyer, who may be desirous of attaining eminence in the art, as also for the purpose of making money by economizing in his processes, to make chymical science his particular study, and to embrace every opportunity of attending lectures, until he becomes sufficiently acquainted with the science to understand what is going on in his own business. A dyer, totally ignorant of chymistry, can form no conception of any process he pursues ; he follows his business mechanically, making no colours but such as he has been taught to make, and should he stumble on any thing new, it must be merely the effect of chance, often costing more than its worth. A dyer, on the contrary, who has made himself commonly proficient in chymistry, will oft;en make discoveries highly beneficial to himself, and when made known, conferring wealth on the general community. Another consideration, of high import, is the relative change that takes place in tlie situation of the dyer himself. From being a mere meclianical drudge, igno- rant of every process that passes before him, he b(;comes the intelligent operator, charmed with his pursuit, and standing high in the estimation of his most intelligent fcUow-citizens. 10 INTRODUCTION. The government of this country has lately changed its views, and the protective system, under which we had pros- pered so highly, has been destroyed. This will make it more than ever necessary, that our dyers and manufacturers should economize in their various pursuits, and become as perfect m their manipulations as they are in other countries, foi* without this they must resign all hope of competing with their foreign opponents. This change in the protective policy of the country may probably produce other effects that will make it desirable our farmers should understand dying, as well as the manu- facturers. It is pretty certain that in less than ten years nearly all our small, and very many of our large woollen manufacturers, will be broken down by foreign competition. After this has been effected, all kinds of goods will rise in value, and as the present consumers of agricultural products will have become producers, the farmers must return to domestic manufactures to enable them to support their fami- lies. With a view to this change, I have reduced the scale of my recipes so as to come within the consumption of families. It will be perceived that each recipe for woollens is given for sixteen pounds of cloth, having ascertained that family-made woollens are usually twenty yards, weighing sixteen pounds. I have frequently been solicited to make this reduction, by country clothiers. Since my last work was published, a number of new materials have been employed in dying, several of them of great importance to the practical dyer. Such as the colour- ing matter of the coccus lacca, or lac dye ; those obtained from chromates, and the prussian blue colours — all of which will be particularized when recipes are given. A scarlet is produced from the lac dye fully equal to that from cochineal, and at less than half the expense. Even the dull red "from madder is more expensive. Lac dye cannot be used for all colours as a substitute for cochineal, because it will not turn blue bv the application of alkalis, theretore it is useless in pinks, and does not succeed well in crimson ; but tliis very property enhances its value as a scarlet dye, for lac wiii not pink by perspiration, whereas cochineal will lose its brilliancy by one day's wear in v/arm weather. This colouring matter has not yet been applied to cotton goods, and by only one dyer, to my knowledge, on silk. INTRODUCTION. 11 Brilliant and beautiful yellows and oranges are now ob- tained from clironiatcs of potasli, and any salts containing lead. This colour is a])plied exclusively to cotton goods. Silk can be coloured with it, but the texture appears to be so seriously uijured as to leave it with much the appearance of cotton. The cotton is first dipped in a solution of acctite or nitrate of lead, and then in a solution of bichromate of potash, when a most brilliant and tolei'ably permanent yellow is produced. By the use of lime-water a good orange can be obtained. Prussian blues have been made on silk and cotton some ten or twelve years, and its appli^tion is increasing. On woollen goods this colour has not been much used. The great diftlculty in dymg prussian blue on woollens, arose from the very unequal manner the colouring matter was received on such fabrics. This difficulty has been obviated by what is termed the clearing process, as will be seen in the recipes given for such colours. I shall give some instructions relative to a new mode of producing prussian blues on all descriptions of goods, originating with myself, which has been tried by a practical workman and found eminently successful. I would call the attention of our dyers to one particular in the application of mordants in the process of colouring. It has been ascertained, by actual experiment, that white goods impregnated with mordants, uncombined with colour- ing matter, will give out again all their mordants unchanged if washed much in water, a fact which every dyer should be aware of, as many of them are taught to wash their goods after being saturated with mordants. There can be but few dyers so ignorant as not to know that when more than the loose mordants are washed off, the colour will be weak and imperfect. It has also been proved that when a small portion of colouring matter is combined in the goods with the mor- dants, the latter cannot be washed out with water. It is evident, therefore, that in all cases where the colour will allow of it, a portion of the colouring matter should be used with the mordants ; and where this is not allowable, a very slight washing should be given to the goods, and none if the colour can be obtained as well without it. Our dyers have, wiihin a few years, made great progress in the art. This improvement may have been, in many instances, the result of information given in my work, and 12 INTRODUCTION. from recipes subsequently given on personal application, as well as by letter ; but I attribute it more to the arrival in this country of numerous first-rate dyers and colourmen from all parts of Europe, and to the judgment acquired by a more extensive practice. There is still abundant room for further improvement, and I would suggest that a more liberal com- municatlon of new facts be made known as they arise. I do not mean that a dyer, who makes his Uving by the art, should communicate his secret processes ; but there are many facts continually developed during the manipulations of every dyer, which could do him no injury if made known, that might in the hands of mgp-e scientific workmen lead to results highly important to the art. I am well aware that very many men are so selfish as never to give information to others, nor ever give credit to those from whom they receive valuable information ; but the exclu- sive selfishness of the few ought never to check the spread of intelligence by the more liberal pai't of the community. It is with much pleasure I acknowledged numerous obliga- tions of this kind, and I will mention one from which valu- able results may ensue. Sometime last summer, the Messrs. William Adams & Co., of this city, presented me with sam- ples of black calico coloured in two hours from the white ground. As black on cotton had never, to my knowledge, been done in less than three or four days, and usually occu- pying a week ; and as the colours were better than the general run, I requested an account of their process, which they very readily communicated. It was effected by merely running the goods through a weak solution of chloride of lime, after they were impregnated with the iron liquor. It was evident that this beneficial effect was brought about solely by a more than usually ^'apid oxydizement of the iron previously given to the calico. The superiority of the colours by this new process, proves that the oxydizement of the iron is more com- plete than when produced by atmospheric exposure. It immediately occurred to me, that the application might be usefully extended to all processes in dying in which a high state of metallic oxyde was required. Prussian blue colours depending altogether on the state of the oxyde iron given to the goods previously to dipping them into a solution of prus- siate of potash, I inferred that a chloride solution would much improve the present process. In a few days after I INTRODUCTION. 13 had come to this conclusion, I persuaded a dyer in the city to try it, ho having complained of the difficu.lty he met with in giving sufficient body to his colours. In a few days he returned highly elated with his success, and informed me that it had acted like a charm ; that his colours were full-bodied at one dip, that the iron did not leave the goods as before, and that the tints were unusually rich. In dying of woollen goods it is of the first importance they should be made perfectly clean before any mordant or colour- ing matter be put on them. Our dyers are too generally negligent in this branch of their operations. They are too apt to consider that goods from the fulling-mill are clean after being washed from tlie soap, without being aware that water can never wash all the soap from woollen, and that what remams in the goods, will, when decomposed by any of the salts or acids, lose the alkali of the soap, and liberate the oleaginous matter "as free grease. In this state no goods will ever receive a bright and permanent colour. Fullers-earth should be used altogether as the ultimate cleansing material. No other substance, at present known, will answer as well, for when well washed out, it leaves nothing remainmg that can injure the most delicate tints of colours. All dark-coloured goods, particularly blue and black, should also be cleansed with fullers-earth. Blacks when cleansed with soap will have a brown tinge, and lose all their bril- liancy, assuming the appearance of half- worn colours. Blues when finished with soap are left witli a mealy ground, that seriously injures the appearance of the goods, and. lessens their value in the market. I shall give a particular description of this process under the head of cleansing of woollens, and I would staongly urge every dyer to give the process a fair trial with gcuume fullers- earth, and ascertain by actual experiment the decided advan- tages resulting from it. I would call the attention of our dyers to the necessity of using given weights and measures in all their processes. Every practical dvcr, of much experience, must be aware that he never can employ the recipes of otiiei-s with any certainty of successftd results, unless he shall have received them from a person who practised them in the same dye-house, and with the same water. Any dyer who is attentive to his business, 2 14 INTRODUCTION. may acquire celebrity in a few months by weighing his ma- terials, writing down the recipes, and adding to each recipe a pattern of the colour produced. And this is the only means by which a dyer can become proficient in his art, for colours are continually varying; that which is fashionable one year going out and another succeeding it. I have known colours fashionable for a season, the next season entirely out, being totally neglected for thirt)^ years, and then again become fashionable. If books of recipes with patterns attached to them were kept by our dyers for each colour, and every material variation in the sliade of each, they could never be at a loss to colour and match every new colour. This is the common practice of every dyer in England that has attained a name, and those who pursue the plan go on with much more ease to themselves, much greater certainty in obtaining correct results, and with more economy in producing their colours. PREPARATORY PROCESSES. Scouring of Wool. This is an important operation, much more so than is generally imagined by those who are not well versed in the art of dying and manufacturing; for unless the wool be well scoured, and thoroughly cleansed from the yolk and grease, the subsequent operations will be materially injured, as ;^od colours, or good cloth, never can be made from wool badly scoured. For scoriring, a shallow conical furnace is employed, hold- ing from one to two hundred gallons, according with the extent of the factory, which may be made either of copper or iron. It is set in brick-work as other furnaces are ; but the fire is never permitted to reach more than one-third of its height. If the furnace is three feet deep, the fire being under the bottom, it should be closed by brick-work at one foot above the fire. The apparatus used for washing of wool, after it is taken from the furnace, is uniformly of an oblong square ; but they are constructed of different materials, and vary in the mode of applying the water. Some are merely willow-baskets ; others arc made of board on the bottom and sides for about half their height, the upper part being constructed of strong open wire-work, with a wooden curb around the top. Some few are made entirely of sheet copper, with holes perforated about halfway from the top downwards : these are always placed in running streams where the water is not too rapid, such as mill-ponds, or tail-races. The current should be strong enough to keep the water . inside the washer continu- ally changing, yet not so strong as to drive the wool too hard against the side opposite to where it enters, which will be attended with considerable delay and. trouble, as well as with a loss of wool, for many of the finer locks will be washed through the wires, or over the top of the curb. 16 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. An apparatus superior to either of the above is now gene- rally used for washing of wool, where a head of water from five feet upwards, can be obtained. The shape of this ia also an oblong square, and for a full-sized washer is five feet long, two feet three inches wide, and the same in depth : a stout false bottom is added about three inches above the reai one — in it are drilled an indefinite number of small holes, about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, and the water is conveyed in between the two bottoms by means of a two or three inch pipe, into which a cock is placed to stop the sup- ply when necessary. A number of small holes are drilled in the ends and sides of the washer, twelve inches from the top, to let the foul water run off. When the water is turned on, it will be forced up through the drilled holes with a power equal to the weight of the columiu, which is sufficient with a fall of five or six feet to keep the surface in a state of constant ebullition. When scoured wool is thrown into one of these machines, it is kept floating and in rapid motion on the surface, by the upward pressure of the column, and the foul water passes off through the holes on the top. The workman stands on one side of the washer and moves the wool backwards and forwards with a jerking motion, by means of an iron prong, until the water passes through it perfectly limpid — when he throws out that quantity and re- places it by another. In constructing this machine, it is necessary to be guarded in two particular circumstances ; first, that the united capa- city of the holes drilled in the false bottom, be not quite equal to deliver all the water supplied by the column : for when this happens, the supply will operate partially, and the designed effect be in a great measure destroyed. In the next place it is necessary that the holes drilled around the vessel, to let off the foul water, shall be sufficient to let oft all that the column may supply, when the wool is in the basket, without permitting the water to rise to the top ; unless this is attended to, the water will flow over the washer and take the wool with it. To make the Scouring Liquor. Animal urine is the material mostly used for scouring of wool. The volatile alkali, that part of the urine which com- PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 17 bines with the grease and yolk, does not injure wool, unless it be in considerable excess, or too much heat be applied ; whereas the fixed alkalis operate so powerfully as to dissolve a portion of the wool at a temperature that will scour it. Urine that is fresh voided will not scour well. That from persons living on plain diet, is stronger and better than from luxurious livers. The cider and gin drinkers are considered to produce the worst, and the beer drinker the best. When urine is collected, it should be kept in close vessels until it has completely undergone those clumges by which its ammo- nia is developed. To make a new liquor for scouring fine wool, use one bucket of urine to two of water. Some wool requires more and some less of urine ; if too much is used, the wool will be stringy and ditlicult to work ; if too small a quantity, the yolk and grease will not be cleansed out of it. The same portions of urine and water as are used in making a new liquor, should be employed in filling up during the progress of the work. The urine should be old, and the water the softest that .can be procured. It occasionally happens that a liquor, when fresh made, will not scour well ; whenever this occurs, mix one or two quarts of soap in hot water, and add it to the liquor ; but this should never be done if the men- struum will scour well without it. When a liquor is prepared, a frame with cross-bars must be placed over the furnace, resting on the curb ; this is in- tended to receive the wool when taken out of the furnace. As much wool is immersed in the furnace at once as will work easy therein ; wlien entered, it requires to be worked backwarks and forwards for five minutes, and to remain in from about fifteen to twenty-five, or till the yolk and grease have combined with the ammonia. To know Avhen the solu- tion is complete, take a handfid from the furnace, squeeze the liquor out of it, and wash it in water. This sample will show if it be clean. When clean, take it from the liquor and throw it on the cross-bars over the furnace, leaving it ten minutes to drain ; then throw in another quantity, and work as before. Wash that which has drained, as before directed, till perfectly clean. The scouring liquor should not be too cold nor too hot ; the proper temperature is from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty degrees, Fahrenheit, and it should never 2* 18 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. be lower than one hundred and twenty. If the wool be im- mersed in too hot a liquor, it will be slammed, as the work- men call it — that is, it will become matted and stringy, and the yiolk will become so permanently fixed in it, as to be im- moveable by any subsequent process. When, therefore, a new liquor is to be made, and also every morning before the work begins, let the workmen take a handful of unsecured wool and dip it five or six times in the liquor, and then wash it to tr}^ if it be clean : if the sample does not scour well, the heat must either be raised or lowered, and if this does not- produce the desired effect, the error musf be either in the weakness or strength of the liquor, and more urine, or more water must be added, according to the experience of the workman. When wool has been scoured, that part which has to be coloured, is sent to the dye-house, and tliat which is intended to be dried for white work or mixtures, is spread out on sheets, or platforms, and exposed to the sun and air to dry. In bad weather wool must be dried in stoves. A New Scouring Liquor. Another mode of scouring wool has been invented in this country since I published my former work ; the process is as follows : take one quart of olive oil, and half a pint of oil of vitriol, mix well by stirring, and let the mixture stand for twenty-four hours. To fifty quarts of water, use five pounds of potash. The water should be boiling, and the potash well dissolved. Reduce the temperature to about one hundred degrees, and mix with it half a pint of the composition. With this, and in the above proportions, the scouring liquor is made. The workmanship in this, is the same as before described. An entire new process for Scouring of Wool. I have received, since this work has been in press, a new material for scouring of wool, called the patent extract of quilliag. I have tried some very foul wool, with a solution of the extract at the temperature of new milk, and in a few minutes it was washed, proving perfectly clean, and when dry retained a peculiar soft and silky feeling. I do not hesitate to say that it is by far the best material that has ever been used for the purpose. PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 19 It is used with singular advantages in cleansing of coloured cloth, as it will make blues and blacks perfectly clean, and give them a great lustre. It is also used in the finishing of woollen cloth by merely sponging the face. A Yorkshire manufacturer, in his letter to the agent, accompanying an order for the extract, gives the following account of it : — " I have tried it in the fuiishing of broadcloths, and have been really astonished at the effect ; a cloth at fourteen shillings a yard, finished with the extract, has the lustre and feeling of one at twenty shillings, finished in the old way. This con- sists in the beautiful lustre and soft feeling it gives the cloth, without the old method of pressing with heat." Perhaps nothing will demonstrate its powerful effects more, on a more simple experiment, than to take the half- worn coat, wash it in the quilliag and dry it in the sun, and it will have the lustre as fine as the day it came out of the tailor's hands. In such a country as the United States, it is an article of the first importance, as it will be a decided help to the growing manufactures, and do more than any thing else to assist her to struggle against foreign manufacturers who take advantage of every assistance the arts or sciences can afford, to bring their goods cheap to market. The general proportions to use the extract, is one pound of the extract to eighty gallons of water ; but in regulating this, the manufacturer will be the best judge, as some kinds of cloths may require a stronger solution than others. To make Tin Liquors, for Scarlet and other colours. These preparations are always made in glass or stone ware vessels. In woollen dying, the acids are never saturated with tin, and the pots are usually placed in cold water, when nitro- muriates are prepai'ed. When tin liquors highly saturated with tin are wanting, the operation is performed in a sand heat. To ■prepare Nitro-muriate of Tin, for icoollen dying. Into each pot put four pints of single aquafortis, or two and "a half of duplex ; add two pints of water to the single, and three or four to the duplex : put into each pot a handful of white blown salt, and each requires about eight ounces of 20 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. granulated tin. The tin is supplied gradually, a small hand- ful at a time into each pot, which must be kept stirred until it is nearly dissolved, when add another handful till the whole is in solution. The stirring should be performed with a rod of white basket-willow, or glass. Some dyers use sal-ammo- niac in place of salt ; but any salt whose base is muriatic acid, and whose component part will not injure the solution, will answer for this purpose ; for the only use of a muriate is to enable the aquafortis to hold the tin in solution. To prepare Muriate of Tin. Muriatic acid, or what is commonly called spirit of salt, is often prepared separately, and the solution added in given proportions, to the nitro-muriate before using it. Sometimes, and in many colours of late, the muriate of tin is used without any admixture ; this is particularly the case with the lac dye on woollens, and in many colours on cottons. Muriates are sometimes prepared with a small quantity of tin, and are spmetimes highly saturated ; the former mostly used for woollen dying, the latter for cotton. The weaker solutions may be prepared cold, by merely putting into the acid as much tin as the particular preparation requires, and leaving it until dissolved. This will answer for muriates, when the spe- cific gravity of the acid is 21° or 22° Baume, and not more than two ounces of tin to each pound of acid is required in solution ; but when a greater portion of tin is required to be taken up by the acid, a sand heat must be employed ; by which means an acid, of the gravity abovementioned, may be made to take up its weight of tin. To prepare Sulpho-viuriute of Tin. Take in the proportion of two pounds of muriatic acid to one of oil of vitriol. Add to two pounds of muriatic acid, four or five ounces of tin, let it dissolve, and then gradually add one pound of oil of vitriol. In two or three days the solution will be fit for use. To make Nilro-muriate of Tin. Take five measures of muriate of tin at 120° Tweedle; add to it one measure of nitrous acid at 90° Tweedle. A PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 21 great action, or effervescence, takes place as soon as the nitrous acid is added to the muriate, which makes it neces- sary to have larger vessels, in proportion to the quantity prepared, than for common solutions. To test Tin, for Copjier or Lead. Tin of commerce frequently contains cither a minute por- tion of copper or lead, and sometimes both these metals are present. In all delicate colours, the presence of either of these metals, however minute the quantity, must be injurious, there- fore the dyer should understand how to detect them. " To ascertain the purity of tin by means of nitric acid, put one part of the filings of the suspected metal into a basin, and add to it three parts of nitric acid : a violent action ensues, the acid is rapidly decomposed, copious red fumes are disengaged, and the temperature rises. The tin becomes so highly oxy- dizcd that it does not pass into a state of solution, but forms a white powder, in which, after having been washed, there are no traces of nitric acid, and is, therefore, nearly a pure oxyde. AVhen this has been effected, poirr a quantity of distilled water on the mass, stir together, and let stand undisturbed, or filter, till the supernatant fluid becomes clear. Decant the clear fluid, and add to it liquid ammonia in excess : if the tin contained copper, the fluid will assume a blue colour. To assay it for lead, add to another portion of the clear fluid a few grains of sulphate of soda, dissolved in water, which will occasion a white precipitate, if lead be present." On ascertaining Specijic Gravities. It is almost necessary, to ensure correct results, that our calico printers and dyers should know the specific gravity of the acids they purchase, the tin liquors they use, their solu- tions of salts, and of the menstruums used either for dying or topical application. Master workmen from England and Scotland are in the habit of using Tweedle's hydrometers, which in this country are not easily procured, and when found are very costly. The French hydrometers of Raume, are imported largely, and sold cheap. As Dr. Ures's com- parative scale will enable our artists to use Baume, I have added that scale for their government. 