Board-Work; or the Art of Wig-making, Etc. / Designed For the Use of Hairdressers and Especially of Young Men in the Trade. To Which Is Added Remarks Upon Razors, Razor-sharpening, Razor Strops, & Miscellaneous Recipes, Specially Selected.

by Edwin Creer

Fig. 23.

It is now to be placed upon a block, pressed and dressed as indicated in the wood-cut (p. [119]). The number of curls is immaterial, for the hair may be arranged in three upon each side, or there might be as many as a dozen.

In addition to the kind just described, there is another way of proceeding so as to introduce a patent silk, or skin parting. These fronts can be made very light, and seeing that there is no net and but little galloon, ventilation does not suffer impediment. Proceed as follows:—Set up the weaving frame as shown in Fig. [21], but instead of nine silks there are now to be twelve. Tie them in threes as before, and intertwine a piece of straight, twelve-inch hair according to the following directions:—Hold the root end, pointing downwards, firmly between the thumb and finger of the left hand, and also the lower silk. Push the long hair through, pass two silks, and bring the hair to the front again. Then pass three, push the hair through, and pass three more, draw it forward, pass two, and over the top one. The hair plait (for plait it is) is now to be continued downwards, but the movements are to be reversed. I will describe this in another way. Say that you are holding the hair in the manner set forth above, together with the first lowest silk—now—over one, under two, over three, under three, over two, under one, and over the top, reversing the order of plaiting up and down till the length of hair is all used. You must “manœuvre” or work it a little, so as to get it tight, firm, and regular, and fasten off as previously instructed. Take three-quarters of an ounce, or an ounce, of ringlet hair of the required length, say ten or twelve inches. Separate the curls, putting all those which turn one way together, and do the same with the other lot. Bear in mind that curls should always turn to the face. Weigh the two portions, so that you may have an equal quantity of hair to work with. Make four inches and three-quarters of weft on the lower silks; four-and-a-half inches of weft on the next group; a like quantity on the group above, and five-and-a-quarter inches of weft upon the top. There is to be a vacancy of a quarter of an inch (near the plait) in the second and third rows, and this will explain why they differ from the lower one. As there is to be a patent parting, a space of an inch and a-half (but this depends upon the width of the parting) must be left in the centre to which you have now arrived; the top row forming an exception, and that is to be woven right along, without any break whatever.

Commence weaving in the order just described upon the other side, leaving the quarter-inch spaces at the ends of the second and third rows as before. Complete the weaving of the top row; see that the weft joins properly in the middle, because all should be uniform and regular. Make a corresponding plait to that which you did at the beginning; pinch the weft with warm irons; fasten off securely, and cut down.

Fig. 24.

It has now to be mounted. Take a clean wig-block—there are two kinds, let me observe, “mounting” blocks and “combing” blocks—but it is to the former that I am alluding. Partings vary in depth, but the front here pourtrayed is four inches deep, and I will assume that you are going to make a similar one. Have some ribbon the full width of the parting (after the edges of the latter are tacked), and cut off five inches. Turn up the lower edge of the ribbon and lay the smooth surface upon the block, exactly in the centre, and just where the front should be worn when upon the head. Drive two points into the block, at short but equal distances from each other; take a needle and cotton, single, tie a knot, and “fasten on” to a point: pass the needle through one corner of the ribbon, and secure the cotton to the point below. Proceed in the same way with the other corner. Turn the block round, bend up the end of the ribbon as before, and secure the corners by means of basting stitches in a like manner. Remember, that in weaving I directed quarter-inch spaces to be left at both ends of the two inner rows of weft. Now draw the silks out a quarter of an inch so as to bring the weft close to the plait, for by this movement you will be enabled to spread out the top and bottom rows to the ends of the springs, while the centre rows are tightened and nearly straight, as they should be. Next sew the strings on to the plaited ends; make two springs, each a full quarter of an inch deeper than the parting; cover as previously instructed, and fix in their appointed places. (Fig. [24] clearly pourtrays all that is here described.) The two middle rows of weft need not be sewn to them yet. Now place all upon the block, get the mounted ribbon exactly in the middle, take hold of the strings, pull tight and drive a point through them at the back, in the place where they should be tied by the wearer. Arrange so as to keep the top row of hair out of the way; let the lower silks be a quarter of an inch above the place where the parting touches the forehead, and fix all in their respective positions by means of a needle and silk. Secure the two middle rows of weft to the springs in the same way. Now to affix the parting. Turn in the edges of the silk or skin upon which the parting is worked, and “tack” them in such a manner that the lowest portion (being the most important) is turned up last. The parting is now to be sewn neatly to the ribbon, commencing at the bottom; both should exactly fit, and, what is most important, only the parting is to be seen where it touches the brow.

Fig. 25.