After they are brushed in the machine, the goods are singed by passing their cut surface over a cylinder of iron, laid in a horizontal direction, and kept red hot by a flue. See [Singeing]. They are now brushed again by the machine, and once more passed over the singeing surface. The brushing and singeing are repeated a third or even occasionally a fourth time, till the cord acquires a smooth polished appearance.
The goods are next steeped, washed, and bleached, by immersion in solution of chloride of lime. They are then dyed by appropriate chemical means. After which they are padded (imbued by the padding machine of the calico printers) with a solution of glue, and passed over steam cylinders to stiffen them.
Smooth fustians, when cropped or shorn before dyeing, are called moleskins; but when shorn after being dyed, are called beaverteen, they are both tweeled fabrics. Cantoon is a fustian with a fine cord visible upon the one side, and a satiny surface of yarns running at right angles to the cords upon the other side. The satiny side is sometimes smoothed by singeing. The stuff is strong, and has a very fine aspect. Its price is one shilling and sixpence a yard.
Common plain fustian, of a brown or drab colour, with satin top, is sold as low as sevenpence a yard.
A fustian, with a small cord running in an oblique direction, has a very agreeable appearance. It is called diagonal. Moleskin shorn, of a very strong texture, and a drab dyed tint, is sold at 20d. per yard.
The weight of 90 yards of the narrow velveteen, in the green or undressed state, is about 24 pounds. The goods made for the German, Italian, and Russian markets are lighter, on account of the peculiarity in the mode of levying the import duty in these countries.
Velveteens as they come from the loom, are sold wholesale by weight, and average a price of 20d. per pound. They are usually woven with yarns of Upland and Brazil cotton wool, spun together for the warp; or, sometimes, New Orleans alone. The weft is usually Uplands, sometimes mixed with East India cotton wools.
Trowser velveteens are woven 19 inches wide, if they are to be cut up; if not, they are woven 30 inches, and called beaverteen.
Cutting or cropping fustians by hand is a very laborious and delicate operation. The invention of an improved apparatus for effecting the same end with automatic precision and despatch, was therefore an object of no little interest to this peculiar manufacture of Manchester. An ingenious machine, apparently well calculated for this purpose, was made the subject of a patent by Messrs. William Wells and George Scholefield, of Salford in November, 1834.
FUSTIC. (Bois jaune, Fr.; Gelbholz, Germ.) The old fustic of the English dyer, as the article fustet is their yellow fustic. It is the wood of the Morus tinctoria. It is light, not hard, and pale yellow with orange veins; it contains two colouring matters, one resinous, and another soluble in water. The latter resembles weld, but it has more of an orange cast, and is not so lively.