22 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. Dr. Ures''s Coinparative Scale between Tweedle and Baume. 18 I |B 32 -?A Tl I I |B 54 56 — 58 T| I jBI T 39 104 IOC 108 110 112 114 116 118 120 122 124 12G T 140 - 142 - 144 - 146 - 148 - 150 - 152 - 154 - 156 158 - 160 r 162 — 164 - 166 - 168 r 170 — In the above scale, the Ime headed T gives the scale of Tweedle's hydrometer ; and the opposite line, marked B, that of Baume's. The numbers, lines, and dots, marked in each column, indicate the relative scale of the two ; and any person using Baume's, in place of Tweedle's, can ascertain the specific gravity of any liquid as well on the former as the PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 23 latter, particularly so with Tweedle's number one, 15i° Baume being 24'^ Tweedle. As Tweedle's scale increases, the dif. ference between the two increases, but any given specific gravity can be ascertained exactly as well on Baunic's as on Tweedle's, by an accurate attention to the above comparative scale. To mix Oil of Vitriol and Indigo. This mixture is known by chymists as sulphate of indigo. In England it is called Saxon blue, and in this country chymic, by the workmen. It is necessary to the producing of a good solution, that the oil of vitriol should be of the specific gravity of 66° Baume, or 170° Tweedle, and that it should be free from all foreign matter. American oil of vitriol has generally the proper specific gravity, but none I have yet tried acts well in making chjanic. On making inquirj'' into the cause, I find that in li^ngland the makers use five per cent, of saltpetre, in this country from ten to twelve per cent., and as the process is the same, with the above exceptioo, I am inclined to infer that a portion of the nitrous fumes becomes condensed, and mixes with the oil of vitriol in the state of nitric acid. I cannot be mistaken in asserting that American oil of vitriol is unfit for making good chymic, as will be proved by the following facts. I mixed twenty pounds of indigo with eighty pounds of imported vitriol. This chymic was sent out to more than twenty consumers, who all expressed great satis- faction of its quality. I then mixed ten pounds of the same indigo with forty pounds of the best American oil of vitriol, and the same consumers as uniformly condemned it. As none of them knew but that it was the same compound, there could have been no prejudice existing either in favour of the one, or against the other. Chymic should be made in glass or stone ware pots. Com- mon earthern ware will not answer, for the oil of vitriol dis- solves the glazing. The compound may be made either in a sand heat, or in warn* water. When the best oil of vitriol is procured, the next thi'ng necessary is to obtain such indigo as is suitable to niix with it. A fine, light, compact, purple or violet indigo, either of Spanish or Bengal, should be ob- tained. The suitabihty of the indigo is best known by its 24 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. rising moderately as the mixing progresses, but not too much, for when the effervescence is too strong, a portion of the indigo will be decomposed, and when very rcpid, the whole ; and that which is decomposed will not produce any colour, nor will it mix with either cold, or hot water, for the indigo appears to be completely carbonized. When it does not rise at all, (the mixture is incomplete, that is, the indigo is not properly in solution,) the goods dyed with it will be uneven, and the colour very fugitive. It requires four pounds of vitriol to one of indigo. The mdigo must be ground fine in a mill, or made fine by pound- ing in an iron mortar and sifting through a sieve. A small teacup full, or rather less of indigo, is put into the vitriol at once, and stirred until well mixed, and such quantities are added, from time time, until all the indigo is in solution. It must be well stirred during the operation, either with a glass or white willow rod. It has Vow to be covered down, and may be used the next day, after which it should be kept in ground stopped bottles, in which it will keep well for months. It frequently happens that dyers will use more than four pounds of oil of vitriol to one pound of indigo. This is worse than useless, for as four pounds will dissolve one pound of indigo as completely as a larger portion of vitriol, the excess can produce no other effect on the goods than free vitriol will, and we all know this to be injurious to the goods dyed. On the choice of Vessels for colouring scarlet as well as other delicate colours, and of Furnace Baskets, Reels, etc. Scarlets may be coloured with safety, in vessels constructed either of brass, copper, or block-tin. When done in brass oi copper vessels, they must be kept very clean, and the liquor must not be permitted to lie in the furnace afler a dav's col- curing is finished. When a furnace is made of block-tin, it will have to be pretty thick, particularly at the bottom, and when the fire is drawn, after a day's colouring, the liquor in the furnace will have to be cooled dojivn before emptying, the fire having been drawn sometin>e previous, otherwise the heat of the brick. work will so soften the metal that the bottom will fall out. PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 8i On Dying Furnaces, etc. Before giving recipes for dying, it may be necessary to give directions how the cloth has to be prepared and worked, and the fires to be managed ; for the goodness of colours depend as much on reguUiting such things con^ectly, as they do on the materials used to produce them. On cleaning cloth for dying, and the ^cashing of wool and cleaning colours after dying. Many of the minor operations in dying, which those who are not well acquainted with the business are apt to neglect, as of little or no consequence, have an important bearing on the well-being of the whole. Such are the operations I am now about to describe, and I am sorry to have occasion to observe that very many of our manufacturers totally neglect cleansing their goods. I have before remarked, which can- not be too often repeated, that cleansing the wool and cloth well from all kinds of extraneous matter previous to dying, is a necessary preliminary to the production of good colours; and I must add, that to clear them well from the dye afler- ward, is no less necessary : when in wool, for the benefit of carding, spinning and weaving ; and when in cloth, for the credit of the colours. White cloth should always be cleansed well with fullers. eai'th before dying. The fullers-earth must be thoroughly dried before using, which may be done by spreading it on sheets in the sun, or by means of a stove-heat. When dry, place it in a tub, and throw as much water on as will cover the earth, which will cause the whole to melt into a pdlpy mass. The cloth to be cleansed, has to have abouFas much earth thrown on the face, as is used of soap in fulling. Il is then run for thirty or forty minutes in the stocks or w^asher, without water, and washed out in the same manner as will be described for coloured cloth. I must remark that before throwing earth on tlie cloth, it should be moistened as much as is usual for fulling. When wool has been dyed, the light colours require only to be well washed in the swilling-basket; the darker colours, and particularly blue, should be first washed as directed for the light one, then soaked six hours, or more, in milk-warm 26 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. water, with as much oil of vitriol in it as will give to the liquor a slight sour taste, and then it requires a second washing. All the colours given to cloth, may be cleansed by stream- ing, or beating with sticks, from a bridge over a running stream, excepting blue and black, which require to be scoured in a fulling-mill. Each of these operations I shall describe, for unless the dyer has conveniences suitable to perform such operations, or is ignorant of what is necessary to be performed, he cannot expect to have it successfully executed. I have been much surprised that in works written on the subject of dying, the process for cleaning white and coloured wool, and cloth, should be passed over as operations of no consequence, [t proves, what every practical artist must be well aware of, that a mere theoretical writer on the arts and manufactures, however splendid may be his literary talent, is not calculated to throw much light on the minutiae of such subjects, and we all know that it is a combination of apparently trifling things that constitutes a whole. The apparatus used for streaming, is a bridge six feet wide, and at least ten feet long, which is placed across a rapid stream, where the water is not less than eighteen inches deep. About sixteen feet below the bridge, a windlass is placed parallel with it, and elevated about sixteen inches above its level. At one end of the windlass is fixed a pully, three inches thick, and one foot three inches diameter ; around this, holes are bored to place in four or five stout handles, which project about twelve inches fi'om the solid pully, and a boy works the windlass by means of these handles. The cloth intended to be cleaned, is carried to the bridge on a slatted hand-bar- row, by two men. The hand-barrow being placed on the bridge, the workmen throw the end of the cloth on the stream, and beat it until the water runs clear; they then take the end up, and fasten on some large twine, by means of a run- ning noose, which twine is permanently secured at the other end to the centre of the windlass. The two men who carried the hand-barrow, having secured the twine on the cloth, throw the end to which it has been fastened on the water, placing each a foot on the list next to him, whilst the boy strains that part between the windlass and the bridge so as to keep it fairly on the stream ; the two men are prepared each with a long pole, large and smooth at the lower end, to prevent their damaging the cloth, with which they strike it, in rather PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 27 a slanting direction, and keep so beating until the water runs clear from it; they then lift up their feet to let another length upon the water, and the boy continues to wind up, always keeping it at a proper strain until the whole is off the hand- barrow. The clo'th is then drawn back again, and the pro- cess repeated, if found necessary. For dark colours, this operation is repeated two, three, and even four times, or until the colour will not stain white paper. Tlie men who work it, have wooden soles on their shoes an inch thick, the upper- leathers being fastened with tacks ; but no iron or any other metal is allowed on the soles. They have also leather coverings to tie round their legs, from their shoes to a little above their knees, to protect them from the splashings of the water. In this way all colours, excepting blue and black, are cleaned, and so well are they done that the darkest brown, or the blackest bottle-green, will not stain the whitest linen. In towns where access cannot be had to streams of water, they fill large vessels, called backs, with water from pipes, and beat and rinse the cloth in it ; but this is not half so effectual as the plan I have described. Blue and black cloths are also streamed before taken to the fulling-mill, but never on the same bridges where other colours are'worked. It is usual to have as many bridges as there are different classes of colours ; one for scarlets, oranges and buffs ; one for light drabs, one for dark drabs and browns, one for greens, one for blues, and another for blacks. Blue and black cloths, after being sti'eamed, are taken to the fulling- mill and washed under the hammers, until the water runs clear from them, when they are taken out of the stocks, and hung upon long, large wooden pegs placed, in the walls of the mill-house for the purpose, where they are left to drain until the day following. They are then taken down, spread open, and wet fullers-earth thrown on all over the face ; tlie lists are now thrown together, and they are carefully folded into the fulling-mill, which is plugged up, the hammers let doAvn, and permitted to play on the cloth, without water, for half an hour, or forty minutes. The cloth is then handed out, the lists pulled square, the earth spread even on the cloth, and more earth added, jf necessary. The cloth is then put again into the stocks, and the hammers suffered to play upon it one hour ; after which, a small quantity of water is let run into the stocks, not more than would pass through 28 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. a large wlieaten straw, for half an hour, in order that the earth may be diluted slowly, and by degrees. After that, the cloth is once more handed out, the hsts pulled square, then again put into the stocks, and the plug pulled out, when a full stream of water is introduced until it is perfectly clean. During the last operation, it is to be from time to time handed out, in order to prevent its taking a wrong position in the stocks, and being torn. The water that comes out of the stocks, shows whether the cloth is clean, for that which runs out towards the latter part of the operation, should be equally as clear as that which runs in. If on trying the cloth you perceive it still soils, it must be worked with earth a second time. River or clear rain water is the best to mix with the earth, and hard water for washing it out. Scouring of cloth has of late years been performed by cylin- ders, and I am informed it can be as effectually cleaned in that way as by the old process. If so, it must be a great improvement, as with the utmost care the cloths cleaned in fallers were subject to more or less damage, whereas there must be gross negligence to allow of any when worked with rollers. On the effect wliicli Water has on Dying. Whenever this subject has been mentioned by theoretical writers, it has been but briefly noticed, as a subject of minor consequence, and their opinions have been uniformly erro- neous. I had no- conception when I left England, that water could have had so great an effect in the production of colour, as I have since found it to possess. I have practised the art in this country in four states, and have found that given propor- tions of tlie same description of ingredients, would not pro- duce the same colour in any two ; there would in each be a considerable variation in the hue and body of the colour. I shall endeavour to draw such deductions from tlic facts that have been developed during my practice in both countries, as will carry conviction to every unprejudiced mind ; and I hope my opinion will be entitled to that consideration which the importance of the subject demands. For confirmation of the fact, that waters diffei- so materially as to cause a change in the hue and body of colours, I will PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 29 mention two circumstances that have come under my notice, one of recent occurrence, the other of many years standing. The latter occurred to Mr. John Parisli, an eminent dyer in the west of England. He commenced dying in Gloucester- shire, and could not succeed; he then began in Wiltshire, and for tliirty years was the most eminent dyer in the country. After which he commenced again in Gloucestershire, and in a few years lost all he had made in Wiltshire, from an inability to make good colours. Since the publication of my former work, an experiment has been tried, that I think puts the opinion of the effects of water beyond doubt. A dyer from Gloucestershire, being determined to ascertain the diticrence in dying black in Wiltshire, had a blacking of broadcloth pre- pared in Gloucestershire, and the ingredients he used there weighed out. He took with him the cloth and ingredients, and made a dying at Trowbridge, Wiltshire, with the same ingredients he had always made good bright colours in Glou- cestershire, but the colour produced in Wiltshire was a dead, flat, brownish, poor black. An opinion has been handed down from the earliest writers, and repeated by every one to the present day, that no other ' than soft water is fit to be used in dying. They say that " if the water meant !o be employed, is hard, and not fit for washing, or curdles soap, it is not fit for dying light colours." Although this idea has been taken for granted by every author, and has been as generally received by the most intelligent dyers, yet it is altogether erroneous ; and I will venture to assert, that spring-water free from metallic oxydes, and marine salts, is, however hard, better calculated for dying, than any large stream having a distant source, however soft. When I left England, I was impressed with the prevailing notion that none but soft water could be used for dying. It was the opinion of my fatlier, and his predecessors in the same business, who have been eminent dyers for more than a century ; and this in direct opposition to their daily practice ; for they had all this time been making use of spring-water, that was very hard, would curdle soap, and was unfit for washing, in preference to water from a fine mill-stream, that ran between the dye-houses, and was remarkably soft. And I am convinced they owed their celebrity to this circum- stance alone. .My practice in America has convinced me of this important-fact, that any water, with the exceptions before 3 * 30 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. . " '^ mentioned, may be used successfully by the dyer, with one proviso — that it is always in the same state. Water tliat is variable in its property, can never be used with any prospect of success : it is on this account that springs are better cal- culated for the purpose than mill-streams.- That river-water is ever varying, is too obvious to be doubted. After "much rain, by far the greater part will be rain-water — in a dry season, nearly the whole will be the product of springs, and the shades of difference will vary almost daily. Can it be expected that a medium ever variable, should be calculated to produce certain and invai'iable results ? The dyer who uses river-water (excepting in certain appli- cations which will hereafter be mentioned) must, therefore, be subject to continual disappointment, and probably without the least suspicion of the cause. He will go blundering along for years in the dark, sometimes much to his satisfaction, at other times deceived in the expected results. He will blame the dye-wares ; will think they have been adulterated by the dealer, or will charge his workmen with carelessness and neglect ; any and every thing will be suspected rather than the true cause. Let every American dyer, that is stationary, contrive some mode of obtaining water that shall always be in the same state, and I will venture to predict they will soon become as eminent as those of any other country. In scouring wool, the water used in the furnace should be soft; afterward, for washing, hard water is to be preferred. Rain or river water is the best for one operation, and spring- water for the other. In blue dying, soft water should be used in the vats. This exception is not on account of the colour, it is merely a saving of vegetable ferments. Hard water is best for washing wool after it has been coloured ; it is preferable also for washing cloth after braying and fulling; and where a convenient supply of spring-water can be obtained at an easy expense, it should be led into convenient receptacles, from whence it can be drawn when wanted. There is no colour in which water appears to have so much effect as in black. In the county of Gloucestershire, England, where the dyers are celebrated for this colour, the water holds in solution a considerable quantity of limestone ; and the same recipes used there, when employed in the ad. PREPAR^ORY PROCESSES. 31 joining county of Wiltshire, where the water is impresnated with ugillaceous matter, will not produce any thing like the same colour. There is also a sensible difference in the colour, in the same county, from any given recipe when used in dif- ferent places, and even in various parts of the same stream ; for the effect is not the same when used near the source of a river, as it is at a greater distance from it. I brought three different recipes with me from England, one from each of the three best black dyers in the county of Gloucester- shire, and only one of the three would produce a tolerable colour with the water of a mill-stream in New-Jersey. The principal colouring matter in black is obtained from logwood, which appears to \vork browner in any other than limestone- water, and does not pi'oduce so rich a body. As the opinion now given, has never to my knowledge been noticed by any writer on the subject, and involves con- sequences of great importance to the art, I shall attempt to explain the principle on which it operates, that scientific men, as well as dyers, may form an opinion on the subject. I do not presume to suppose my theory will be perfectly correct ; but if it shall give a clue to enable others possessing more science to pursue the subject, and elucidate it with their usual perspicuity, it will, I hope, be the means of throwing some additional light on ttiis intricate and mysterious art. I have said that the waters in the county of Gloucestep^ shire, where they are more celebrated for dying black, than in any other part of England, holds carbonate of lime in solution. After the cloth has been boiled with the dying wares, two or three hours for black, sulphate of iron and sulphate of copper are added, for the purpose of saddening the colour. As soon as these are thrown into the liquor, a violent effervescence is produced : the carbonic acid gas is separated from the carbonate of lime, by the lime com- bining with the acids of the salts, and there remains in the liquor a sulphate of lime, an oxyde of iron and copper, a sul- phate of iron and a sulphate of copper. When colours are dyed in water containina: no lime, nor any otlier alkaline earth, the salts in the liquor will remain in solution in the same compounds as before they were added to it. In the one liquor then, we shall have in solution, sulphate of iron, sulphate of copper, sulphate of lime, oxyde of iron and copper ; in the other, sulphate of iron, 'and sulphate of copper. 