The ultimate constituents of stearine, according to Chevreul are, 79 carbon; 11·7 hydrogen; and 9·3 oxygen, in 100 parts.
1,294,009 cwts. of the tallow imported in 1837, were retained for internal consumption. See [Margarine], [Oleine], [Soap], [Stearine].
FAULTS (Failles, Fr.); in mining, are disturbances of the strata which interrupt the miner’s operations, and put him at fault, to discover where the vein of ore or bed of coal has been thrown by the convulsions of nature. Many examples of faults are exhibited under [Pitcoal].
FEATHERS (Plumes, Fr.; Federn, Germ.), constitute the subject of the manufacture of the Plumassier, a name given by the French (and also the English) to the artisan who prepares the feathers of certain birds for ornaments to the toilette of ladies and for military men, and to him also who combines the feathers in various forms. We shall content ourselves with describing the method of preparing ostrich feathers, as most others are prepared in the same way.
Several qualities are distinguished in the feathers of the ostrich; those of the male, in particular, are whiter and more beautiful. Those upon the back and above the wings are preferred; next, those of the wings, and lastly, of the tail. The down is merely the feathers of the other parts of the body, which vary in length from 4 to 14 inches. This down is black in the males, and gray in the females. The finest white feathers of the female have always their ends a little grayish, which lessens their lustre, and lowers their price. These feathers are imported from Algiers, Tunis, Alexandria, Madagascar, and Senegal; this being the order of their value.
The scouring process is thus performed:—4 ounces of white soap, cut small, are dissolved in 4 pounds of water, moderately hot, in a large basin; and the solution is made into a lather by beating with rods. Two bundles of the feathers, tied with packthread, are then introduced, and are rubbed well with the hands for five or six minutes. After this soaping they are washed in clear water, as hot as the hand can bear.
The whitening or bleaching is performed by three successive operations.
1. They are immersed in hot water mixed with Spanish white, and well agitated in it; after which they are washed in three waters in succession.
2. The feathers are azured in cold water containing a little indigo tied up in a fine cloth. They should be passed quickly through this bath.
3. They are sulphured in the same way as straw hats are (see [Sulphuring]); they are then dried by hanging upon cords, when they must be well shaken from time to time to open the fibres.