Sorting and Cutting.—All rags on arrival at the mill are carefully sorted. This process is conducted entirely by women, who sort and cut up the rags at special tables provided with cutting knives curved in shape similar to a scythe. These are fixed at an angle in the centre of the table, with the back towards and in front of each work-woman. The top of the table is made of thick coarse wire so that some of the dirt and foreign impurities may fall through. All buttons, hooks and eyes, pins, leather, pieces of rubber, and other articles are carefully removed, while seams and hems are also opened out. The rags are cut into slips 3-5 inches long and then recut crosswise, and thrown into suitable baskets or receptacles standing round the table, by which means the sorting operation is effectually carried out. The care and attention given to the sorting is an important item in the manufacture of papers of uniform quality, and in the best mills the sorting is carried out to such an extent that twenty or twenty-five grades are obtained.
Fig. 7.—A Rag Duster.
Dusting.—The rags are next passed through a machine which removes dirt. This is a hollow cylindrical or conical drum having an external covering of coarse wire cloth, which rotates inside a wooden box. The shaft is provided with projecting spikes, so that the rags are violently agitated in their passage through the machine. The dirt and other impurities fall through the wire on to the floor of the room, while the clean rags are discharged from the lower end of the drum. The loss in weight varies according to the condition of the rags. With good materials the loss may only be 1-2 per cent., while with dirty common rags the loss during cleaning and dusting may amount to 10 per cent.
Fig. 8.—A Rag Cutter.
Boiling.—The further purification of the rags is effected by a chemical treatment, viz., boiling at a high temperature with alkaline substances, which process removes fatty, glutinous, and starchy matter from the material.