32 PREPARATORY PR,OCESSES. Every chymist must know that a material difference in tho colour will result from these two compounds. The sulphate of lime in the first, will raise the blue of tlie logwood, and thereby increase the body and intensity of the colour on the goods dyed. I have made two or three attempts to substitute caustic, and sub-carbonated lime-water, in place of the natural ; hav- ing previously inferred that a similar efTect would be pro- duced. I found it to raise the colour of the logwood, yet for want of sufficient experience in its use to fix a proper stand- ard, I have never been able, successfully, to imitate the natural water. I have discovered, however, that when too much was used, it had an injurious effect, making the logwood tinc- ture of a pale prussian blue colour. The most important deduction to be drawn from these facts, is, that dyers ouglit never to expect that recipes obtained from othdr countries, or from distant parts of their own, should produce exactly the same colours when used by them, as they have with others. And also, that for dyers to become eminent, they must be stationary, they must continue to prac- tice m one situation, and with one kind of water, that by these means alone, can they be expected to obtain perfection in the art. It is, nevertheless, useful to become acquainted with the practice of others, and more particularly with the science of chymistry, on which the art is founded ; but they must not implicitly rely on any thing but their own practice. The difference in the effects produced, between dying from any recipe in one place and in another, may, and does often arise from other causes beside the variableness of the water ; see scouring of wool, cloth, &c. On Cochineal and other Dye-Stuffs. There is so much difference in the quality of cochineal, that it is impossible to describe it accurately, and nothing but prac- tice in comparing samples, and dying with it, can give that critical judgment which will enable the dyer to make choice of those that are the best suited for colouring. The French prefer the silver gray ; in England the black grain is pre- ferred. I do not believe there is any essential difference between them. In choosing cochineal, the dyer should be particular in having a large solid grain ; a small, or shelly PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 33 grain, indicates an inferior article. Cochineal, being costly, is subject to great adulterations ; there is often found in it a gummy-looking substance, having no colour ; and sometimes stones are found in it as large as the fly. Every sample before purchasing should be examined attentively, and all suspicious substances scpara.ted from the real fly and broken, which will disclose the imposition, and enable the consumer to judge of the adulterated percentage. It is usual, when different sam- ples are offered, after the adulterations are ascertained, to reduce each one separately into a fine powder, and to form a judgment of their relative value by their comparative shades of intensity. Cochineal is ground in a steel-mill kept expressly for the purpose, which is never permitted to be used for any other articles. For the finest scarlet, intended to be very rich in colour and body, no colouring matter should be used, excepting cochineal ; but in general colours the manufacturer will not go to that expense, therefore, some yellow has been used t8 assist the body of the colour : such as young fustic, black- oak bark, and turmeric. Turmeric is brought from tropical countries ; it is a bulbous root, and when broken by the hammer, should be of a fine golden yellow. If the roots are new, and have not been much exposed, the outside will have a yellow appearance ; but if old, they will be of a dirty drab ; and the value of the drug will be in proportion to the distance this abstraction of colour has penetrated the root. It is not a little singular, that the root most esteemed- in England should be considered of inferior value in this country. Lac dye has been generally used since my former work was published. It is imported from the East Indies in square cakes, and can be used at less than Ijuif the price of cochineal. The scarlet obtained from the lac dye is equal to that from cochineal ; but its application is limited to reds and scarlet, for it cannot be used to advantage in either pinks or crim- sons, as it will not blue by the addition of alkalis. Bfazil, or Pernambuco wood — it was formerly the sole property of the crown, and every piece was stamped at one end. It is mostly used for rose colours, crimsons, and for making red ink. There are two distinct woods called bra- zil, one known as king's wood, the other as queen's wood, 34 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. the latter being worth three or four times as much as the foi'mer. Madder is imported from Smyrna, Holland, and France. The Smyrna is considered the best, the Dutch the nexj; best, and the French the worst. The finest quality of French I have found to be equal to the best quality of Dutch ; but there the equality ends, for the second grade of French gives one third less colour than the second grade of Dutch. I am informed that the madder-root grows wild, over large districts of country, in South America. I received a sample of madder- roots, some four years since, from South America, which on trial proved far superior to any European madder. I pounded the roots in a mortar, and tried it in comparison with some prime Dutch crop, when the South American gave a colour far exceeding the other. Dutch madder, when ground, is separated into four distinct grades, the crop, the umbro, the gamene, and the mull, and in each of these there are many different shades of quality. The umbro and gamene are mostly used in woollen dying, for all common colours, and for the blue vats ; the crop is used for fine reds, and the mull for dark bottle-greens, dark browns, and for dirty drabs. The outside of casks of madder are always more or less damaged by access to the air through the seams between the staves, and when sold in Europe an allowance is made for what is called crust. The injury a cask has sustained, may be discovered by boring in from the bilge to the centre of the cask, and drawing the borer out full of madder. By examining this, an estimate is fermed of the average loss. Supposing a cask of madder of three feet in diameter is offered for sale, having a damaged crust of two inches, the consumer who buys it, without an allowance, will be a loser of nearly twenty per cent. Most of the blue dyers in this country, are under an im- pi'ession that madder, by giving out its red dye to the liquor, produces with the blue a rich purple colour ; but in this they are mistaken ; for madder, immediately after it is put into the vat, ferments, and in a few hours loses all its colour ; so*that those who use the best crop madder under this impression, are contributing to the expense of the dye without any equivalent. Attempts have been made to raise madder in this country, and in some instances successfully. Those who use large PREPARATORY PRECESSES. 35 quantities, should cultivate it for their own use. The dis- covery made by M. D'Anibourncy, tliat the fresh roots may be used with as much advantage as that which has been dried and powdered, allowing four pounds for one, would make the price of madder come very low to those who would raise their own. Before using, it should be bruised in a mill, simi- lar to that m which apples are ground. Mungeet is imported from the eastern continent, in bales. This is a species of rubia, and of course belongs to the class of madders. It is in long roots of the size of a pipe-stem, and smaller. The colour it affords is similar to that given by madder, excepting it being rather more on the red. This article has been much used since madder has risen in value, although it was before totally neglected. In making choice of indigo, the dyer should attend to its specific gravity, and to its fracture and colour. That which weighs the least for its bulk, is smooth in the fracture, and appears of a bright violet, purple, or bronze hue, is the best. The qualities in this drug are so unlimited, that it requires much practical skill to make. purchase of the most profitable article. The finest qualities of indigo generally demand a price far above their intrinsic value ; and dyers usually buy the consumable qualities, from which they obtain more colour, in proportion to the price, than from the finer qualities. The indigo that is used in a fermenting vat, should be ground to a fine paste in water. This may be effected either in a cast-iron pot, with balls turned by a crank, or with a mill, such as is used to grind printers' ink. The indigo should be previously soaked, by putting it into a tub, and filling up with boiling water, so as to cover it. When this has been in soak for three or four days, the indigo will be so much softened as to crumble when moved, and when handled, will break by the slightest pressure of the fingers. The ball-mill I need not. describe, as every dyer is ac- quainted with it ; the shape of the mill in general use here is very bad ; the bottom where the balls work, should swell, or belly out, and the pot should narrow a little towards the top. A pot o'' this shape would never permit the indigo to be thrown out y the balls, when in motion — a defect very common in the bell-shaped pots used in this country. An indigo mill-pot, where more than one vat is intended to be employed, should be large enough to grind thirty pounds of 86 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. indigo at one time, with two balls, each seventy pounds weight; these, ^if kept in constant motion, will completely grind that quantity in three days. The printer's, or stone- mill, must have an iron breaker, through which the indigo may pass before it entei s the stones ; and the finer it is broken by this, the easier and better it will grind. There are four kinds of logwood, the Campeachy, St. Domingo, Honduras, and Jamaica, known by the names of the places from whence they are exported. The Campeachy is the best, St. Domingo the next best, and the Honduras and Jamaica are both inferior woods. It is considered that three pounds of Campeachy is equal to three and a half of St. Domingo, and to four of Honduras and Jamaica. Notwith- standing the inferiority of Honduras and Jamaica, they are more generally bouglit by large consumers than Campeachy, from the well-known fact, that manufacturers of wood in England, always adulter-ate Campeachy logwood with at least half of Honduras and Jamaica. Camwood is never used on woollens in England. It was once used there, but has been rejected, because it injures the quality of the goods more than twice the value of the cost of dying. It has been superseded by that of barwood. Redwood is but little employed in woollen dying, excepting in some peculiar colours, as will be seen in the recipes for dying. What is called redwood in this country, must be a difl^erent wood from that which bears the same name in England ; for redwood is much dearer there than Camwood. It is the same as is here called hatchwood, with the sap taken oiF. Peachwood is the same as is here known by the name of nicaragua, and the quality depends on the size of the wood. It is rarely used on AvooUens, excepting in colours having a purple hue. Red Sanders is now much used in rich browns. It not only gives a beautiful tint, but is one of tlie most pernicuient of the vegetable dyes. There are several qualities of fustic, the Cuba and Tampico are the best. Weld is raised in France and England, from whence small lots are occasionally imported into this country, and sold at from five to seven cents per pound. Since my former work was published, this plant has been raised by some of our farmers, but in general has not been well cured. PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 37 Di Bancroft has taken much pains to prove that the quer- citron, or black-oak bark, will give a colour equally as good as the weld ; but English dyers are convinced, after having tried the two, that the weld gives a more beautiful, and a more permanent colour. There is another property in weld, which gives it a decided advantage over the black-oak bark ; it imparts a softness to all woollens coloured in it, which no other colouring matter does in the same degree. Dyer's weed grows wild on commons, and around the bor- ders of woodland ; it has much thq, appearance of heath, and is known in England by the name of woodwax. It is much used in drabs, in the parts of England in which it grows. Green ebony is imported froui the Pacific. It is a green- coloured wood, and is much used in greens, olive-browns, and many other colours having a green hue. It is generally em- ployed in dying green silk. Young fustic is the sticks, or woody part of the Venice sumach, and is sold cheap in England. The sap is white, whilst the inside is of a rich oi'ange }^eirow. It is used in chips, and principally employed for oranges, auroras, &c. 6zc. This plant grows well in this country, and is to be found in most gardens and shrul)beries, of any note. Its technical name is 7'hus costbius. The stem and trunk of the shrub, and the root, are bought and employed for dying. The leaves and stalk, when bruised, have an aromatic but pungent and acid scent. It bears a flossy blossom, but no berries, and the leaves are round. Any dyer having an acre of land to spare, might raise sufficient for his own use. On Native-American Dye Drugs. There are, no doubt, a great numi)er of dying drugs in this country, which, if known, might become valuable. It is much to be regretted, that some institution does not exist in this country to test and bring to notice its native colouring matters. In the hands of a practical and theoretical dyer, many valuable discoveries might be made of new dyes now lying dormant. Many of them might be used to advantage by the dyers of this country, and also become objects of some magnitude, as exports. It would require an appropriation of two or three thousand dollars per annum to effect the object, 4 38 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. and I should apprehend that five years would be sufficient to test all the colouring matters of the United States. I am now acquainted with seven native dye drugs : the sumach, swamp. maple bark, black-oak bark, golden rod, alder bark, chestnut bark, and butternut bark. The common sumach, so abundant in this country, and which is so generally gathered for dying, is of a different species from that which is imported. It is the rhus glabrum. The imported is the rhus coriaria. The latter looks much yellower when ground than the former, and works more pow- erfully. It grows naturally in Syria, Palestine, Spain, and Portugal, and is found occasioirally in this country. It is diligently cultivated in Spain and Portugal. The shoots are cut down to the roots every year, and dried, that they may be ground to powder in a mill. Sioamp-Maple Bark. This bark is used in drabs, grays, and blacks. It may be employed in almost all cases, as a substitute for nutgalls. Four pounds of swamp-maple bark will give full as much colour as one pound of the best nutgalls. Black-Oak Bark and Golden Rod. These are used for yellow, and the mode of dying is tha same for each. The use of the black-oak bark is well known among our dyers, but the golden rod, producing a better colour, has been very little attended to. I would recom- mend our dyers to gather the plant when at maturity, and use it in a dry state. Alder Bark. The alder is found abundantly in swampy places: it is generally of small growth, and has a motley nut-brown bark ; the sticks are cut in the month of April, or the beginning of the month of May, when the sap runs ; the bai'k is stripped off as soon as cut, (which is easily done by children) and is dried in the shade, when it is fit for use. The poles make good bean-sticks, or excellent firewood. This bark, when PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 39 the colouring matter is strong, produces a brownish drab with alum, and a light forest drab when only a small quantity is used. When employed in the black dye, it increases the body of the colour even more than sumach, and is equally durable. Chestnut and Butternut Bark. These barks are used in browns and blacks. The butter- nut is mostly employed to give a body for brown. It gives a good cinnamon-brown, of great permanency, without any mor- dant, and could be used to much advantage as a preparation for browns of almost every shade. White- Oak Sawdust, The sawdust of the white-oak gives the best and most permanent body to blacks, of any material I have ever used, and is not so apt to turn brown, as sumach, oak bark, or any other material in common use. It requires about twelve pounds to twenty yards of broadcloth, weighing twenty-four pounds, or half the weight of the cloth. The purple, given by the sawdust, is finer than that which is obtained from nutgalls, and is highly permanent. There is an acid in wood, called the pyroligneous, which is much used, when combined with iron, for dying and j)rint- ing of black on cotton. It is highly probable, that when oak or other sawdust is boiled, this acid is extracted, and oi)erates in producing the colour, in addition to the purple obtained as a colouring matter ; for it is well known, that pyroligneate of iron is the best mordant used in black dying. On Dye -Stuffs, not indigenous, that could be raised in this country.. Indigo, madder, weld, woad, woodwax, and many others, Miight be raised to advantage in this country. On the manufacturing of Indigo. The value of the indigo consumed in this country, canno* be estimated at less than two millions of dollars per annum. The quantity of indigo made from an acre of the plan< 40 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. has been differently estimated by almost every maker from whom I have obtained information. Taking the average of the different estimates, it would be at least fifty pounds to the acre. It will appear by this estimate, that it would require forty thousand acres of land to raise a supply for present con- sumption ; and as the demand is rapidly increasing, it is more than probable, that in ten years, it will require the product of eighty thousand acres to raise a supply for home con- sumption. There are four points to be attended to in making of in digo, which require much judgment, aided by practical skill These are, the time of cutting the plant, the degree of fer mentation to be given in the steeper, the degree of oxydize. ment of the colouring feculse, and the extrication of foreign matter from the pulp after the indigo is made. Three of these processes being purely chymical, it is not, therefore, surprising, that ordinary workmen should frequently fail in producing a good article. There is probably more loss sus- tained by our southern planters, from the ignorance of the operators, than the whole value of the article now sold. The plant should be cut when at maturity, as it will then afford a fine colour ; but if cut too late, a portion of colour is then lost, and an indigo of worse quality is obtained. Mr. Dalrymplc informed me, that the plant should be cut when in full fiower, after the weather for some days has been dry. Another celebrated maker of indigo, asserts, " that if the plants are suffered to stand till thej^ run into flower, the leaves become too hard and dry, and the indigo obtained from them proves less in quantity and less beautiful. The due point of maturity is known by the leaves beginning to grow less sup- pic, or more brittle." It appears that the makers of indigo differ as to the time of gathering the plant. It is greatly to the interest of our planters that they should ascertain, by direct experiment, the proper time of gathering. When the plant is gathered, it has to undergo a process by immersion in water, for the purpose of extracting its col- ouring matter. This operation is performed in two ways — by fermenting the green plant in a steeper, or by first drying the leaves and then simmering them in a boiler. The latter process is now pursued by some of the best makers in Ben- gal, and das apparently an advantage over the old process. PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 41 When the green plant is fermented in a steeper, and tlio process is carried a Httle too far, the colouring matter will become dark, and is said to be burnt — if carried a slight degree farther it will be black, and of course the indigo will be very much injured. Nine-tenths of the indigo made in the United States, partakes more or less of this character, and has evidently been injured by an excessive fermentation. To observe a due degree of fermentation in the steeper, is the most difficult point in the w'hole process of making indigo; for should the fermentation not be carried far enough, a con- siderable loss of colouring matter will be the result. It is necessary, therefore, to carry it on to a certain point, and to draw it off the instant it arrives at that point ; and this can be known only by a skilful observer who has obtained his knowledge by practice. There is no chyniical operation so difficult to describe as .that of fermentation, and I almost despair of making myself clearly understood by practical workmen in the following description of the steeping process. Fermentation has been divided by chymists into four kinds, or stages : the panary, vinous, acetic, and putrefactive. The fermentation given in the indigo steeper is evidently of that kind called panary, or the first stage of fermentation. It is known to be tiie panary by the large quantity of carbonic gas given out, which, rising to the surface, floats on the top, covered with a thin pellicle of the liquid. The difficult point for the operator to distinguish, is when it arrives at that degree of fermentation, and begins to assume the acetic. The same difficulty occurs with the woollen blue dyer, and the losses so frequently complained of, by the vats being out of order, and often irrevocably lost, arise from the fermentation being permitted, to proceed too far. The following directions are given as a guide for those who may be engaged in the making of indigo. Whilst the plant is in steep, draw off a little of the water, and with a pen dipped in it make a few strokes on w^hite paper. The first will probably be highly coloured, in which case the indigo is not sufficiently fermented. This operation is to be repeated every quarter of an hour, until it loses its colour, when it will have arrived at its true point of fermentation. Let a small hole be made in the steeper, six or eiglit inches from the bottom, exclusive of the opening or aperture, for 4* 42 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. drawing off the impregnated water. Let this hole be stopped with a plug, yet not so firmly but that a small stream may be permitted to ooze through it ; after the plants have been steeped some hours, the fluid, oozing out, will appear beauti- fully green, and at the lower edge of the cistern, from whence it drops into the battery, it will turn of a copperish colour. This copperish hue, as the fermentation continues, will gradu- ally ascend upwards to the plug, and when that circumstance is perceived, it is proper to stop the fermentation. During the progress of this part of the business, particular attention should be paid to the smell of the liquor which weeps from the aperture, for should it discover any sourness, it will be necessary to let the fermenting liquor run immedi- ately into the battery, and lime-water of sufficient strength must be added, until it has lost its sourness. As it is run- ning off it will appear green, mixed with a bright yellow or straw colour, but in the battery it will be of a beautiful green. . Another maker has given the following description ofthefer menting process. When the plant is gathered, a large quantity is put into a vat, and some wood laid above to prevent its rising above the water. The mass begins to ferment sooner or later, according to the warmth of the weather, and the maturity of the plant — sometimes in six or eight hours, and sometimes in not less than twenty. The liquor grows hot, throws up a plentiful froth, thickens by degrees, and acquires a blue colour, inclining to a violet ; at this time, without touching the herb, the liquor impregnated with the tincture is let out, by cocks in the bottom, into another vat placed for that pur- pose, so as to be commanded by the first. The boiling process, for extracting the colour from the dry plant, was obtained from Mr. Dalrymple, who had for many years been an extensive indigo maker in Bengal. He says : take an iron, brass, or copper boiler, fill it within three inches of the top with the plants, press down with stones, and cover the plants with water. The liquor must be heated, not until it boils, but until it begins to blubber, or simmer. The water, by this time, will look greenish, then draw it off into a shallow vessel or vat, and boat for one or two hours to incorporate oxygen with it. On taking some of the liquor in a white saucer, little particles will appear in it as large as PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 43 a pin's head and smaller ; then stop beating and throw in a little lime-water, upon which the indigo will precipitate to the bottom, and tlic su{)crnatant water will look like brandy. The water has now to bo drained off to a level with the top of the sediment ; lay the sediment on a cloth to drain, and when stiff enough put it into moulds to dry. The directions given by Mr. Dalrymple are evidently im- perfect, for none are given for the fermenting process ; and those who are the least acquainted with the manufacture of indigo, must know that the colouring matter cannot be devel- oped unless the liquor has previously undergone a due degree " of fermentation. I have been recently informed, that many first-rate makers of indigo in Bengal condemn the process of obtaining it from the dried leaves, on the plea that the article obtained is no better, and is much less in quantity. If any of our planters should be disposed to try the dry process, it will be neces- sary to inform them, that should the leaves-, between gather, ing and drying, be subject to fermentation, only a small portion of colouring matter will be obtained, and that the loss sus- tained will be as to the degree of fermentation. Durmg the precipitation of the colouring feculae, the coarsest particles, possessing the greatest specific gravity, subside first, constituting the lower strata of the pulp ; and the lighter and finer particles, subsiding last, form the upper part. It is necessary that indigo makers should take advantage of this circumstance, by first taking off the upper layer, and moulding it by itself, and the lower part by itself. By this means they may obtain several qualities of indigo from one mass of pulp. It appears from analysis made by Bergman, Quatremere, and other chymists, that indigo of good quality does not con- tain more than from 46 to 47 per cent, of colouring matter, and that the very best samples do not contain more than 48 per cent. The following table will exhibit an analysis of indigo of a good quality, and of the menstruua in which the impurities are soluble : Mucilaginous parts, separable by water, . . .12 Resinous parts, soluble in alcohol, .... 