CARRAGEEN MOSS.
The Carrageen or Iceland moss, or lichen is one of the algae of the sea. Chondrus Crispus grows on the cliffs of the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Carrageen smells slightly of iodine and when uncleaned tastes offensively salty. Like all seaweeds it contains a great quantity of mucilage and small quantities of salts of iodine and bromine. When washed in sweetened water it becomes nearly tasteless and is without smell. On account of the great quantity of mucilage contained in it, and of its action as an alleviative to pulmonary complaints it has found many applications in medicinal practice and is given to the patient boiled in water, milk or bouillon or as gelatine in cases of coughs and diarrhoea, being a slightly nutritious substance.
The carrageen moss or Iceland moss or weed is a lichen and consists of a tuft of flat deeply divided cartilaginous fronds of an olive brown, sometimes yellowish or reddish white color; the tuft is sometimes 2 to 5 inches long.
The moss is used in many ways; as size for marbling edges, for clarifying beer, as linen-weavers starch, for finishing cloth and in the production of iodine.
The good pure carrageen is horn-like, yellowish-white, contains a great quantity of mucilage and gives the best size for marbling, as it complies with all the requirements of a good size. It is homogeneous, of great consistency, not extraordinarily viscous and cheaper than all the other materials containing mucilage which are used for marbling, but is inferior to gum tragacanth as far as durability is concerned, and that it must be subjected to boiling, but this trouble is amply repaid by the beauty of the productions.
On this size all varieties of edges can be produced, and by its diaphanous watery mucilage it gives an excellent ground to work upon.
The preparation of carrageen size is confined to one ever recurring manipulation, which must be repeated every eight days, if an always good and useful size is desired; the expenses are very trifling, a few cents for the best kind of carrageen. If bought in larger quantities the expenses for carrageen can still be reduced. For the preparation of the size take a new pot, which must always be used for this purpose exclusively, pour in six quarts of water, which quantity is sufficient to twice or three times fill the usual marbling trough, add 2-1/2 ounces of Carrageen moss and boil until the water bubbles up several times. A longer boiling is injurious because the mucilage becomes flaky and muddy. 2/5 of an ounce of Carrageen to one quart of water is fully sufficient to produce a consistent size, provided that only the best Carrageen is used.
Soft water or rain water was formerly used exclusively for preparing the size, as by using it a greater durability was obtained.