The Practical Ostrich Feather Dyer

by Alexander Paul

To produce edgings an oval pan, as described in the beginning, or other dye-vessel of greater length than the feathers, and three or four inches deep must be used. The well scoured, respectively bleached, and rinsed feathers are first dyed the color for the middle part, as usual on strings. After rinsing and drying they are taken off from the strings and "edged" singly. For this purpose prepare the dye-bath for the edging color, heat to the proper temperature, take the tip and quill respectively between the fore-finger and the thumb of both hands, dip the feathers edgewise, that is, with the ends of the fibres on one side of the stem, or the edge of the vane only, into the dye-bath as deep as the edging is to be wide, and move the feather in this position horizontally forward and backward in the bath until the shade is obtained. Then place the feather between several laps of clean dry muslin, squeeze it out by passing the hand over it, and dye the other edge in the same manner as the first. Finally rinse, starch and dry the feather as usual.

In this connection a chemical reaction is worthy of mention, which was discovered about two years ago by an accident, and may be advantageously employed for the production of edgings upon ostrich feathers, if further developed by experiments. In a large feather-dyeing establishment, in Berlin, a sheet of paper which had been wetted with ammonia, and had become dry, had been left on a work-table, when one of the employees, who was handling a lot of feathers freshly dyed with methyl violet, inadvertently put one of the feathers, which was still moist, upon the impregnated paper. After a while, when the feather was picked up, it was found that the violet, all round the edge of the feather, had turned brilliant green, producing a very pleasing effect. It is rational to suppose that with mixed colors, in whose composition methyl violet largely enters, similar effects can be produced by the action of ammonia; and probably the same is the case with other aniline dyestuffs.

GILDING AND SILVERING.

Gilded and silvered ostrich feathers are but seldom in demand, and then only for grand evening dresses or stage effects, and for short seasons, which generally return far between. Their production is by no means a dyeing process, but rather an operation of surface ornamentation, still the dyer is sometimes requested to perform it. While goose feathers and other feathers of small value are wholly gilded or silvered, the gilding of ostrich feathers consists chiefly in a sprinkling with metallic dots, or sometimes in an edging, or is only applied to the tip of the feathers, which, from the nature of the operation, are treated singly. Such ornamented feathers, white as well as dyed, being only used for short periods, a permanent fixation of the gold or silver upon them is not required, but rather undesirable, as they will soon be redyed for other uses.

For gilding, respectively silvering, a sufficiently adhesive solution of possibly colorless gum arabic is prepared and distributed by hand, and by means of a fine hair-brush, in smaller or larger dots, as required, over the upper side of the feather or along the edges, and before the gum solution becomes dry, sprinkled over with finely divided gold-leaf or silver-leaf. The feather is then turned over, given a few light taps with the hand to remove the loose dust of metal, and vigorously shaken, partly to prevent the fibres from sticking together, partly to remove the remaining loosely adhering particles of metal. The operation must be performed as rapidly as possible to prevent the gum solution from drying before the metallic dust is shaken off. The smaller the gum-dots are made, the quicker must the work be done, but the less is the danger of the fibres being pasted together, and the more elegant the appearance of the feather. The dots or spangles are made of different shapes, in little circles or squares, and sometimes arranged so as to form angular designs, according to taste and skill of the operator.

Another very pretty, scarcely more permanent, but more frequently applied ornamentation of ostrich feathers, is the following.

FROSTING.

For this purpose the feathers are first dyed in a light or medium shade of any color, the effect of frosting feathers of a dark color being rather unfavorable. The feathers are then, after drying, covered on the upper side with a solution of clear gum arabic, as for gilding, but more closely, or may even be entirely brushed over with the gum solution, and are then, before the gum dries, sprinkled over with finely ground white glass, or mica, the latter giving the appearance of frosted silver. The glass powder or mica powder is then quickly and vigorously shaken off, to open the fibres and flues as much as possible, while drying. Finally, to complete the opening of the fibres, the feathers are steamed at the under side, and shaken in the air until open and dry.