6 Earthy parts, soluble in acetic acid, . . . .22 Oxyde of iron, soluble in muriatic acid, . . .13 Colouring parts, almost pure, . . . . .47 44 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. There cannot be a doubt, that the manufacturers of in- digo might produce, by attending to the analysis made by chymists, an article far superior to any hitherto offered to the public. It will also appear certain, when experience shall have confirmed the value of a superior indigo, that a more than remunerating price could be obtained for a purer article. For certain purposes a pure indigo would command double, and even treble prices, provided the supply were not too great for the consumption. This being the case, it would be well for our manufacturers to pay some attention to the sub- ject, and endeavour, by some easy, unexpensive process, to bring it to as great perfection as possible. To promote this object, I offer the following extracts and observations. Bergman dissolved, by means of ebullition in water, a ninth part of the we'ight of indigo. Quatremere also separated, by means of water, the parts which are soluble. He states their quantity to be more con- siderable, the worse the quality of the indigo ; and that, after this operation, the residuum has acquired the qualities of tlje finest indigo. He, therefore, proposes to purify what is of inferior quality, by boiling it in a bag, and renewing the water till it ceases to acquire colour. If sulphuric acid be diluted with water, it attacks only the earthy matter that is blended with the indigo, and some mu- cilaginous ingredients. Muriatic acid, digested or even boiled with indigo, takes up the earthy part, the iron, and a little extractive matter, which colours it of a yellowish brown, but without attacking in any manner the blue colour. It is evident from the analysis, that to make indigo far superior to any now brought to market, requires only an appli- cation of known facts to the art of making it. It is a well ascertained fact, that if indigo is boiled in water containing muriatic acid, twenty-five per cent, of the impurities contained in the best samples, would be extracted, and the colouring matter remaining would form an indigo far superior to the best now offered for sale. In the best samples of the indigo of this country there is evidently too mucli extractive matter, and there is no doubt that this defect arises, in a great measure, from their taking the pulp from the beater, instead of their running it into a vat of clear water, aud after well agitating there, letting it settle PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 45 in the third vat. This third receiver should undoubtedly be added where it has not been done already. Those manu- facturers who would wish to avoid the expense of a third receiver, may fill up the beater with fresh water, after drawing off the first liquor, and perform the operation in the same vat. The greatest improvement I can at present suggest, would be to boil the pulp taken from the vat by steam heat, for fifteen or twenty minutes, in water containing as much mu- riatic acid as would give to the liquor a strong acid taste. This operation can also be performed by placing a copper pipe in the beater from any steam boiler. Muriatic acid, besides the oxyde of iron, dissolves the car- bonate of lime, red resin, and alumina, contained in the indigo, and by being mixed with water, the greater portion of the ex tractive matter would be taken up at the same time. It would leave the indigo twenty-five per cent, better than any Jiith. erto made, and a price more than equivalent to the loss of weight and expense would be readily obtained from the con- sumer. I have been informed by some South Carolina planters, that owing to their inability to proceed with the fermentative operation as rapidly as the crops require, a portion is often left on the fields for two or three weeks after the plants have arrived at maturity. This circumstance alone is sufficient to blast the interest of the planters. This difficulty is obvi- ated in Bengal by their planting their seed in successive periods, so that one crop will ripen a week or more after the other, each crop being sufficient to supply one set of tanks during the period of maturity. Dyers, as well as indigo planters, would be highly benefitted by attending to the analysis of indigo. Were they, when a superior colour is wanted, to boil the ground indigo in a bag cis described by Quatremere, there would be no difficulty in obtaining the desired result from indigo of any quality. On raising Madder. As manufactures progress, many agricultural products will be brought into demand, which, from the variety of our soil and climate, may as well be raised in this country as in any other; and it is the interest of our agriculturists to seize every 46 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. opportunity of cultivating new products, as soon as a suffi- cient demand is created to warrant the attempt. Madder has become an article of great consumption, and the demand is daily increasing. That it can be raised in most parts of North America, in the greatest perfection, has been tested by experience. Mrs. Madison made a report to the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, many years since, of madder raised under her direction, and the report was accom- panied with a sample of cotton dyed of an adrianople red, that has never been exceeded in colour by any European dyer. In Kentucky, madder is commonly raised in gardens, is dried in the root, and sent to market for sale. I once used a few pounds of those roots, and the colour obtained was equal to that produced from the second quality Dutch crop. I have selected information relative to the cultivation of madder, for the guidance of those who would wish to make the attempt. It will be necessary to plough the land deeply for madder, before the winter, into high ridges, in order that it may be exposed to the action and influence of the frosts, and the atmosphere. Early in the spring these ridges should be well harrowed down by a heavy, long-tined harrow, and then ploughed again in the contrary direction to a good depth. And when after this, the land is not perfectly clean from weeds, or not rendered sutficiently fine and mellow, another ploughing and another harrowing should be given. In the last operation the ground should always be left in as level and even a state as possible. It is then ready for the recep- tion of the plants. The sets or plants may then be obtained either by sowing the seeds upon a bed of earth which is rich, and made perfectly fine by digging and raking in the spring, and then lightly covering in, or from offsets or suckers from the old plants. In the first method, on the plants appearin* they should be made perfectly clean by weeding, and set out at the distance of three inches in the beds, by the hoe. In this way, by keeping the ground quite clean and well stirred about the plants, they will be ready to set out in the second autumn, though it will mostly be iDetter to defer the business until spring. It requires about thirty thousand plants for setting an acre of land. The most suitable time for taking the sets is shown by the plants having attained the height of ten or twelve inches from the ground, and the suckers having PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 47 thrown out fibrous roots from their bottoms. This may be seen by drawing up a few of the plants, and usually about the latter end of May or beginning of June. Besides, it is ne- cessary that the sets have formed root-fibres at the bottom, before they are removed, as where that is not the ease they never succeed well. The land being previously prepared as directed, and the plants provided, a sufficient number of labourers are to be employed, that the work maybe performed as expeditiously as possible. In taking off the sets, much care is necessary not to injure them. The number of plants that can be set in a short time, should be taken up at once. They should be prepared by having a third part of their tops cut off; a sort of thin batter should be made by mixing good vegetable mould- and water well together, into which the roots of the sets should be well dipped before they are placed into the earth, as by this means the necessity of water- ing the plants afterward is prevented. This work is executed by a person before the planting commences. Two others are employed afterward in distributing tlie plants so as to be convenient for putting them into the ground. These sets, after the land has been formed into beds, five feet in breadth, with two feet between each, for intervals, are put in by means of a line and dibble, beginning at a dis- tance of six inches from tlie outside, and setting a row of plants a distance of five, six, or more inches from each other; then removing the line two feet further on them, and putting in another row, and so on, until the bed is finished. In this way each bed contains three rows of plants, at two feet distance each. As some of the plants are liable to die soon after the work has been performed, it is necessary, in the course of two or three wede liquor down, stir well, throw in the cloth, and boil till up to the pattern. For an orange on sixty pounds of fine cloth, in a spent scarlet liquor. Use eight pounds of young fustic chips, four pounds of cream of tartar, three pounds of best madder, half an ounce of cochineal, and one pint of tin liquor. Boil the chips, and proceed as before. Auroras are dyed the same as oranges, except with less madder, and an additional quantity of cochineal. Some auroras approach very nearly to the scarlet colour, having a greater body of yellow. Oranges and auroras, when done in a liquor prepared on purpose, require more cream of tartar, tin liquor, and cochi- neal, than is prescribed in the foi'egoing recipes. For a common orange on four pieces of flannel. For the boiling, use one pint of tin liquor, and two pounds of argol. Give a body with young fustic, and redden to pat- tern with madder of the first quality. Wool is seldom dyed of an orange colour, but as it may be wanted sometimes for mixtures, I will give the only recipe my collection affords. For an orange on nineteen pounds of wool. Take three pounds of alum, boil it one hour, cdfcl down, stir, throw in the wool, boil two hours, and let it lie all night. In the morning wash it, and finish in a fresh liquor, with ten pounds of weld, and three pounds of madder ; boil it seven or ten minutes, and land. For an orange on cotton. The cotton for this colour should be white. To each pound of cotton take two ounces of annatto, grind with water in a brass kettle, as indigo is ground, wasli it out into another kettle, or pan, and add an equal quantity of pearlash ; boil for J^alf an hour, turn in tlie cotton, wring out, and dry in a stove, or in the shade ; the more of annatto is used, the richer n 122 RECIPES. and finer will be the colour. The liquor should not be thrown away after the working, but used with another quan- tity, by adding more of the material to the old liquor after boiling, which will be a saving of one-third. Chrome-orange on cotton. For one hundred pounds of cotton yarn, take twenty-four pounds of nitrate of lead, dissolve in fifty gallons of water, then take eight pounds of bichromate of potash, which dis- solve in six gallons of water. Make up your tubs in the same way as directed for yellow. Make up another tub of lime-water, and use the lead and chrome liquors as directed for yellow, with the same proportions. Work the yarn, in ten pound bundles, first in the lead, then in the lime-water , again through the lead, then in the lime-water, and again through the lead ; enter your yarn into the chrome tub, after- ward through the lead, and then through the chrome again. Have a furnace filled with lime-water, brought to a boiling heat, and enter your yarn into it, bundle after bundle, always adding fresh lime-water for every bundle ; wash out in cold water, and it is finished. All the tubs, both in the yellow and orange, are warmed to 100° Fahrenheit. The sediment of the chrome tubs is sold to painters ; the liquors, after dying, are thrown into hogsheads to settle. Fawns, of a very delicate shade, are made by preparing the yarn with sumach, and finishing in the liquor from th« hogsheads. To colour silk an orange. Orange colour is obtained with soda and annatto, and by working in this liquor until the desired colour is complete. For a deep orange yelloio on ten pounds of silk. Take one pound and a quarter of alum, eight pounds ol safflower, and a quarter of a pound of alum. Dissolve the alum in a kettle containing ten buckets of water; then pour the solution into a tub, steep the silk in it, work it well therein for half an hour, wring it, lay it by in its wet state, for further use, and throw away the solution of alum. Put ten buckets REaPES. 123 of fresh water into a kettle, add eight pounds of safflower, and a quarter of a pound of alum ; boil for half an hour, run the decoction througli a sieve into a tub, steep the silk in the liquor, work it well therein for a quarter of an hour, wring out, and dry it ; fix it on the wringing post, wring and beat it well, and it is finished. With the remains of the above liquor, a pale yellow may be obtained. To dye cinnamon colours. For fifty pounds of fine cloth, for a bright cinnamon, use seven pounds and a half of alum, one pound and a half of argol, and nine pounds of redwood. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, stir, throw in the cloth, and boil one hour. For a darker cinnamon, on the same weight of cloth, use seven pounds of alum, two pounds of argol, six pounds of fustic, ten pounds of barwood, and eight pounds of redwood. Boil the wares two hours, heave in the cloth, and boil cfs before. The hue and body of cinnamon may be varied, by using more or less of fustic, and the other dye-woods. Cloth, for cinnamon, is oftentimes prepared with umbro madder, alum, and argol, and then finished with fustic, red- wood and barwood in another liquor, and these are the best and most permanent colours. To dye wool cinna?non colours. For one hundred and twenty-five pounds of wool, use fifty pounds of fustic, sixty pounds of red sanders, and six pounds of madder. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, boil it two hours, cool down, and strew over four pounds and a half of ground cream of tartar, and four pounds and a half of alum ; boil an hour, and let lie all night. For a cinnamon of a fuller colour, and more on the red. For one hundred and twenty pounds of wool, use twenty- four pounds of fustic, and forty-two pounds of red sanders. Boil the dye-wares and the wool as for the last, then strew over fifteen pounds of alum, boil one hour, and let it lie in all night ; wash the wool the next morning, and finish in a 124 RECIPES. fresh liquor, with thirty pounds of umbro madder. This is a very rich colour, and is never applied but on fine goods. For a very bright cinnamon on twenty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one ounce and a half of nutgalls, five pounds of fustic, and four pounds of red sanders. Proceed as before directed for boiling. For saddening, use one ounce and a quarter of copperas, and two ounces of alum, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. The two following recipes are for two lots of very bright cin- namon, done in succession in the same liquor. For ninety-three pounds of wool, use forty-five pounds of barwood, twenty-seven pounds of fustic, and five pounds of alum. Boil the wares two hours, and the wool twenty minutes, land it, a'hd then add to the same liquor, for a second lot of wool of eighty pounds, twenty-eight pounds of barwood, and seven pounds of fustic. Boil the wares and wool as before, cool down, and strew over it six pounds of alum, boil half an hour, and let lie in all night. Cinnamon on cotton is dyed by first colouring it yellow, and then red, as given in the recipes for those colours. If the colour should not prove bright enough, work it in soap- suds, wring out, dry, and it is finished. To dye a cinnamon on ten pounds of silk. Take half a pound of nutgalls, two pounds and a half of alum, half a pound of argol, and four pounds of madder. Put into a kettle eight buckets of water and the nutgalls, let it boil fifteen minutes, run it through a sieve into a vat, steep the silk in this decoction, and work it well therein for about two hours, after which, take it out, rinse, dry it, and then alum it. Put into a kettle ten buckets of water, add the madder, and work the silk well in this liquor until it begins to boil, then take it out, rinse, and dry it. Lastly : dye it in a strong yellow liquor, and it will be a good bright cinna- mon. The yellow may be used with the madder, which will save time and fuel. RECIPES. 125 To dye a beautiful cinnamon on both cotton and silk, by a new process. Give the goods as much colour, from a solution of blue vitriol, as it will take up, then run it through lime-water. This will make a beautiful sky-blue, of much durability. It has now to be run through a solution of prussiate of potash, when it will be a beautiful brown. To dye f axon colours on woollens. For sixty pounds of cloth, use four pounds of alum, two pounds of cream of tartar, four ounces of logwood, one pound of peachwood, and one pound of fustic. Boil the ingredients two hours, and the cloth two, heave out, and sadden to pattern with copperas. For a faxon on sixteen pounds of wool. For the boiling, use five ounces of argol, nine ounces of redwood, three ounces of fustic, seven-eighths of an ounce of Brazil wood, and seven-eighths of an ounce of logwood. Boil the ingredients two hours, and the wool two, cool down the liquor, and sadden with three ounces of alum, and six ounces of copperas ; boil half an hour, and if dark enough, land, if not, let it lie in all night. For a fawn on sixty pounds of wool, not quite so red as the last. For the boiling, use one pound of weld, one-quarter of a pound of ground fustic, seven pounds of umbro madder, two pounds of best argol, half a pound of tin liquor, and one- quarter of a pound of alum. Boil the ingredients one hour, and the wool one hour ; cool down and strew over two ounces of copperas, and one ounce of pearlash ; boil half an hour, fill up with cold water, and let lie all night. For a fawn on sixteen pounds of wool, still less on the red hue. For the boiling, use half a pound of weld, half an ounce of fustic, half an ounce of logwood., seven ounces of best madder, and two ounces of argol. 11* 126 RECIPES. Boil the ingredients one hour, cool down, heave in the wool, and let it be two hours in coming to a boil ; then boil two hours, and cool down ; strew over one ounce of alum, boil one- quarter of an hour, cool down again and strew on one ounce and a quarter of copperas, and half an ounce of pearlash ; boil half an hour, cool down, run off the liquor and wash. To dye silk a fawn colour. Prepare the same as for drab, stick up three on each stick, strike a lather with hot suds, put into it a little annatto, which will make a buff, wash out in two warm waters, and stick up ; take a warm liquor, put into it two pails of spent orchille liquor, half a ladle of fustic liquor, and a ladle of argol liquor ; stir well, take a piece of the buff silk, dip in, and if not dark enough, add a little more of each material : the argol raises the orchille — some use oil of vitriol. A ladle holds from four to five quarts. To dye browns on icoollens, such colours as have no blue in their composition, being compounded of red and yelloio. For a brown on one piece of cloth, weighing forty-eight pounds, use seven pounds of alum, nine pounds of logwood, and two pounds of argol. Boil the wares two hours, run up with cold water so as to have in quite cool, boil the goods two hours, heave them out and cool by throwing ; then roll the cloth up and let lay until the next day. Prepare a fresh liquor with seven pounds of alum, twelve pounds of barwood, and one pound of pearlash. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the cloth, bring the liquor to a spring heat, but not to boil out ; run at that heat for one hour, and it is finished. It is usual in English dye-houses to boil a number of cloths in the preparation liquor, and finish them afterward in the fresh liquor, successively. For a very dark rioli brown on sixteen pounds of wool. For the boiling use six pounds and three-quarters of fiistic, six pounds and three-quarters of red sanders, and one pound and three-quarters of madder. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool and RECIPES. 127 boil it two hours, cool down and sadden with one-quartor of a pound of copperas, and five ounces of alum ; boil half an hour, and let lie in all night. jFbr a darker and richer brown on one hundred and twenty jiounds of loool. For the boiling, use one pound and a half of powdered nutgalls, thirty pounds of redwood, and twelve pounds of red Sanders. .Boil the wares and wool as before, sadden with one pound and a half of copperas, boil one hour, and let lie in all niffht. For a lighter brown than either of the above, for sixty. eight jjoimds of wool. For the boiling, use two pounds and one-third of nutgalls, eighteen pounds of red sanders, and four pounds and a half of peachwood. Boil the ingredients two hours, the wool two, run up, and add three-eighths of a pound of copperas ; boil one-quarter of an hour, cool down again, and strew over three pounds of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very dark broicn for one hundred and forty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use seventy pounds of chipped fustic, seventeen pounds and a half of barwood, and four pounds of logwood. Boil the dye-wares two hours, the wool two, cool down and sadden with three pounds of copperas, and one pound and a half of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very dark rich brown, for sixteen pounds of wool — this is a claret brown. For the boiling, use fourteen pounds of barwood. Boil the dye-wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool and boil it two hours, cool down and sadden with twelve ounces of copperas, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. 128 RECIPES. For a rich copper brown for one hundred and eighty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use sixty pounds of fustic, and eighty pounds of barvvood. Boil the dye-wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil it three hours ; cool down and sadden with seven pounds of copperas, and three pounds of alum, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very dark rich brown for sixteen pounds of wool. ' For the boiling, use ten pounds of chipped fustic, six pounds of barwood, seven pounds of peach wood, and half a pound of logwood. Boil the wares as usual, run up, boil the wool three hou-rs, cool down and sadden with ten ounces of copperas ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very rich broxtm, lighter than the preceding, for sixteen jjounds of wool. For the boiling, use six pounds of chipped fustic, three pounds of barwood, two pounds of redwood, and two pounds of logwood. The wares to boil two hours, run up, enter the wool and boil it three hours ; cool down and sadden with four ounces of alum, two ounces of argol, and two ounces of copperas; boil three hours, and let lie in all night. For a rich brown, yellower than the last, for three hundred pounds of wool. For the boilingf use one hundred and eighty pounds orf chipped fustic, ninety pounds of weld, ten pounds of com- mon madder, five pounds of redwood, and two pounds of logwood. 'Wares to boil as usual, run up, enter the wool, and boil it three hours ; cool down and sadden with nine pounds of alum, ten pounds of redwood, ten pounds of barwood, and three pounds of copperas ; boil one hour and a half, and let lie in all night. RECIPES. 129 For a rich brotcn, between the t7vo last, for three hundred and ffty founds of wool. For the boiling, use three hundred and fifty pounds of' chipped fustic, eighty-four pounds of common madder, and three pounds of argol. Wares to boil as usual, run up, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down juid sadden with three pounds of alum, three pounds of coj)peras, and fifteen pounds of barwood ; boil two iiours, i.md let lie in all night. The three last recipes afford remarkably rich browns. For a rich claret brown, approaching to a plum colour, for sixteen pounds of wool. Use for the boiling, eighteen pounds of barwood, and two pounds of logwood. Boil the wares as usual, run up, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down and sadden with ten ounces of argol, and ten ounces of copperas ; boil two hours, and let lie in all night. For a light rich red brown for one hundred and twenty pounds of loool. For the boiling, use forty pounds of fustic, seven pounds of red Sanders, and six pounds of madder. Boil the wares as usual, run up, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down and sadden with one pound of copperas, two pounds of alum, and twelve ounces of logwood; boil one or two hours, and let lie in all night. For a lighter broicn than the above, on one hundred and twenty ])Ounds of toool. For the boiling, use thirty -five pounds of fustic, three pounds of red sanders, and eight pounds of madder. P>oil the wares three hours, proceed as usual, and sadden with twelve ounces of copperas, and three pounds of alum ; boil forty-five minutes, and let lie in all night. For a deep rich broicn for one hundred and twenty pounds of 2C00l. For the boiling, use forty pounds of fustic, eight pounds of madder and fourteen pounds of red sanderst 130 RECIPES. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil three hours ; sadden with two pounds and four ounces of copperas, and one pound and eight ounces of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a bright yellow brown for one hundred and twenty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use twenty -six pounds of fustic, four pounds of red Sanders, and ten pounds of madder. Boil as usual, and sadden with seventeen ounces of cop- peras, and two pounds of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie all night. For a strong red brown on one hundred and twenty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use thirty pounds of fustic, and twenty pounds of red sanders. Boil as usual, and sadden with twenty ounces of copperas; boil one hour, and let lie all night. For a light red broion on one hundred and twenty-two pounds of wool. For the boiling, use eight ounces of nutgalls, twenty-eight pounds of fustic, and twenty pounds of red sanders. Boil as usual, and sadden with seven ounces of copperas, and twelve ounces of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a light brilliant broion for one hundred and sixty-eight pounds of wool. For the boiling, use seventy pounds of fustic, ten pounds of red sanders, and six pounds of fine madder. Boil as usual, and sadden with four ounces of copperas, and three pounds and three-quarters of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie all niffht. For a light yellow brown for one hundred and sixty-eight pounds of wool. For the boiling, use seventy pounds of fustic, and two pounds and eight ounces of logwood. RECIPES. 