CHAPTER III.
Anecdote of an over-curious enquirer—Its probable application to many readers—Paper Making, when straightforward, extremely simple, but ordinarily involving considerable chemical and practical skill—Brief review of artificial aids—Anecdotes of the deleterious effects of bleaching, and of imparting colour to the “stuff”—Ultramarine, its use and abuse—Manufactured Paper, its varieties and peculiarities—Excise Regulations—Paper Duty—Conclusion.
Not long since I heard of a very inquisitive gentleman, as some people would term him, who wrote to a friend of mine asking him to obtain certain information respecting the manufacture of isinglass; and although the questions put, were by no means essential to general knowledge, my friend complied with his request, and forwarded the application to the party immediately interested in its production; who, with similar promptitude undertook to furnish the answers per return of post, upon receiving from the anxious applicant a repetition of the inquiry, accompanied by his cheque for three thousand pounds.
Now, it is not at all improbable that many into whose hands this book may fall will be disposed to charge me with similar motives, as concealing secrets connected with paper making. It is, however, a reliable fact, that nothing can be more simple or straightforward than the manufacture of that, which, for want of a more comprehensive expression, I must denominate genuine paper. Chemical aid, combined with great practical skill, is absolutely indispensable, I admit, to enable one to keep pace with competition in the present day; when even the rags and tatters, cast off by the very poorest of the poor, may now be forwarded after sunrise, many miles distant, and before sunset, received back again converted into a becoming ground-work for the most enchanting billet-doux. Still, productions of this character, when contrasted with the results of a slow and simple manipulation of finer materials, even to the unpractised eye, will be found far inferior, as regards the one grand test of superiority, viz., durability. The slower the process of manufacture is conducted from beginning to end, from the trituration of the “stuff” in the rag engine, to the formation of the sheet, its sizing, drying, and rolling, the stronger and more durable will the paper ultimately turn out. No. 17, which is a specimen of paper thus carefully made, and almost as tough and durable as parchment, is capable of sustaining a weight of no less than 200 lbs., simply by means of a slip the width of a bank note. If, however, we glance at the other extreme, and take the aids frequently adopted to produce paper of apparent excellence from comparatively worthless materials, we shall find occasion to regret more than one form of artificial assistance, which is perpetually liable to objection. The effects, for instance, of excessive bleaching are still occasionally manifested, although by a better system of washing the pulp and the use of counteracting chemicals, evils which at one time resulted therefrom are now mainly checked. Within the recollection of my father, it was not at all an uncommon occurrence for a parcel of paper to become so completely perished from the circumstance of its not having been thoroughly washed after bleaching, that to draw a sheet as a sample, and to fold it up in the usual way, was found utterly impossible, without the sheets being cracked or broken at every fold. In some instances, the fibre was so completely destroyed, that an entire ream, composed of 480 sheets, might be as readily snapped asunder as a piece of rotten wood, merely by giving it a sharp blow against the back of a chair. The evils and inconveniences which must have resulted from this are altogether incalculable. Mr. Hansard (“Typographia,” 1825,) thus writes, “Whole piles of quired stock, meaning books unbound, are already crumbling to dust in the warehouses of booksellers, never to come to light as books, and many a volume designed to enrich the library of its possessor and to descend as an heir-loom to posterity, now presents to the mortified owner its elegant print surrounded by a margin of tan colour, which in some instances forms, as it were, a complete frame round each page, the oil varnish in the composition of the ink seeming to preserve the interstices between the print from the same kind of discoloration. School books (he adds) printed on this species of paper, will scarcely last out their destined period, from one vacation to the next.” Another gentleman informs us, speaking of a quantity of Bibles, which were printed for the British and Foreign Bible Society, that one in his possession, printed at the University press at Oxford in 1816, (which had never been used) was then, within a year or two afterwards, literally crumbling into dust. “Almost the entire book of Genesis (says he) has mouldered away, and left not a trace behind.” Of course, paper of this description (if it deserves the name at all) would prove very bad stock in like manner for the stationer, being for any purpose whatever as utterly useless as it was worthless, with but one exception, which in the case of a large parcel of this description, I understand, was once adopted, viz., that of shipping it in very common cases, thus securing the drawback, which, at that time, was far more worth consideration than it would be now, and eventually consigning it to the fate of innumerable other treasures within the boundless limits of the ocean.
If to speak of the various artificial aids which the manufacturer has recourse to in the present day be necessary, it surely cannot but be equally advisable, to point out their main cause; and if blame exist at all, or fault be found, it cannot, I apprehend, be rested with greater safety than with those who, stipulating their own terms, must of necessity be supplied in their own way. The paper maker requires to be remunerated; and with competition to grapple with and contend against, not only all the improvements which mechanical science is capable of supplying, must be adopted by him, but even in many cases, however much to be regretted, he is tempted to an intermixture of noxious and heterogeneous materials, in order that the minimum price may be attained.
Some specimens of paper will be found to contain as much as one-fourth their weight of gypsum; and in fact, even worse material, as a means of adulteration, is as eagerly sought after by the manufacturer of paper, as the public generally, to the sacrifice of quality, seek the cheapest article which it is possible to procure. I need but refer, as an instance, to the packing papers of the present day, of which one sheet properly made (25), contrasted with one of the same weight of the sort usually selected, will be found to possess three times the amount of strength, although not 10 per cent. higher in price.
With a finer class of papers common materials are as readily employed, through the assistance of some colouring matter, which tends to conceal the imperfection. Indeed, it would be difficult to name an instance of apparent deception more forcible than that which is accomplished by the use of ultramarine. Until very recently the fine bluish tinge given to many writing papers was derived from the admixture of that expensive mineral blue, the oxide of cobalt, generally termed smalts, and which has still the advantage over the ultramarine of imparting a colour which will endure for a much longer period. One pound of ultramarine, however, going further than four of smalts at the same price, the former necessarily meets with more extended application, and where the using is rightly understood, and the materials employed instead of being fine rags, comparative rubbish, excessively bleached; its application proves remarkably serviceable in concealing for a time all other irregularities, and even far surpassing in appearance the best papers of the kind.
At first the introduction of ultramarine led to some difficulty in sizing the paper, for so long as smalts continued to be used, any amount of alum might be employed, and it was actually added to the size to preserve it from putrefaction. But since artificial ultramarine is bleached by alum, it became of course necessary to add this salt to the size in very small proportions, and as a natural consequence, the gelatine was no longer protected from the action of the air, which led to incipient decomposition, and in such cases the putrefaction once commenced, proceeded even after the size was dried on the paper, and gave to it a most offensive smell, which rendered the paper unsaleable. This difficulty, however, has now been overcome, and providing the size be quite free from taint when applied to the paper, and quickly dried, putrefaction will not subsequently occur; but if decay has once commenced, it cannot be arrested by drying only.