131 Boil as usual, and sadden with one pound of copperas, and three pounds of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. It The light browns are mostly used for pantaloons and mixtures. The two following recipes are for red browns for mixtures. The first one is for a dead red brown, and the second for a bright red brown inclining to yellow. The first is for eighty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use eight ounces of nutgalls, eight pounds of madder, and sixteen pounds of red sanders. Boil as usual, and sadden with four ounces of copperas ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. The second is for two hundred and thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use thirty-six pounds of alum, and one hundred and sixty pounds of fustic. Boil the wool two hours, land and wash. Prepare a fresh liquor, and give it twenty-eight pounds of fine madder ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very deep and rich claret, for two hundred and sixty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use two hundred and eighty pounds of bar- wood, eight pounds of Brazil wood, and six pounds of logwood. Boil as usual, and sadden with six pounds of copperas ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. Recipes for olive browns. Olive browns are a combination of the three primitive colours, red, blue, and yellow. There are two kinds of olive, the brown olive, and the green olive. The brown olive has more red than the green olive in its composition, and not so much blue. The blue of the green olive may be made either with indigo or logwood. For an olive brown, for two hundred and fifty pounds of icool. For the boiling, use two hundred pounds of chipped fustic, seventy pounds of weld, eight pounds of redwood, ten pounds of mull madder, and two pounds of logwood. The wares to boil as usual, heave in the wool, and boil three hours; cool 132 RECIPES. down, and sadden with six pounds of alum, and three pounds of copperas ; boil one hour and a half, and let it lie in all night. For a very dark olive, on sixteen pounds of wool. For the boiling, use eleven pounds of chipped fustic, one pound and a half of logwood, ten ounces of common madder, and nine ounces of best madder. Wares to boil as usual, run up, throw in the wool, and boil it three hours ; cool down, and sadden with ten ounces of copperas, and nine ounces of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a deej) olive, on tioo hundred and twenty pounds of zvool, conside^'aMy on the green hue. For the boiling, use one hundred and thirty pounds of fustic, sixteen pounds of logwood, and six pounds of barwood. Wares to boil as usual, boil the wool two hours, and sadden with six pounds of copperas, and two pounds of alum ; boil one hour, and let it lie in all night. For a light olive, on thirty-two pounds of wool, more on the yellow than that of the last recipe. For the boiling, use twenty-one pounds of fustic, one pound and nine ounces of logwood, one pound and nine ounces of redwood, two pounds and six ounces of madder, and six ounces of argol. Wares to boil as usual, boil the wool two hours, and sadden with nine ounces of copperas, and three ounces of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very deep rich olive brown, for three hundred and sixty pounds of ivool. For the boiling, use two hundred and sixteen pounds of fustic, eighteen pounds of madder, eighteen pounds of red- wood, eighteen pounds of logwood, and four pounds of argol. Wares to boil as usual, boil the wool two hours, and sadden with nineteen pounds of copperas, and five pounds of alum. ■ There are a number of colours, having a yellow hue, that have no yellow dye in them. They are mostly made on cloth, RECIPES. 133 end are very rich and beautiful, being partly made with cochineal, rendered more or less yellow by the action of tlie tartar and the tin liquor. I shall give recipes for these in this place, because they come nearer to colours made of red and yellow, than to any other class of colours. For a rich loine colour, for forty -eight pounds of fine cloth. For the boiling, use five pounds of alum, three pounds of cream of tartar, four pounds of Brazil wood, one pound of cochineal, and two quarts of tin liquor. The wares to boil one hour, the liquor cooled down quite low, the cloth to be entered rapidly, and kept in quick motion all the time of working — to be boiled two hours. Prepare a fresh liquor, with six pounds of Brazil wood, one pound and a half of pearlash, and one pint and a half of tin liquor. The wares to boil one hour, cool down, and run the cloth until of the colour wanted. By varying the proportion of the Brazil wood, and by in- creasing or lessening the pearlash, a great variety of these colours may be produced. For a rich wine colour, on one hundred and twenty pounds of loool. For the boiling, use twenty pounds of alum, twenty pounds of cream of tartar, and two pounds and a quarter of cochineal. Boil the alum and tartar half an hour, then the cochineal fifteen minutes, run up, throw in the wool, and boil two hours ; cool down, land the wool, and bring on a fresh liquor. Put into the fresh liquor half a bushel of bran, and when the bran rises, scum it off clean with a fine sieve ; then put in forty pounds of the best madder, boil two or three minutes, run up, throw in the wool, and boil it a quarter of an hour ; let it be one hour coming up to a boil, land, and wash. Another recipe for a rich wine colour, on the same quantity. For the boiling, use one pound of cochineal, seven pounds and a half of Brazil wood, and twenty-five pounds of alum. Boil the wares two hours, run up, enter the wool and boil it three hours ; then sprinkle over six gallons of urine, work 12 134 RECIPES. the wool well, and let it lie all night. Wash the wool, and finish in a fresh liquor, with seventy pounds of best madder. To dye chocolate on cotton. The cotton to be boiled in a liquor of nutgalls, and alumed the same as for red. Then use six ounces of alum and two ounces of copperas to each pound of cotton, wring out and dry as for red : prepare it a second time in alum and cop- peras, wring out and dry again — wash well and wring out ; then madder it, with half a pound of madder to each pound of cotton, the same as for red, wash well, and it is finished. If not red enough, give it a small quantity of brazilletto chips ; if not enough on the claret, give it a very httle logwood. Common mode of dying chocolate on cotton. Prepare the cotton with sumach, instead of galls, sadden with two ounces of copperas to one pound of cotton, wash well, and return it into the same sumach liquor; wash well, wring out, and return it again into the copperas liquor — wash well, dry, and alum it with six ounces of alum to each pound of cotton ; then proceed as directed for the last chocolate. Third recipe for chocolate on cotton. Give to the cotton the usual preparation ; for eacli pound boil four ounces of sumach, turn in the cotton, squeeze out, turn in again, putting it in as open and as even as.j'ou can, and let it lie all night. In the morning wring out gently, and dissolve for each pound of cotton one ounce of copperas, turn i.n with the water sufficiently warm, and work for half an hour ; wring out, wash well, and add some urine to the sumach liquor, turn in the cotton, and work quick, for fifteen or twenty minutes, squeeze out, dissolve one ounce of cop- peras to each pound of cotton, and add it to the former liquor ; turn in and handle well for twenty minutes, wring out and wash well. If a brown chocolate is wanted, and the sumach liquor should not be turned, put some urine to the water, and while that is doing, boil, for each pound of cotton, half a pound of brazilletto chips, (if not for a very red colour, four ounces will do,) pour in a little urine, or lime-water, while the liquor is boiling — when boiled, take off the clear liquor, RECIPES. 135 and turn it in at the usual heat ; wlien it has been well worked in this liquor, dissolve, for each pound of cotton, one ounce of alum in warm water, stir well, and turn in the cotton; let lie one hour, wring out, and turn it into the brazilletto liquor as before, wring out, dry, and it is finished. If wanted of a blue cast, or more like purple or claret, the urine must be omitted ; and, after it has been alumed the second time, add logwood liquor to the brazilletto, by which different shades of colour may be produced. To dye brown on cotton. Give a ground of sumach, handle well, and let it lie m the liquor all night. In the morning add, for each pound of cotton, two ounces of copperas : when well worked, wring out, and wash well ; turn into the sumach liquor again for fifteen minutes, then copperas a second time without washing. Make a lime-water, with a handful of lime for each pound of cotton; put the lime into a bucket of water, stir well, let stand until clear, pour off the clear liquor, add more water to the lime, and repeat until liquor enough is obtained to work the cotton ; turn in and work very quick. While this is doing, take scalding water, and put into it, for every pound of cotton, one pound of ground black-oak bark ; put the bark into a tub, pour the boiling water on it, and strew into it, for each pound of cotton, half an ounce of lime ; turn in the cotton, at the usual heat, for fifteen or twenty minutes, wring out, dry it, and it will be a fine brown. The darker the colour is before turning into the lime- water, the finer and richer it will be when finished. To dye moronc on silk. Wash the silk from boiling in soap, alum as usual for three hours, wash in two tubs of cold water, and stick up ; take four or five pailfuls of Brazil liquor, pour on it water as hot as the hand can bear, turn in the silk, and handle until of the colour wanted, wring out and dry in a stove. For a real hroum, on ten pounds of silk. Take six ounces of annatto, one pound of potash, three pounds of alum, five ounces of fine galls, one-quarter of an 136 RECIPES. ounce of cream of tartar, two ounces of turmeric, and ten ounces of cochineal. Boil a kettle with ten buckets of water, powder six ounces of annatto, and put it, together with a pound of potash, into the kettle ; boil for a quarter of an hour, pour the liquor through a sieve into a tub, immerse the silk, and work it well in the liquor for two hours, then take it out, wring, and dry it. After this, pour eight buckets of fresh water into a kettle, dissolve three pounds of alum therein — then put the solution into a tub, steep the dried yellow silk, and Work it well therein for three hours, then take it out, wring, and lay it by wet for further use. Boil a kettle with eight buckets of water, put into it ten ounces of cochineal, and let it boil for about ten minutes ; then cool the liquor with a bucket of water, and put into it a quarter of a pound of cream of tartar, and two ounces of turmeric, and stir the whole well ; then steep the silk, previ- ously alumed, in the liquor, work it well therein for two hours, during which time it must be kept at a continual boil. Then take it out, rinse in running water, wring, and lay it by in its wet state for further use. This being done, dye it in a blue vat, light or dark, as you may require, or according to the pattern. The colour may be filled up with sulphate of indigo, or with logwood, which will render it equally handsome, but not of so lastine a colour. To dye colours compounded of red and Hue. In this class of colours are comprised, imperial blues, pur- pies, lilacs, crimsons, pinks, mulberries, clarets, corbeaus, lavenders, &c. To colour imperial blues, nothing more is necessary than to boil more or less of orchille and alum, and run light blues through the liquor at a boiling heat, till of the colour wanted. When the imperitil is required to be red, boil the goods, be- fore dying blue, with one-sixth its weight of cudbear. To colour ninety pounds of fine cloth a rich purple. Prepare the liquor by putting into it a quarter of a peck of bran, and when it rises to the surface, as it begins to boil, scum the bran off clean with a fine sieve. RECIPES. 137 For the boiling, use four pounds of cream of tartar, six pounds of alum, two quarts of tin liquor, and one pound and a half of cochineal. Boil the alum, tartar and tin, for one hour, then the cochi- neal for ten minutes, run up, heave in the goods, and boil two hours. Prepare a fresh liquor, with four pounds of alum, six pounds of Brazil wood, two quarts of tin liquor, eighteen pounds of logwood, and three pounds and a quarter of chyniic. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in cool, and work rapidly. Boil until finished. The most permanent purples are made by bluing in the vat, and then filling up with a cochineal liquor. The only objection to these colours is the price, as they are usually charged as high as scarlet. For a purple on one hundred and twenfy pounds of wool. Blue, in the woad vat, according to the body of purple required. For the filling up, use twenty-one pounds of alum. The wool to boil in this liquor for two hours, then land, and add twenty-four pounds of cream of tartar, and four pounds of cochineal ; boil the tartar one hour, then add the cochineal, and boil a quarter of an hour ; cool down, heave in the wool rapidly, and boil to the colour wanted. The wool should be well washed from the blue vat, before dying. For a purple on sixteen pounds of xoool. Make it first a light blue, in the woad vat, wash very clean, and boil it with two pounds and a quarter of alum; land the wool, add to the liquor one pound and three-quarters of cream oi tartar, and half a pound of cochineal. Boil the wool until of the colour wanted. Any shades may be obtained, by making the blues lighter or darker, and varying the propor- tions of the cochineal. When darker purples are required, they may be finished in a fresh liquor, with Brazil wood and logwood. To dye purple on cotton. Cotton, for purple, must be well cleansed, and should be bleached. Take, for each pound, one quart of iron liquor, 12* 138 RECIPES. and four quarts of water ; put this into a brass or copper kettle, add for each pound of cotton half an ounce of saltpetre, half an ounce of sal-ammoniac, and half an ounce of cream of tartar, all pounded together until fine, and kept over the fire until scalding hot ; take it off the fire, and when cooled sufficiently to bear the hand in it, turn in the cotton, squeeze out, turn in again, and let lie all night ; wring out in the morning, dry and wash. It must now be galled, the same as for red, allowing half a pound of galls for each pound of cotton ; wring out, dry, and it is finished. This colour may be raised with logwood liquor, but it will not stand. To colour a common ■purple on cotton. Boil and well wash the cotton ; for each pound, boil half a pound of logwood, take the clear liquor, and when you can bear the hand in it, add urine, turn in the cotton for an hour, then raise it out, and put it on a pin to drain. Make a fresh liquor, by dissolving for each pound of cotton three-qliarters of an ounce of alum, in as much water as will be sufficient to work the cotton, add a dish of logwood liquor, squeeze the cotton, turn in, and handle as quick as possible for two or three times ; it must be worked till it becomes of a beautiful lilac. When the colour is as bright as you wish, wring out gently, wash it a little, wring it even, turn it into the log- wood liquor again, and work it quick once or twice. If the liquor does not work well, add, for each pound of cotton, half an ounce of alum ; when dissolved, stir well, turn in for fifteen or twenty minutes, wring out evenly, and dry in the shade. To colour purple on silk. For ten pounds of silk, use two ounces and a half of cochineal, ten ounces of aquafortis, one ounce and a half of tin, and one-quarter of a pound of alum. The silk must be first coloured in a blue vat, to a half blue. This being done, take a kettle containing ten buckets of water, put into it two ounces and a half of cochineal, and boil it well for ten minutes. Dissolve tlie tin in the aquafortis, pour the solution, together with the alum, into tlie cochineal liquor — stir the liquor well, and immerse the silk in it, and work it well for forty-five RECIPES. 139 minutes, keeping gently boiling the whole time ; then take it out, rinse, wring it, fix it on the wringing post, wring and beat it well. The silk should be washed clean, before dying it in the cochineal liquor. Those who prefer leaving out the tin liquor, may use a quarter of a pound of cream of tartar, and double the quan- tity of alum. Another purple on ten pounds of silk. Take one pound and a quarter of alum, two ounces and a half of cochineal, half a pound^of tin liquor, three-quarters of an ounce of indigo, and three ounces of oil of vitriol. The indigo must be dissolved in the vitriol the day before it is used. The silk, after being boiled in soap and water, must be rinsed in running water, and then wrung and well beaten. This being done, it must be coloured to a handsome light blue, in a cold or warm vat ; then rinse it in running water, wring and dry. As soon as the silk has become dry, it must be moistened in warm water, wrung, and laid by wet for further use. Dissolve in a kettle with eight buckets of water, one pound and a quarter of alum, pour the solution into a tub, steep the silk in it, and work it well therein for the space of an hour; take it out, wring, and lay it aside wet for further use. Lastly, boil a kettle with eight buckets of water, and put into it two ounces and a half of cochineal ; let it boil for about tea minutes, cool the liquor with a bucket of water, add the solu- tion of tin and the chymic, and stir the whole well. Immerse the blue silk in the cochineal liquor, work it well therein until the liquor begins to boil — let it boil another hour, during which time, however, the silk must be continually worked ; it must then be taken out, rinsed, wrung, and dried. If the purple is required to be more on the red, increase the quantity of the cochineal — if more on the blue, take less. To dye a handsome violet blue, on ten pounds of silk. Take one ounce of indigo, twelve ounces of vitriol, one- quarter of a pound of alum, four pounds of logwood, and one pound of redwood. 140 RECIPES. Dissolve the indigo in the oil of vitriol, as usual. Dissolve in a kettle, with eight huckets of water, one pound and a quarter of alum ; then pour the solution into a tub, and work the silk well therein for one hour, take it out, wring, and keep it wet for further use. Fill a vat with eight buckets of water, put the solution of indigo in it, stir well, work the alumed silk therein for half an hour, then take it out and rinse it in running water. Lastly ; take a kettle"with eight buckets of water, put into it four pounds of logwood, and one pound of redwood, also a quarter of a pound of alum ; boil the whole well for forty-five minutes, then run the decoction through a sieve into a tub, steep the blue-coloured silk fti it, and work well for one hour ; after which, take it out, rinse in running water, wring and dry it. To colour lilac on wool. For sixteen pounds of wool, use one pound and three- quarters of alum, and one pound and a quarter of cream of tartar. The ingredients to boil one hour, the liquor run up, and the wool to boil two hours ; land it, and boil three ounces of cochineal for a quarter of an hour, cool down, heave in the wool rapidly, and boil to the colour wanted. Any shade may be obtained by slightly bluing it in the woad vat, previous to dying it in the furnace, and by varying the quantity of cochineal. To colour lilac on silk. Boil it after pink, then take a thin liquor of lather, put into this some red orchille liquor, and work the silk well in it ; then wet out in a lather, made with soap-lees and lime-water, in which it may be blued to the colour wanted. To dye crimson. For a crimson on forty-eight pounds of fine cloth. For the boiling, use three pounds of alum, two pounds of cream of tartar, half a pound of cochineal, and three pints of tin liquor. Boil the ingredients one hour, cool down, heave in the cloth and boil two hours. Prepare a fresh liquor, and put in two RECIPES. 141 pounds of alum, three pounds of pearlash, four pounds of Brazil wood, and one quart of urine. Boil the wares one hour, then add the urine ; cool down, heave in rapidly, and boil to the colour wanted. It is often finished without boiling, by keeping the liquor at a spring heat. For a crimson on sixty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one pound of cochineal, three pounds of best crop madder, six pounds of argol, three pounds of alum, and two quarts of tin liquor. Boil the alum, argol, and tin liquor, for half an hour, then add the madder and cochineal, boil ten minutes, run up, throw in the wool, and boil it two hours ; run off the liquor, and wash clean. Prepare a fresh liquor, with six pounds of cudbear, and two buckets of urine. Boil the cudbear half an hour, and then put in the sig ; as soon as this is done, run up the furnace, heave in cool, let it be two hours coming up to a spring heat, and it is finished. For a crimson on silk. The silk, intended to be dyed crimson with cochineal, should be boiled in the proportion of twenty pounds of soap to one hundred pounds of silk. After washing and beetling the silks at a stream, in order to clear them from the soap, they are alumed in a strong alum liquor, and left in it from night until morning. After this, the silks are to be washed, and twice beetled in running water. Prepare a bath in the following manner: the long trough is charged with river water, about one-half or two- thirds, and, when boiling, some powdered nutgalls are to be put into it and suffered to boil for awhile ; then put from four drachms to two ounces of galls for every pound of silk. When they are washed and beetled, they are to be put upon rods, by hanks. The cochineal, pounded and sifted, is then to be thrown into the bath, well stirred, and must receive five or six minutes boiling ; from two to three 9unces for each pound of silk are to be put in, according to the shade required. 142 RECIPES. These ingredients are to be put into pure soft water, in a clean copper vessel. When tlie cochineal and galls have undergone a boiling, put into the bath, for every pound of cochineal, one ounce of nitro-muriate of tin. The kettle is left to cool a little, the silk is entered, and worked for a few minutes ; after tliis, it must boil for two hours — the silk must be worked now and then during the time of boiling. At the expiration of this time, the fire must be withdrawn, and the silks immersed in the liquor for five or six hours, or more. By this means they receive a fine half-dye — they are to be washed, given two beetlings, wrung as usual, and spread upon pk:/les to dry. A high-coloured crimson, on ten pounds of silk. Take one pound and a quarter of cochineal, one pound of galls, four ounces of cream of tartar, and two pounds and a half of alum. Dissolve the alum in a kettle, with ten buckets of water ; pour the clear part into a tub, put in the silk, and work well therein for four hours ; take out, rinse, wring it, and lay by wet for further use. Put into a kettle, containing eight buckets of boiling water, one pound and a quartei' of ground cochineal, one pound of powdered nutgalls, and four ounces of cream of tartar. Let the whole boil gently for fifteen minutes ; cool with two buckets of water, work the silk well in the liquor (kept boiling)' for one hour and a half; then take out, rinse, wring, and dry it. For a cheaper colour, reduce the quantity of cochineal to ten ounces, and use three pounds of cudbear. A good crimson, on ten pounds of silk. Take three pounds of alum, half an ounce of argol, half a pound of East India galls, and one pound nine ounces of cochineal. Heat eight buckets of soft water, in a clean kettle, luke- warm ; dissolve the three pounds of alum therein, take out the solution and put it into a tub, immerse the silk in it, and work it well for eight hours. Take it out, wring lightly, and lay it by wet for further use. RECIPES. 148 Take eight buckets of clear water, bring it to boil, and put into it tlic following articles : half an ounce of argol, and half a pound of the India galls ; let these boil well for ten minutes, and run the liquor through a sieve into a tub ; then pour the liquor back into the kettle, and put into it the cochi- neal ; let it boil for ten minutes, cool the liquor with half a bucket of water, im)nerse the silk in this liquor, and work it well for two hours, during which time the liquor must be kept boiling. Take it out, rinse it well, wring it well, and dry it. Take a kettle with ten buckets of spring water, and heat it to 130° Fahrenheit, work tlie silk in this for forty minutes, take it out, wring, and dry it. A good crimson, on ten pounds of silk, in another way. Take two pounds and a half of alum, two pounds of fine galls, one pound four ounces of cochineal, one-quarter of a j)Ound of argol, and eight ounces of spirits of ammonia. Take a kettle with eight buckets of water, put into it two j)Ounds of galls, boil for fifteen minutes, run the liquor through a sieve into a tub — steep the silk in the liquor, and work it well for four hours ; take it out, rinse, wring, and di*y it. Take a kettle with eight buckets of water, and dissolve in it two pounds of alum, pour it into a tub, steep the silk in it, and work it for four hours ; then take it out, wring, and lay it by wet. Pour six buckets of water into a kettle, add the cochineal, argol, and spirits of ammonia, let all boil for ten minutes, cool tlie liquor with two buckets of water, work the silk in it for two hours, during which time keep it boiling ; then take it out, suspend it on the rods over tl^e tub, pour the liquor from the kettle into it, and work the silk in the liquor until it has become cool ; take out, rinse, and dry in the shade. Other colours may be obtained from the remains of these liquors, by pouring the alum liquor into the colouring liquor. You may produce colours in this, at a proper heat, from the rich peach blossom down to a light lilac. After this a golden yellow may be obtained, in the same liquor, from any silk having a pale yellow ground. 144 RECIPES. To dye pinks on woollen. To colour fifty pounds of cloth a fine pink. Boil it first in four pounds of alum for one hour, heave out, and add to the liquor four pounds of cream of tartar, two quarts of tin liquor, and one pound of cochineal- Boil the cloth until the colour is rich and bright. If wanted to be bluer, add urine to the liquor until blue enough. For a pink, on sixteen pounds of wool. For the boiling, use five ounces of cochineal, two pounds and a half of alum, and one pound and three-quarters of cream of tartar. Boil the alum and tartar for half an hour, then the cochi- neal for a quarter of an hour ; cool down, heave in the wool, boil two hours, and let lay all night. Pinks may be made into rich wine colours, by boiling them in a strong crop madder liquor — or into lilac, by bluing them in a very weak vat, to a thin sky-blue, before dying pink. If done in too strong a vat, it will make a purple. To dye ten pounds of cotton yarn a pink. Use three pounds and a half of safflower, three pounds and a half of cream of tartar, one pound and three-quarters of pearlash, and one pound of oil of vitriol. To dye pink on silk. Take of safflower, one hundred and twelve pounds, wash it well in a tub of water, having a reel placed inside of it, until all the yellow comes out ; when well washed, fill up with clean water, and add four pounds of pearlash, draw this off, fill again with water, and let lay until the flower is quite white. The two last Hquors are used for dying the pink ; add to it two or three pails of lime-juice, which will neutralize the pearlash, and produce a beautiful rose colour. Take large hanks of silk, and let them lay in the liquor until all the colour is extracted ; then throw the liquor off, and pump up with fresh water, add to it one pail of lime-juice, and let the hanks lie in this liquor till wanted. Wring out the hanks when wanted, put them in water of a milk heat, RECIPES. 145 with a small quantity of pearlash ; when the silk has spent its colour, add a little lime or lemon juice, to bring to tlie colour wanted. If any of the silk should not be dark enough, redye until like the darkest. After the pink is dark enough, wring the silk out in handfuls, then make a small tub of water with lime-juice, give a few turns in this, wring out, and dry. Some dyers use cream of tartar, and oil of vitriol, in place of lime-juice. For a pink, on ten pounds of silk. Take fifteen pounds of safflower, fifteen quarts of strong vinegar, three-eighths of an ounce of oil of vitriol, one pound fourteen ounces of pearlash, and four ounceS of cream of tartar. Put the safflower into a bag, wash all the yellow out of it, dissolve the pearlash in water, pour the clear part of this liquor on the safflower in a tub, mix it well, and set it by for six hours. At the expiration of this time, run the liquor through a sieve into a tub, pour half a bucket of water on the bag, and press it out, to extract the remaining colour ; pour the vinegar and the oil of vitriol into the liquor ; then take the silk, fix it upon rods, put it into the hquor, and work it well therein for four hours ; take it out, rinse it in runnmg water, wring it well, and lay it aside in its wet state for further use. Dissolve the cream of tartar in river water, and pour the clear part of this solution into a tub, with eight buckets of soft water ; immerse the silk in this solution, work it well therein for a quarter of an hour, take it out, wring, and dry it. To dye mulberry on woollen. For forty-eight pounds of cloth, for a rich mulberry. For the boiling, use three pounds of alum, two pounds of cream of tartar, three pints of tin liquor, one pound of argol, and one pound of cochineal. Boil the ingredients for half an hour, cool down, heave in the cloth rapidly, and boil two hours. Finish in a fresh liquor, with three pounds of alum, sixteen pounds of Brazil Wood, fourteen pounds of logwood, one pint of tin liquor, and one pound of best crop madder. Boil the wares two hours, 13 146 RECIPES. cool down, enter the cloth rapidly, and boil to the coloui wanted. For a dark mulberry, on sixteen pounds of wool. For the boiling, use eight pounds of barwood, two pounds and a half of logwood, and one-quarter of a pound of cream of tartar. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it three hours, cool down, and sadden with one-quarter of a pound of copperas — let lie in all night. To colour viulberry on silk. Boil with coloured soap, and wash out ; alum, and wash out ; take three or four pails of Brazil liquor, put ft into a tub, and throw on it nine or ten pails of boiling water, pump up, stir well, and put in half a ladle of logwood liquor; turn the silk in this seven or eight times, then take it out and lay it by the furnace — add more logwood and Brazil wood, till of the desired colour. When nearly dark enough, throw a pail of urine into a tub of clean water, milk-warm, turn in, and make rather bluer than the pattern. If the urine does not make it blue enough, take a clean liquor, and blue with pearlash. Plum colours are dyed the same as mulberry, only with less Brazil wood. To dye claret on woollen. For a claret on forty-eight pounds of cloth. For the boil- ing, use five pounds of alum, one pound of argol, five pounds of Brazil wood, five pounds of logwood, and one pound of madder. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the cloth, and boil one hour and a half; then finish in a fresh liquor, with six pounds of Brazil wood, and one pound and a half of pearlash. Boil the wares half an hour, run up, heave in cool, and bring on gradually; boil till of the colour wanted. For a dark claret on sixteen founds of toool. For the boiling, use nineteen pounds of barwood, and ha'f a pound of cream of tartar. RECIPES. 147 Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil gently for three hours — cool down, and sadden with four pounds and a half of copperas ; let lie in all night. For a lighter claret, on one hundred and seventy pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one hundred and sixty -eight pounds of barwood, and ten pounds of cream of tartar. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil three hours ; cool down, and sadden with two pounds of copperas ; let lie in all night. To colour morone on silk. Wash from boiling in soap ; alum for three hours, wash twice in cold water, stick up, take four or five pails of Brazil liquor, pour on water as hot as the hand can bear, put in the silk, and handle ; when of the colour wanted, wring out, and dry in a stove. To dye corbeaus on woollens. For a very dark corbeau, on thirty-two pounds of wool. For the boiling, use twenty-two pounds of barwood, and six pounds of logwood. The wares to boil three hours, the furnace run up, the wool entered, and boiled two hours ; sadden with one pound of copperas, and twelve ounces of fustic — boil one hour and a half, and let lie in all night. For a lighter corheau, on thirty. two pounds of wool. For the boiling, use sixteen pounds of redwood, and four pounds of logwood. The wares to boil three hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil it three hours ; cool down, and sadden with six ounces of copperas — boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a brilliant corbeau, on one hundred and thirty five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use twelve ounces of cochineal, two pounds of Brazil wood, eight ounces of aquafortis simplex, ten pounds of argol, and ten pounds of alum. Boil the wares, all but the cochineal, for two hours, then 148 RECIPES. add the cochineal, and boil five minutes ; heave in the wool, boil two hours, cool down, land, and wash. Prepare a fresh liquor, in which boil twenty-four pounds of logwood, and one pound of alum, for two hours — heave in the wool and boil two iiours ; sadden with two pounds of copperas, and two pounds of aquafortis ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. Lavender on woollen, for one hundred and thirty pounds of wool. First day, woaded to a very light thin blue, then washed and finished in the furnace, with six pounds of alum, and five pounds of Brazil wood. Boil the wares one hour, the wool two hours, cool down, and let lie in all night. A dark lavender, on two hundred and seventy pounds of wool. First, dye it a half blue in the vat, wash well and dye in the furnace with ten pounds of alum, and eighteen pounds of Brazil wood. Proceed as with the last. There are many colours of a moi-e complex kind than any I have given recipes for, being compounded of yellow, red, blue, and some mostly yellow ; such are tea-browns, London- smoke, and Paris-mud, &c. I shall give recipes for those in this place, as the browns will then be complete. For a tea-lroivn, on fifteen pounds of cloth. For the boiling, use four pounds of alum, two pounds of argol, six pounds of madder, and four pounds of fustic. Boil the wares one hour, run up, heave in the cloth, and boil one hour and a half; cool down, take out the cloth, and add to the liquor four pounds of logwood and half a pound of copperas ; boil the wares half an hour, run up, heave in the cloth, and boil to the colour wanted. For a tea-hroicn, on sixty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use eighteen pounds of fustic, six pounds of barwood, five pounds and a half of logwood, four pounds of common madder, and half a pound of argol. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down, and sadden with three- RECIPES. 149 quarters of a pound of coppertis ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a tea-brown, on two hundred and twenty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one hundred and tliirty pounds of fustic, sixteen pounds of logwood, and six pounds of barwood. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it two liours ; cool down, and sadden with six pounds of copperas, and two pounds of alum. A tea-broion, of a lighter sliade, on eighty-seven pounds of wool. For the boiling, use fifty-seven pounds of fustic, four pounds and a quarter of logwood, four pounds and a quarter of red- wood, seven pounds of madder, and one pound of argol. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down, sadden with two pounds and a quarter of copperas, and one poimd of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. A dark tea-brown, on ninety pounds of wool. For the boiling, use fifty-four pounds of fustic, four pounds and a half of madder, four pounds and a half of redwood, four pounds and a half of logwood, and one pound of argol. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down, sadden with four pounds and three-quarters of copperas, and one pound and a quarter of alum ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a London-smoke, on fifty pounds of w'ool. For the boiling, use two pounds of rasped fustic, one pound * and a half of redwood, one pound and a half of logwood, one pound and a quarter of umbro madder, half a pound of cam- wood, and five pounds of barwood. The wares to boil two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil one hour and a half; cool down, and sadden with half a pound of copperas, and two pounds and a quarter of argol ; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a Paris-mud, on sixty. five pounds of wool. Boil the wool, with t,welve pounds and a half of alum, ibf three hours, land, and well wash ; finish in a fresh liquor, 13* 150 RECIPES. with twenty pounds of chipped fustic, and twelve ounces of logwood. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil three hours, then throw on twenty pounds of rasped log- wood, and boil three hours ; cool down, throw on four pounds of rasped logwood, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a dun colour, on sixty-seven pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one pound of sumach, one pound of argol, two pounds and a half of logwood, two pounds of red- wood, and add two ounces of chymic. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil two hours ; cool down, sadden with half a pound of cop- peras, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. More copperas will make it darker, so that a great variety of shades may be obtained, by adding or diminishing the copperas and logwood. This colour has lately been very fashionable for pantaloons. To dye drab on woollens. In drabs, there are a great variety of colours, and an im- mense number of shades ; some have a blue hue, some a red, some a yellow, and there are a number that do not appear to partake of either of these hues. I shall begin with drabs that have a blue hue, and proceed with others in the order mentioned. For a very light blue drab, on forty-Jive pounds of cloth. For the boiling, use two pounds of alum, one pound and a half of argol, and two pounds of chipped logwood. Boil the wares one hour, cool down, heave in the cloth, and boil two hours ; cool down, take out the cloth, bring the furnace to a boil, and while boiling drop in two ounces of chymic ; boil ten minutes, cool down, heave in the cloth very rapidly, and turn the reel as fast as the cloth can be opened ; after it is entered, bring the liquor to a boil, and run until the desired colour is obtained. Blue drabs may be made of any shade, by using more or less of chymic and logwood. RECIPES. 151 For a blue drab, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one pound and a quarter of weld, one pound ot' common madder, half" a pound of logwood, and half a pound of argol. Boil the wares one hour, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil one hour ; tlum add two ounces of alum, three ounces of copperas, and one-eighth of a tcacupful of chymic — boil three quarters of an hour, and let lie in all night. A little orchille will give a blue tint to these colours, and, when used, the chymic may be dispensed with. 1 must inform those who are not well versed with working wool in the furnace, that whenever chymic is added in the saddening, it must be first mixed in a bucket of the liquor, and spread over the wool, a small quantity at a time, while the wool is being rapidly worked. Those who are quite ignorant of the process, had better cool the liquor down to 140° Fahrenheit, land the wool, and mix the chymic in the liquor, by stirring it well previous to re-entering the wool. For a very dark blue drab, on one hundred and tioenty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use twelve pounds of weld, two pounds of fustic, eight pounds and a half of logwood, and two pounds of argol — add one teacupful of chymic. Boil the first four articles one hour, then drop in the chymic while the furnace is boiling ; boil ten minutes after it is in, cool down, enter the wool, and boil it one hour ; then sadden with one pound and a half of alum, and boil a quarter of an hour — then one pound and a half of copperas, and a teacupful of chymic; boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a blue drab, on sixty five pounds of icool, a thin colour. For the boiling, use one pound and a half of weld, five ounces of logwood, one j)Ound of alum, one pound of argol, one ounce of chymic, and one ounce of copperas. Boil the wares two hours, run up, Iveave in the wool rapidly, and work quick ; let boil two hours, cool down to about 120'^ Fahrenheit, land the wool, wash, and dry it. 152 RECIPES. For a very light blue drab, on sixty-Jive pounds of wool. For the boiling, use three pounds and a half of weld, one pound of alum, one pound of argol, nine ounces of logwood, two ounces of copperas, and two ounces of chymic. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool rapidly, Avork quick, and let boil two hours ; cool down to about 120*^ Fahrenheit, land the wool, wash, and dry. For a blue drab, rather darker than the above, on sixty-jive jJounds of wool. For the boiling, use three pounds and a half of weld, one pound of alum, one pound of argol, twelve ounces of logwood, two ounces of copperas, and two ounces of chymic. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool rapidly, work quick, and let boil two hours ; cool down to about 120° Fahrenheit, land the wool, wash, and dry. To dye red drabs on woollen. There are an immense variety of shades in the red drab. I shall begin with the fawn drabs, which ai^ the lightest of the class, and gradually progress to the darker shades For a very light drab, having a red hue, on one hundred and tiventy pounds of cloth. Boil two pounds of alum, two pounds of argol, one pound and a half of best madder, one quart of tin liquor, and twenty pounds of fustic. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, enter the cloth, and boil one hour and a half, or till of the colour wanted. Any shade may be obtained, by adding more or less of madder and fustic, as well as of tin liquor. A strong decoction of alder bark makes a red drab with- out any mordant ; blue vitriol darkens it, without injuring the red ; and copperas turns it of a greenish drab. These red drabs are of a pleasing hue, and are very permanent. The bark should be used by our American dyers. For a very light fawn, on sixty -five pounds of wool. Where weld is given -in my recipes, fustic may be used in place of it, only using half the quantity. It is much to be regretted, however, that weld is not more generally used in RECIPES. 158 this country, particularly in drab dying, as the colours from weld are much brighter and softer than from any other dye- stuffs, and the handle of the cloth is much improved. For the boiling, use one pound and a half of weld, one. quarter of a pound of alum, one-quarter of a pound of red Sanders, one-quarter of a pound of logwood, one pound of best madder, and three ounces of copperas. Boil the wares one hour and a half, cool down, boil the wool two hours, or till of the colour wanted, heave out, wash, and dry — having previously cooled down to 120° Fahrenheit. Another light fawn, on forty-Jive pounds of loool. For the boiling, use one pound and a half of weld, six ounces of alum, fourteen ounces of best madder, two ounces and a half of logwood, two ounces and a half of sanders, and two ounces and a quarter of copperas. Boil the wares one hour and a half, cool down, and boil thS wool two hours, or till of the colour wanted ; cool down to 120° Fahrenheit, land, wash, and dry. By leaving the wool in the liquor all night, the colour will deepen two or three shades. A rich red fawn, on sixty five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use two pounds and a half of fustic, two pounds and a half of madder, one pound and a half of bar- wood, twelve ounces of red sanders, one-quarter of a pound of argol, six ounces of copperas, and one-quarter of a pound of alum. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours, or till of the colour wanted. When to the pattern, cool down to 120° Fahrenheit, land, wash, and dry. If not dark enough, let it lie in all night. For a light fawn, on twenty fve pounds of loool. For the boiling, use two ounces of barwood, three ounces of sumach, four ounces of argol, eight ounces of madder, three ounces of copperas, three ounces, of fustic, two ounces of red sanders, and three ounces of alum. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours, or till of the colour wanted. When to the pattern, cool down to 130° Fahrenheit, land, wash, and dry. 154 RECIPES. For a light fawn, on sixty-jive founds of wool. For the boiling, use half a pound of fustic, one pound of sumach, half a pound of Brazil wood, one pound of red Sanders, twelve ounces of argol, one pound of best madder, seven ounces of copperas, and eight ounces of alum. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours, or till of the colour wanted. When to the pattern, cool down to 120° Fahrenheit, land, wash, and dry. For a light red drah, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use foiu' ounces of nutgalls, and one pound of madder. Boil the wares half an hour, run up, heave in the wool, and boil half an hour ; cool down, and strew over one-quarter of a pound of copperas, two ounces of alum, and boil half an hour — while boiling, strew over six ounces of ground fustic, and six ounces of cream of tartar; boil half an hour, and* if dark enough, cool down, and land — if not, let lie in all night. For a rich reddish drab, on forty-tivo pounds of wool — a fashionable colour at the present time. For the boiling, use six ounces of nutgalls, six ounces of argol, ten ounces of redwood, one pound of madder, and twelve ounces of fustic. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours ; cool down, and sadden with three ounces of copperas. Boil one hour and land, if dark enough — if not, let lie in all night. For a rich reddish drab, of a lighter sliade than the above, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use three ounces of nutgalls, four ounces of argol, seven ounces of red sanders, eleven ounces of madder, ten ounces of fustic, and one ounce of logwood. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours ; cool down, sadden with two ounces and a half of copperas, boil 9ne hour and land, if dark enough — if not, let lie in all night. RECIPES. 155 For a darker red drab limn either yet given, on forty-two pounds of wool. For the boiling, use six ounces of nutgalls, six ounces of argol, ten ounces of redwood, one pound of madder, and twelve ounces of fustic. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours ; cool down, sadden with three ounces of copperas, boil one hour and land, if dark enough — if not, let lie in all night. For a very dark red drab, approaching to a brown, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use five pounds of fustic, and three pounds of red Sanders. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours ; cool down, sadden with eight ounces of copperas, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. • For a dark red drab, lighter than the above, for thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use four ounces of nutgalls, one pound and three-quarters of red sanders, two ounces of logwood, and one pound and a quarter of fustic. - Boil the wares two hours, cool down, and boil the wool two hours ; cool down, sadden with four ounces and a half of cooperas, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. To dye yelloio drabs on woollen. As these are the colours most generally worn, I shall give more recipes than for the others, including a gi-eater variety of shades. For a very light drab, having a slight yelloiv tinge, on eighty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one pound and a half of ground fustic, half a pound of logwood, and four ounces of best madder. The wares to boil two hours in a coarse bag, the furnace run up, and the wool to boil two hours — cool the liquor, then sprinkle over, for saddening, one pound of alum, and four ounces of copperas, having previously dissolved them in a bucket of the liquor; let the wool boil one hour, run off the 156 RECIPES. liquor slowly, and while this is doing, run up with water sulficient to cool the liquor, so low as to make it pleasant to immerse the hand ; when the liquor is all run off, land the wool, and wash well. For a drab, a few shades darker than the above, on forty. two pounds of loool. For the boiling, use one pound and a half of fustic, twelve ounces of logwood, four ounces of madder, and eight ounces of alum. To be proceeded with as for the last, and add for the sad- dening, half a pound of copperas — let boil for half an hour, land, and wash, as before. For a darker colour, varying a little in the shade, on seventy- ^our pounds of loool. For the boiling, use two pounds of fustic, one poufld of logwood, and half a pound of madder. To be proceeded with as for the two last, sadden with one pound of alum, and twelve ounces of copperas — boil half an hour, and let lie in all night. For a light yellow drab, on seventy-five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use ten pounds of weld, two pounds of logwood, one pound of argol, one pound of alum, and four ounces and a half of copperas. Boil the weld in bags one hour, take it out, add the other ingredients, boil half an hour, run up, heave in the wool, and boil it two iiours — then run up, add six ounces of oil of vitriol, and work well for twelve minutes without boiling — if the colour is dark enough, cool down, run the liquor off, and wash ; if required to be darker, let it lie in all night. For a light drab, not so yellow as the last, on sixty-five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use four pounds of weld, half a pound of fustic, one pound and three-quarters of logwood, half a pound of umbro madder, twelve ounces of argol, and half a pound of alum. The weld to be boiled in bags, .and taken out as in the last, RECIPES. 157 ihe other wares to boil one hour ; cool down, add one ounce and a half of copperas, and one ounce of oil of vitriol ; boil half an hour, run off, or let lie all night, according to the colour wanted. For a yellow drah, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use three ounces of nutgallS, one pound of fustic, one-quarter of a pound of madder, three ounces of argol, half a pound of alum, and two ounces of copperas. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool, boil half an hour, and let lie in all night. For a yelloiD drab, on sixty -Jive pounds of loool. For the boiling, use two pounds of weld, six ounces of argol, five ounces of logwood, three ounces of barwood, one pound of madder, three ounces of copperas, and two ounces of alum. Boil the wares two hours, cool down, heave in the wool boil one hour, and let lie in all nii^ht. For a dark yellow drab, on sixty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use five pounds of weld, six ounces of red argol, and four ounces of rasped fustic. The wares to boil as before, heave in the wool, and boil one hour ; then add, by strewing over, fourteen ounces of ground logwood, and fourteen ounces of umbro madder. The wool to boil two hours, cooled down, and landed ; add to the liquor four ounces of copperas, and four ounces of alum ; stir well, heave in the wool, boil one hour, and let it lie in all night. Another dark yelloio drab, on sixty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use five pounds of weld, one pound and a quarter of fustic, one pound of logwood, three pounds of mull madder, and half a pound of copperas. The weld to be boiled one hour and taken out, then add the other materials, boil one hour, heave in the wool, boil two hours, land, or let it lie in all night. There are many drabs that do not come under the de-, nomination of blue, red, or yellow — such are pearl drabs, green drabs, &c. I shall proceed to give I'ecipes for these, as both of them are now fashionable. 14 158 RECIPES. For a very light white pearl, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use four ounces of alum, and one ounce and a half of logwood. Let the wares boil half an hour, run up, heave in the wool, and bring the liquor to a spring heat ; keep at this heat for a quarter of an hour, land, and wash. The wool must be handled briskly all the time it is in the furnace. For a light red pearl drab, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use three ounces and a half of argol, two ounces of logwood, one ounce and a half of Brazil wood, one ounce of redwood, one ounce of alum, and one ounce of copperas. The wares are to be boiled half an hour, the furnace run up, the wool entered and boiled a quarter of an hour, cooled down, lauded, and washed. For a pearl drab, on sixty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use eight ounces of nutgalls, and four ounces of madder. The wares are to be boiled half an hour, the furnace run up, the wool entered and boiled a quai-ter of an hour, ; while boiling, add two ounces of alum, cool down, and land. For a pearl drab, on thirty pounds of wool. Boil one peck of bran, to soften the water, and scum clean. For the boiling, use two ounces of fustic, three ounces of nutgalls, five ounces of argol, three ounces of logwood, one ounce and a quarter of Brazil wood, and three ounces of madder. Boil the wares one hour, cool down, heave in the wool, and work briskly ; boil one hour, cool down, and sadden with one ounce of copperas, one ounce of alum, one-quarter of an ounce of fustic, and one ounce and a half of logwood — boil half an hour and land, or let lie in all night. For a dark pearl drab, on sixty-five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one pound of weld, one-quarter of a pound of fustic, eight ounces of logwood, twelve ounces of RECIPES. 159 argol, twelve ounces of alum, ten ounces of fine madder, and two ounces of copperas. Boil the wares one hour, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down to 120'^ Fahrenheit, land, and wash. For a thin jjearl drab, on thirty pounds of wool. For the boiling, use two ounces of weld, four ounces of argol, four ounces of alum, one ounce of logwood, half an ounce of oil of vitriol, two ounces of madder, and half an ounce of copperas. Boil the wares one hour, cool down, heave in the wool, and boil it one hour and a half; cool down to 120" Fahren- heit, land, wash, and dry. To dye green drabs on woollens. For a light green drab, having an olive hue, on twenty, nine pounds of wool. For the boiling, use three pounds and three-quarters of weld, half a pound of logwood, and one-quarter of a pound of fustic. The weld to be boiled one hour and taken out, then the other wares one hour, the furnace run up, the wool entered and boiled one hour ; cool down, sadden with one ounce and a half of copperas, and twelve ounces of alum — boil one hour, and land. For a dark green drab, on fifty-eight pounds of toool. For the boiling, use five pounds of fustic, two pounds of logwood, and half a pound of madder. Boil the wares two hours, run up, enter the wool, and boil it two hours ; cool down, sadden with twelve ounces of alum, four ounces of pearlash, and two ounces of copperas. Boil half an hour, and then add a quarter of a pint of oil of vitriol ; let it lie in all night. Miscellaneous colours, or colours coming under no particular denomination. These colours are, mostly, between drabs and browns. I can only describe them according to their predominant hue. 160 RECIPES. Many of them are now quite fashionable for pantaloons, and others are mostly employed for mixtures. I shall give those intended for mixtures first, and then those for colouring. For a red broivn, of a very lively tint, on twenty pounds of wool. This recipe is intended for mixing with dark colours, and has been fashionable in dark drab mixtures. For the boiling, use two ounces of nutgalls, two pounds of madder, and four pounds of red sanders. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil two hours ; cool down, sadden with one ounce of copperas, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. For a very bright colour, almost a red, on the cinnamon hue, for fifty-seven pounds of wool. For the boiling, use nine pounds of alum, and farty pounds of fustic. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil two hours ; cool down, land, and wash. Prepare a fresh liquor, bring on to a boil, bran and scum well — put in seven pounds of madder, run up, heave in the wool, and boil one hour ; cool down to 120° Fahrenheit, land, and wash. For a thin red, on twenty pounds of tvool. This colour is rather on the orange hue. Bring the fur- nace to a boil, add two pounds of argol, boil one hour, cool to below boiling, add to the liquor four pounds of madder, heave:^n the wool, boil half an hour — cool down to 120"^ Fahrenheit, land, and wash. For a Brazil red, on twelve pounds of loool. Bring the furnace to a boil, add two pounds and a half of alum, and four pounds of Brazil wood — boil the wares one hour, cool down, heave in the wool, boil forty-five minutes — cool down, after lying one hour, to 120° Fahrenheit, land, and wash. For a deep sanders red, on forty five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use six pounds of red sanders. Boil the wares one hour, run up, heave in the wool, and boil two RECIPES. ^ 161 hours; cool down, and sadden with four ounces of copperas; cool down, land, and wash. If required darker, let it lie in all night. For a rich wine colour, on thirty founds of wool. For the boiling, use four pounds of red argol, and two pounds of Brazil wood. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool and boil it two hours, then sprinkle over one gallon and a half of stale urine, and let lie in all night — work.it well as the urine is entered. Wash well, and finish in fresh liquor, with twenty pounds of best madder — bcil one hour, let lie in the liquor nine hours after boiling, land and wash. The above is one of the richest colours that can be made, and is often worn bv the ladies, for cloaks, &;c. A fugitive imnc colour, in imitation of the above, but much poorer in body and tint, for sixty-three pounds of wool. For the boiling, use forty pounds of barwood, boil the wool one hour and a half, then strew over six pounds and a half of alum, boil one hour, and let lie in all night. Land the wool the following morning, wash well, and finish in a fresh liquor, with eight pounds of Brazil wood, ten pounds of peach wood, and ten poiuids of fustic — boil the wool two hours, and let lie in all night. For a bright red for mixtures, of the cinnamon hue, on forty, six pounds of wool. For the boiling, use twenty -three pounds of barwood, and fourteen pounds of fustic. Bring the liquor to boil, boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, work rapidly, let it be two hours and a half coming to a boil — boil a quarter of an hour, cool down to 120° Fahrenheit, land, and wash. For a dark muddy drab, lately fashionable, on sixty five pounds of wool. For the boiling, use one pound and a quarter of fustic, ten ounces of barwood, ten ounces of sumach, six ounces of red Sanders, six ounces of Brazil wood, twelve ounces of argol, and two pounds and a half of madder. 14* 162 ^ RECIPES. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil two hours ; cool down, sadden with one ounce and a half of copperas, and four ounces of alum ; boil one hour and a half, run up, and let lie in all night. By varying the above materials, all those different dirty brown drabs, so lately fashionable, may be readily obtained. I shall give one other recipe for a variety of this colour, being yellower, not so much on the red, and lighter than the above. For a muddy drab, on sixty-jive pounds of wool. For the boiling, use two pounds of fustic, half a pound of sumach, one pound and three-quarters of barwood, half a pound of red sanders, one-quarter of a pound of Brazil wood, one pound and a quarter of argol, and four pounds and a quarter of madder. Boil the wares two hours, run up, heave in the wool, and boil two hours ; cool down, sadden with one pound and three- quarters of copperas, and one-quarter of a pound of alum — boil one hour and' a half, run up, and let lie in all night. To dye drab on cotton. Mix fustic and sumach liquor with warm water, turn in the cotton, and work it well ; if for a brownish drab, turn the cotton into a weak copperas liquor ; if for a greenish drab, mix logwood with the fustic and sumach, and a little blue viti'iol with alum and copperas — when well worked, wring out lightly, and it is finished. To dye a drab on silk. Boil it in black soap, wash out, and stick up as for other colours — put a little spent orchille into a very warm liquor, a little fustic, a little logwood, and strew in a little copperas ; stir up well, and try a pattern — when too blue, use a little argol, or cream of tartar, which will raise the red of the logwood. Process of aluming silk. Wash the silk from the soap, well beetling it ; steep it in the alum liquor for nine or ten hours, using about- five ounces of alum to each pound of silk, and four ounces of pearlash PREPARATORY PROCESSES, 163 to every twenty pounds of alum, wash, wring with the hand, and lay by for further use. Tlie pearlnsh is used to neu- tralize the excess of sulphuric acid contained in the alum. Silk indigo vat. This vat is the same as is known in this country by the name of ash vat, such as was attempted to be palmed on the woollen dyers of this country, some years since, by a Mr. Roach, as the woollen woad vat. It is the best vat for silk, and may be used for cotton, but is altogether unfit for woollen dying, for the very reason that it is worked with caustic potash, which cannot fail, under any circumstance, to injure the quality of the wool. The following is the pro- cess of setting the ash vat. Put fifty pounds of potash into a barrel, and fill it up with boiling water. It is from this barrel the vat is supplied, when potash liquor is mentioned in the recipe. Process of setting an ash vat. Add one pailful of wheat bran to fifty gallons of water, boil thirty minutes, and empty the whole into the vat. Fill the boiler with fifty gallons more of water, add to it ten pounds of wheat bran, ten pounds of potash, and one and a quarter pounds of madder — boil thirty mmutes, let it settle, and pour the clear liquor into the vat. When the heat of the vat has lowered to 140'^ Fahrenheit, add to it five pounds of well-ground indigo, and three gallons of swill — rake and cover down, keep as near 130^ Fahrenheit as possible. Stir morning and evening. When the liquor is covered with a copper scum, and the flowers are of a dark blue, add one gallon of potash liquor from the barrel, and half a gallon of swill, at morning, noon, and night, raking well each time. Should the copper appearance cease, or fail to show itself, add one gallon of swill, mornings and evenings, until it does. When this one hundred gallons of liquor is in good order, fill the furnace with one hundred gallons more of clean water, add ten pounds of wheat bran, ten pounds of potash, and one pound and a quarter of madder, boil thirty minutes, cool down to 131° Fahrenheit — pass the clear liquor into the vat, and add to it five pounds of ground indigo and three gallons of ewill, rake well, and cover close till next morning. Raka 164 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. again in the morning, and if in order, add to it one gallon of potash liquor, and half a gallon of swill — add the same quan- tity at noon, and again in the evening. Should there be no copper skin on the liquor the morning after renewing, must only rake well morning and evening till it appears. When this two hundred gallons is in good order, boil two hundred gallons more of clear water, with ten pounds of bran, twenty pounds of potash, and two pounds and a half of madder ; boil as before, for thirty minutes, let settle, turn the clear liquor into the blue vat, give it ten pounds of indigo, and four gal- Ions of swill — rake well, and cover close. Rake the following day, morning and evening, and the second morning there will be a copper scum on the surface ; then add to it two gallons of potash liquor, and one gallon of swill, morning and evening. The strength of this liquor should rate from two to three degrees, on Baume's hydrometer. If below two degrees, potash liquor should be added until it stands at two degrees. Should the vat contain but three hundred gallons, add, in the last operation, only one hundred gallons of water in place of two hundred, and the other materials in proportion. Working the ash vat. The goods to be well wet in hot water, and left to drain until nearly dry, then run in the vat for fifteen or twenty minutes, wrung out, and dried — the dipping to be repeated until dark enough. After every dip, add to the vat one gallon of swill, and one gallon of potash liquor from the barrel, then rake, and keep at the temperature of 120''^ or 125° Fahren- heit. This last rale should in all cases be observed, unless the dye be too weak or too strong, too much fermented or not enough — in either of these cases, follow the directions given under the head renewing the vat. Three or four dips may be made each day, until the strength of the vat is mostly worked out, but must not reduce the liquor too much the first time of working. . To reneio the ash vat. Rake the dye up well, turn over about one hundred and forty gallons of the liquor into the boiler, and add to it ten pounds of bran, and two pounds of madder ; boil for thirty minutes, let settle, turn the clear liquor into the vat, add to it fifteen PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 165 funds of indigo, and three gallons of swill liquor, rake well, d cover down. The next morning a fine copper scum will appear on the surface, then add to it one gallon of potash liquor, and seven gallons of swill, rake well, and cover down. Should the liquor indicate three degrees Baume, in three hours afterward, it is fit to colour; if it indicates less, add potash liquor and swill, in the same proportions as in the morning, until it rises to three degrees. The liquor, .on the second renewal, may stand at four degrees ; on the third and succeeding ones, at five degrees. To make a neio ash vat, after working out the old one.. Pass two hundred gallons of the clear liquor from the worn- out vat into the furnace, and after emptying out the remainder from the vat, return the liquor into it ; then put as much water into the boiler as will fill the vat, add ten pounds of bran, three pounds of potash, and two pounds of madder ; boil three minutes, let settle, empty the clear liquor into the vat, to which add fifteen pounds of indigo, and three gallons of swill, rake, and cover close. Next day, add potash liquor until the scale stands at five degrees. Keeping the silk ash vat in order. Should the liquor, by being kept too cold, lose its fermen- tation, boil one-quarter of the liquor in a furnace, add ten pounds of wheat bran, and seventeen pounds of madder, boil the usual time, let settle, return clear liquor into vat, stir, &:c. Next morning add, if not sufficiently fermented, one gallon of swill, and repeat every six hours, until in good order. Should the dye be too much heated, cool down, rake once a day, and add half a gallon of potash liquor — continue the same till the liquor appears perfectly clear ; should it have lost its proper degree of fermentation, add at each stirring one gallon of swill, until it comes to work. Should it be found necessary to lay a vat by for any con- siderable time, work it about half out, cover close, and it will keep six months. On dying of double colours. Cloth is sometimes dyed double colours, that is, one side of a cloth is dyed of one colour, and the other side of another. 166 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. Such colours are rarely seen in this country, and are now only seen occasionally in Europe ; but as they were on<^ fashionable, and may become so again, I shall finish tbe subject of dying by giving the process for dying these. The principal markets at the present time for double colours, are Turkey and Arabia. The Arabs cover their horses with cloth dyed purple and scarlet; by turning up the corners they show a beautiful drapery, and the corners being trimmed with gold or silver tassels, give to the horse's furniture a very rich and elegant appearance. There are two kinds of double colours, those having green on one side and yellow on the other — and those having pur- ple on one side and scarlet on the other. We will commence with the first. Cloths made for double colours, should be fine m quality, wove very stout, eleven quarters in the loom, not more than twenty-four yards when fulled, and left under six quarters wide. They should have a good nap raised on both sides, and finished shearing before they are dyed. They must be well pized in fullers-earth, and dried to prepare them for the dye. When for yellow and green, the cloth must be first dyed a bright yellow, as follows : for forty-eight pounds of cloth, use, in the boiling, ten pounds of alum, two pounds of cream of tartar, and twenty-five pounds of fustic chips. Boil the wares two hours, heave in the cloth, and boil it four hours — cool down, heave out, stream it until clean, and dry. A flour paste has now to be prepared. We have, in England, two sorts of wheat, one of which makes a flour that will aflbrd a tougher paste than the other; when flour is ordered for double colours, it is always such as will pro- duce the toughest paste. The paste is made the day before it has to be used. It requires a stiff" paste, to prevent its penetrating through the cloth when rubbed on, yet thin enough to work thoroughly into the nap of the cloth. When this has been properly prepared, one end of the cloth is placed on a smooth table, about five feet wide and twelve long, beginning at one end, the side intended to be pasted laying uppermost. One person liffs the paste out of the tub with a clean tin or copper ladle, and places it on the cloth, while two others are employed in rubbing it into, and all over the face of the cloth, witli their hands. As soon as a piece has been pasted, the two ends are brought together, and the whole PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 167 piece doubled, leaving that side which has been pasted, inside. The cloth is now placed on a long scrave, or slatted table, four or more women are employed to sew the lists together, these are turned in and rolled before sewing, the work is drawn tight, and the stitches are close together, to prevent any liquor from ])enetratiiig through the lists. The two ends are rolled, and sewed up in the same way. Care must be taken, during this operation, that none of the paste touch the side of tiie cloth that has not been pasted, for in such places the cloth will not receive the destined colour. AVhile this is doing, the furnace must be brou'^ht on with a new liquor, into which put four pounds of alum, four pounds of fustic, and three pounds of chymic. Boil the alum and fustic during two hours, drop in the chymic, and boil ten minutes. Let the cloth, which is now very heavy, be brought to the furnace on a clean hand-barrow, and placed on the curb — open a few stitches in the end of the cloth, sufficient to make such an aperture as will admit the nose of a bellows, and blow in as much air»as can be forced into it. Let the opening be im- mediately sewed up. Two men must now carefully lift the cloth off" the hand-barrow into the furnace, keeping the folds square and even, while two others are employed in placing it under the liquor with stopping sticks. Care must be taken not to hand it in faster than the stoppers can put it under the liquor, yet it is very necessary this opemtion should be per- brmed as rapidly as possible. The air, blown in by the Dellows, will be confuied inside by the paste ; and when the cloth comes in contact with the hot liquor, the air becomes so expanded as to swell the cloth, out as large as a butt, and the air moving as the cloth is worked, prevents the paste *'rom adhering, and enables the workmen to move it in any direction. It has now to be worked backwards and forwards, first on one side of the furnace, and then on the other — at every three or four turns, the end is tumbled over so as to bring the side that was lowest in the furnace to be upper- most. The working must be done expeditiously, to make .he colour even — it should be had in cool, and the liquor brought on to a boil very gradually. When boiled to the colour wanted, the liquor is cooled down so far as to enable the workmen to handle the cloth, which has now to be lifted out by hand into a large back of cold water. Before open- ing the cloth, it must be streamed, until no stain appears on 168 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. the water ; when washed clean, the twine is taken from the lists, the paste scraped off as clean as possible, and then cleaned in the stocks until all the paste is completely washed oft". It is then tentered, dried, pressed, and packed. The side that was pasted will now be of a beautiful yellow, and the other of a rich green. It requires some experience to perform this operation with perfect safety, and the cloth must be free from holes or thin places. To dye a double colour, having purple on the one side, and scarlet on the other. The cloth has to be pized and dried, the same as before. It is now pfisted when white, and sewed up, as directed for the yellow in the last. When this has been done, and the cloth moistened, take it on a hand-barrow to the blue vat, blow in the air, sew the hole up, take it into the blue vat, and work it until it becomes of a light blue. It iis then taken out of the vat, the paste scraped off", and streamed. Care must be taken while this is doing, that none of the blue touches the side that has been pasted. When streamed, take it to the fulling-mill, and wash it under the hammers thoroughly. It must now be hung up to drain until the next day. . When drained, clean it in the fulling-mill with earth, and dry it. The side that was pasted will now be white, and the other a light blue — the side that is blue must be placed inside, bringing the ends of the cloth together, and sewed up with rolled lists, as before, ends as well as sides, the same as for green. When this is done, take it to the scarlet furnace, and colour the white side scarlet, after the same way, with respect to workmanship, as directed for green. There having been no paste put on this time, the liquor will have penetrated sufficiently through the cloth, to make the side that was blue of a rich purple. The cloth has now to be well cleansed by streaming, after the ends and lists have been opened, and finished the same as the green. This appears, on paper, to be a very simple operation, but is not found so in practice. The cloth must be made very stout, and very firm in the ground, to prevent the paste from working through it, and it becomes so heavy, when pasted, as to require four men to carry one piece on a hand-barrow, PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 169 which makes the workmanship of very difficult operation, .and renders it Hable to be torn, thereby ruining the work. Miscellaneous Articles. Mode of dying cotton, by the Africans, a fine blue colour with the leaves of the indigo plant. From Mungo Park's Mission to Africa, page 133. " A large quantity of wood ashes is collected and put into an uiiglazcd earthen vessel, which has a hole in the bottom, over which is put some straw. Upon these ashes water is poured, which, filtering through the hole in the bottom of the vessel, carries with it the potass contained in the ashes, and forms a very strong lye, of the colour of strong beer ; this lye they call sai-gee, ash- water. " Another pot is filled not quite full of the leaves of the indigo plant, either fresh or dried in the sun, (those used at this time were dried,) and as much of the sai-gee poured on it as will fill the pot about half full. It is allowed to remain in tliis state for four days, during which time it is stirred once or twice each day. " Tiie pot is then filled nearly full of sai-gee, and stirred frequently for four days more, during which it ferments and throws up a copper-coloured scum. It is then allowed to remain at rest one day, and on the tenth day from the com- mencement of the process, the cloth is put into it. No mor- dant whatever is used ; the cloth is simply wet with cold water, and wrung hard before it is put into the pot, \^here it is allowed to remain about two hours. It is then taken out and exposed to the sun, by laying it (without spreading it) over a stick, until the liquor ceases to drop from it. After this, it is washed in cold water, and is often beat with a flat stick, to clear away any leaves or dirt which may adhere to it. The cloth being again wrung hard, is returned into the pot, and this dipping is repeated four times every day for the first four days — ai the end of which period it has in common acquired a blue colour, (jqual to the finest India baft." To use bleaching salts, for whitening cotton-yarn or cloth. Put into a tub fifty gallons of water, put twelve pounds of the oxy-muriate of lime (bleaching salts) into it, stir well, and let remain until it settles, which will take about five 15 170 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. hours — try the strength with Tweedle's hydrometer : hut before doing this, have a tub ready, and hft as much of the pure Hquor out from the Hme tub, as you mean to use at once, try the hydrometer in the pure Ifquor, and if it stands three degrees, it is fit for immediate use ; if stronger, reduce to the requisite strength by adding water. Your cloth, be- fore immersion, ouglit to be damp ; after it has been boiled as usual with ashes, and well cleaned, let it remain in the steep for four hours, take out, wash well, give a vitriol sour, steep again, and wash well. After taking all the clear liquor off your oxy-muriate of lime, put in a few pounds of fresh oxy-muriate, add water, stir well, let stand as before stated, and use in the same manner. Make no more liquor at a time than is wanted for immediate use, as it loses its strength by exposure. Wilkins''s patent mode of raising the nap of doth. Since publishing my former work on manufacturing of woollen cloth, a patent has been taken out in England by a Mr. Wilkins, of Tiverton, near Bath, Somersetshire, for rais- ing cloth with wire in place of teazles. Repeated attempts have been made within the last fifty years, to substitute wire for teazles on the old gig-mill barrel, but all these attempts have uniformly failed, it having been found that wire, when used in clearing out the wool from the ground of the cloth, would uniformly rob it so much as to injure the texture. Mr. Daniels, a mechanic in Mr. Wilkins's employ, observed that the cloth was injured in consequence of the great strain given to tlie goods whilst working round the barrel of the gig-mill, and that to make the wire answer, a new mode of applying the work must be discovered. This he effected, by working the cloth on polished marble slabs. He has two polished marble slabs, inclined on an angle of about forty-five degrees, over the face of which the cloth passes, hugging the slabs as it moves over, and the wire cylinders working all the time on the face of the cloth. The machine, working the cloth, is very much like a double timming-hog, such as was much used before the gen- eral use of the gig-mill. The cloth moves by meclianical power, being first wound around a roller placed under one of the marble slabs, passing over the first slab, then through PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 171 two rollers placed above the slabs, in the centre between the two, then over the face of the second slab, and winding around a roller placed under it. A piece of twenty-one yards is calculated to move over the slabs in about seven- teen minutes. Rollers, clothed with wire, move rapidly over the face of the cloth, one to each slab, and they are set down by a gauge, so as eitlier just to toucli the face, or dip into it to any required depth. A trough, containing water, is placed under each roller, by which the cloth is moistened. I have seen a sample of the card used by Wilkins. The wire is bent in a circle, very much the same as the teazle point, and is ground sidewise to a dull point. Mr. Wilkins's cloth is now in greater repute than any other manufacturer's in England, and it is well known the finish of his cloth is alone the cause of its superiority. Would it not be advisable for our leading manufacturers to pay attention to this patented mode of working, and adopt it, if found ad- vantageous. On ilie residuums remaining after dying chromic yelloio and orange. I have given recipes for dying these colours in the body of the work. Most of our dyers being ignorant of the com- pounds remaining after the colours are finished, and of the valuable uses to which they may be applied by themselves and others, I have concluded it may be useful to draw their attention to the subject. To enable the dyer to understand the nature of the re- siduums, it will be necessary to explain the component parts of the salts used in producing the colours, and the changes that take place during the operation of dying. Chromate of potash is a compound of chromic acid and potash, in which the potash, dissolved by the acid, is put into a solid form by crystallization. There are two distinct salts of the chromate, one of a yellow colour, the other an orange. The yellow crystals contain one atom of chromic acid, and one atom of potash, or an equal portion of each. The orange, coloured crystals contain two atoms of chromic acid to one of potash, or double the quantity of acid to the potash. The only other materisil, necessary in producing these colours, is some salt having lead for its base. Nitrate of 172 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. lead is used by some dyers, and sugar of lead by others ; nitrate of lead is lead dissolved in aquafortis — and sugar of lead is lead dissolved in the acid of vinegar, called acetic acid. Both of these salts are made to assume a solid form, by crystallization, in which state they are usually sold. Lead dissolved in any other acid will answer as well as the above, provided the potash, combined with the chromic acid, is more soluble in the acid combined with the lead, than in the chromic acid. The dyer first impregnates the goods with a solution of the salt of lead, and then with a solution of the chromate of potash, dipping alternately in each, until the desired colour is obtained. During the working, the acetic acid of the sugar of lead leaves the lead, and combines with the potash of the chromate of potash ; the chromic acid being liberated from the potash, and the lead from the acetic acid, the two com- bine and form a chromate of lead on the goods. The same effect takes place when nitrate of lead is used, but the re- siduums are different. The colour will now be a fine yellow, of the same substance and tint as the chrome yellow sold for painting. To raise this yellow to an orange, it is necessary to dip it in some caustic alkali, or alkaline earth, and caustic lime is usually employed. We now see the rationale of the process, by which these beautiful colours are obtained, and I have endeavoured to explain it in such language as will enable the most unscien- tific workman to comprehend it. We shall proceed to ascertain what remains in the residu- ums, after the dyer has produced the usual colours, and to what purposes it may be applied. There must remain a considerable portion of chromate of lead, and a large quantity of the acid of vinegar, combined with potash, when sugar of lead has been used : and of aqua- fortis, combined with potash, when nitrate of lead has been employed. As these are expensive colours, it must be im- portant to the dyer to know if the residuums can be so ap- plied as materially to lessen the expense. In Scotland, they make a beautiful fawn colour by merely staining the yarn in a sumach liquor, and then dipping it in the solution remaining after the chrome dying, and I have no doubt that other beau- tiful shades might be produced, by varying the colours given previous to immersion in the remaining chrome liquors. It PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 178 must be understood, that the colours will vary as much from the different mordants used in dying the preparatory colours, as from the colouring matters employed. After all this has been done, there will still remain a considerable precipitate of chromate of lead, of some value to painters, and a liquid solution containing mordants of some value — the latter we shall proceed to investigate. When sugar of lead has been employed, the liquor remain- ing will contain acetate of potash, and when nitrate of lead has been used, it will contain nitrate of potash, or saltpetre. We have to ascertain by what means these two solutions can be further employed to the most advantage. Acetite of alumina is the most valuable and most expen- sive mordant used in cotton dying. This mordant is made by dissolving sugar of lead and alum of commerce separately, and mixing the two solutions ; the sulphuric acid of the alum combines with the lead of the sugar of lead, and the acetic acid, before combined with the lead, enters into combination with the alumina of the alum — the sulphate of lead being insoluble, will not interfere with the colouring. When chrome colours are produced with sugar of lead, we have ascertained that the residuum will be acetate of potash, and as the potash is more soluble in the sulphuric acid than in the acetic, our dyers have only to add to this residuum a solution of alum, and they will obtain the aluminous mordant. Exactly the same results must not be expected from this mordant as from that made in the direct way, as above stated, for the sulphate of potash, being also a soluble salt, must produce effects somewhat different. However different the effects may be, the mordant obtained will be found a valuable acquisition, particularly in dark colours, and may be found to produce many a new and beautiful tint. Nitrate of iron is another mordant of great use in dying of black on cotton, and some other colours. ^ This mordant is usually made by dissolving iron in aquafortis, at an ex- pense, for a»strong solution, of g,bout twenty-three cents per pound. By adding copperas, which costs three and a half cents, to the residuum left when chrome colours are done with nitrate of lead, the nitrate of iron will be produced, and this mordant, now so expensive, will be obtained at a cost less than four cents per pound. It is deeply to be regretted that our dyers are not mow 15* 174 PREPARATORY PROCESSES generally acquainted with chymistry, as that science would make plain to them the rationale of every process they fol- low, and how to make the most of their residuums. The art of dying, staining, and topical application, must for ever re- main in the back ground in this country, unless as much science is acquired by our operatives, as the same class pos- sess in Europe. I am aware that courses of lectures, as generally delivered in our cities, are too expensive, too re- mote in their application to the arts, and too full of learned technicalities, to benefit any but the literary class. On the cold indigo vat, used hy cotton dyers. Recipes have been given in French, and other works, on the proportion of materials used to produce the cold blue vat. They uniformly direct the dyer to use two pounds of copperas, and two and a half pounds of quicklime, to two pounds of indigo. As these proportions are intended for the finest quality of Bengal indigo, and as our dyers, for want of suffi- cient practice, often sustain great injury by following such instructions too faithfully, I have thought it might subserve their interest to explain more fully than has hitherto been done, the operations going on during the process, by which they will be convinced of the necessity of varying the pro- portions, according to the quality of the indigo and other ingredients employed. In order to enable our dyers to understand the subject, it will be necessary to explain the component parts of the indigo and copperas used in the process, and how the latter decom- poses the indigo, as also to show the changes produced by the quicklime. The best Bengal indigo is composed of about fifty-two per cent, of vegetable extract, combined with more or less of earthy matter,^and of forty-eight per cent, of colouring mat- ter, made blue by combining with oxygen. The colouring matter of indigo combines with various portions-of oxygen : hence the diversity of colour, as copper, violet, purple, and blue. Copperas is a compound substance, containing iron in a state of black oxyde, oil of vitriol in which the iron is dis- solved, and water which is necessary to enable it to crys- tallize. In the best copperas, the proportions are about PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 175 twenty-six acid, twenty-eight oxyde of iron, and forty-six water of crystallization. So long as the oxyde of iron remains in a crystalline state, it will not absorb more oxygen ; but the instant it becomes separated from the acid and water, it gree- dily absorbs oxygen until it arrives at its maximum of oxydize- ment,>by which time it will have combined with one-half more oxygen, and have changed from black to a red oxyde. Indigo, when fully oxydized, can never be employed as a colouring matter, as all goods stained with it will immediately wash white ; but when as much oxygen has been extracted from it as will reduce it to a green colour, which is its mini- mum state of oxydizemcnt, it will colour any goods immersed' in it of a beautiful green: and by reabsorbing oxygen, when exposed to the atmosi)here, becomes a permanent blue in the pores of the goods. The use of the lime is to combine with the oil of vitriol of the copperas, for the purpose of liberating its oxyde of iron. The oxyde of iron, liberated from its solvent, having a greater affinity for oxygen than the indigo has, will take it from the indigo, and reduce its colour from the blue to the green state, by which it is enabled to impart a permanent colour. We have now the rationale of the process pursued in the cold blue vat, and I hope our dyers may understand it, to enable them to comprehend the correctness of the following deductions, in which their interest is materially involved. The quantity of lime prescribed is always in a given pro- portion to t!ie copperas employed ; but as coppei-as varies materially in its proportions, it will be necessary to have a critical knowledge of the article — for those who have not, must be often mistaken in the result. Copperas, when newly made, must contain more water than when old enough to have become dry in tlie crystals — of course any given weight of new will not produce the same effect as the dry. Oxyde of iron is capable of combining with different portions of oil of vitriol, the varieties being known to the scientific, by its colour and the form of its crystals. It must be evident that as copperas, containing more than the usual portion of vitriol, must contain a smaller portion of the oxyde of iron, and re- quires a much larger portion of lime to liberate it, that the dyer who, for want of science or experience, shall use such an article with the usual portion of other materials, must be disappointed in his expected results. 176 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. Indigo is a very variable article, containing from five to forty-eight per cent, of colouring matter. It is certain, there- fore, that when a dyer uses the same quantity of lime and copperas indiscriminately, that he must always use the same quality of indigo, or suffer great loss by some of the opera- tions. It is all important to the blue dyer that he showld be able to ascertain the relative strength of the indigo he uses, and proportion the other ingredients to it. I find very many of our blue dyers are much better acquainted with the process than they wei'e four years since. At that time it was very common with nearly all of them to require the best indigo, and they appeared to be incapable of using a consumable quality ; but now the same dyers are successful in the use of lower qualities. In England, except for some particular colours, the dyers use indigo containing from thirty to forty- five per cent, of colouring matter, and find it their interest in so doing, there being a much greater difference in the price than in the quality. When the best indigo, containing forty- eight per cent, of colouring matter, sells for two dollars, that which contains three per cent, less can be bought for one dollar sixty-six cents ; that which contains six per cent, less, at one forty; and nine per cent, less, at one twenty-five. The difference in the price being so much greater than the differ- ence in the quality, will always enable the experienced dyer, who can appreciate the quality of his indigo, and vary the process according to the quality, to drive the more ignorant ones out of the business. Those who are well acquainted with the blue dying, as carried on in England, must have observed that some few blue dyers have monopolized the best part of the business, and have become rich, under circum- stances less favourable, judgment excepted, than others who have sunk under the competition. To succeed to the best advantage in this valuable art, it is necessary our dyers should know the quality of the indigo they use, should have a critical knowledge of the copperas employed, and should be able to ascertain the strength of the lime used to decompose the copperas. They should also know what quantity of copperas the different qualities of indigo require, and the portions of lime requisite to decompose the various qualities of copperas. It will be perceived that dying is altogether a chymical art, depending on a play of affinities varying at every step. I PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 177 am aware tluit mere science will never make a dyer ; but where science is added to experience, the artist possessing it, with usual application, cannot fail of j^aining a decided advan- tage over his more ignorant competitor. Let me again urge our dyers to acquire as much chymical knowledge as will enable them to understand what they are doing. Without it, they will ever remain the servile imitators of European artists, following in the rear of improvement, and instead of taking the lead in their own market, must rest contented with sup- plying the fagend of consumption ! On mellowing cloth, after fulling, hefore raising the nap. It is not generally known, that cloth cannot be raised with so good a nap, if put to the gig-mHl immediately after fulling. The cloth, after fulling, should be"fold£;d and rolled up close, and let lie horizontally in that state for five or six days. It should then be taken to the gig-mill and raised. Such cloth will have a much fuller nap, and will handle much mellower, than when raised immediately from the fulling. To dissolve shellac in water, used in France as a varnish, hy paper stainers. Dissolve twenty grains of borax in half a pint of rain- water, then add one hundred grains of powdered shellac to the liquor, which the borax will enable the water to dissolve. It should be done at a slow boil. This varnish will make paper water-proof without injuring its flexibility. It may be mixed with any colouring matter, usually used on paper, not injuring the most delicate colour. On orchille and cudbear. The orchille and cudbear are both made from species of the lichen. ' The orchille moss is found in tropical climates, such as the Canary and Cape de Verd Islands, and the moss producing cudbear is found in northern climates, as in the north of Scotland, Norway, &c. The latitudes in which the orchille moss grows, almost exclude all expectation of ever finding it, at least of good quality, in the United States ; but it is very probable the 178 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. cudbear mosses may be found in some of our north-eastern States, and I would recommend, that trials be made by our citizens, living on the eastern shores of the Atlantic, of the mosses found on the rocks there, to ascertain if any of them will give out a purple colour. To enable them to do this, I Avill first give the scientific names of the different mosses from which cudbear is made, and then describe the process by means of which the colour can be extracted. I would advise that when any particular moss is experimented on, a part of the same be laid aside, and if the other portion is found to afford a purple, then to inquire of some botanist the technical name of that lichen. There are four kinds of lichen (moss) from which cudbear is usually made, and the quality produced varies very mate- rially in each. They are,.the lichen pustulatus, the lichen tartarius, the lichen duesttis, and the lichen vellans. The first is the most valuable, and the others are of less and less value in the order in which they are named. To extract the colour, it will be only necessary to fill a bottle loosely with the moss, and then pour in as much spirits of ammonia as will cover it. If there be any purple colouring matter in the moss, it will show itself after macerating in the water of ammonia for four or five days, in which time the liquor will be of a rich purple. A neiv patent for fulling woollen goods. A patent has lately been secured by a mechanic living at Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, for an entirely new machine for fulling, being a substitute for the very antique machine called fallers. I have just now seen a rough draught of the machine. The cloth passes through two pair of rollers, and soap is used after the same manner as when felted in the fallers. It is also folded in the same doubles. The woollens work inside of a box, which is close in all parts whilst the cloth is at work. The Messrs. Cooper, owners of a large mill at Staverton, near Trowbridge, having tried one of these ma- chines, have subsequently thrown out all their fallers, and substituted the rollers in place of them. From their account, the rollers not onh'' prevent damage, but the substance and quality of the cloth is so much improved, tliat it sells for PREPARATORY PROCESSES. 179 fifteen per cent, more than tliose of the same make, felted in the usual fallinji mill. Another process for scouring icool. Tliis process is said to scour wool better than any before invented. I have never seen wool scoured in tliis way, but my informant, who uses it, says that the wool is turned out cleaner, and in much better condition, than he has eyer seen it from any other mode. In a scouring furnace, holding fifty gallons, put three buckets of stale urine, and fill up with water, bring on the heat to the usual temperature, and add one pint of coarse sea- salt. In this lixivium the wool is scoured. The first dip of wool, as is usual in other fresh made liquors, does not scour perfectly clean, but the subsequent dips will be complete. After working the first day, add one handful of the same kind of salt, and the same quantity for every day it is worked. It will i-equire no additional urine. The English new process of dying black, either blued in the w, vat, or without. I should consider this black, when dyed "without blueing, to be a poor, fugitive colour. First, woad the wool to an eight penny blue, or full half blue, and wash clean. The quantity dyed at once will be 200lbs. To each 121bs. of clean, scoured wool, use 2lbs. of alum, lib. of barwood, and 1 pint of sulpho-muriate of tin to the 200li)s. Let the wool have plenty of room in the kettle, or it will be harsh. Fir.st, boil the barwood, then heave in the wool, and boil it one hour and a half; strew your ground alum over grad- ually, handling the wool briskly during the time ; then boil up 15 minutes. Dilute the snlpho-muriatc of tin in six gal- lons of cold water, throw it over the wool in the kettle, gradually working the wool well all the time ; boil up for one hour, cool down with cold water, let the wool lie in the liquor for four hours, then run off' the liquor, and let the wool lie in until cool. If a shade redder is wanted, increase the tin liquor half a pint. Instead of washing the prepared wool, bring on your ket- tle the next day for finishing, and before adding any dye- A'ir 180 PREPARATORY PROCESSES. wares to the liquoi', put the wool into barrows or paniers, pour over it a quantity of the water lieated to 150°, wiiich will wash out the loose particles of the acid and alum. Then run up the kettle, and put in coarse bags 6lbs. of log- wood to every 12lbs. of clean wool, and half a pound of su- mach; tie the bags close, put them in the kettle, and boil them well for three hours; take the bags out, cool down to about 140°, heave in the wool, work it well, bring up the heat and boil one hour; after which draw the fire and let it lie six hours ; then run oft" the liquor, throw out the wool, and cover over with sheets until cold. It must be washed perfectly clean, and dried by a gentle heat. A similar black loithout blueing. For every 12lbs. of wool, prepare with 22lbs. of alum, l^lbs. of logwood, half a pound of argol, and one pound of oil of vitriol, to 1501bs. of clean wool : the process the same as the last. Next day in a clean liquor, add 951bs. of logwood chips in bags, — to be managed in every particular as the first recipe. THE END. 39 9"^*^^ GETTY CENTER LIBRARY CONS TP 897 P27 1847 BKS I- 1 Partridge. WllUaii * practical treatise or dying woollen, c 3 3125 00290 3462