The Dyer's Guide / Being a compendium of the art of dyeing linen, cotton, silk, wool, muslin, dresses, furniture, &c. &c.; with the method of scouring wool, bleaching cotton, &c., and directions for ungumming silk, and for whitening and sulphuring silk and wool; and also an introductory epitome of the leading facts in chemistry, as connected with the art of dyeing

by Thomas Packer

To alum silk.

Forty or fifty pounds of alum being dissolved in a copper of hot water, the solution is to be poured into a tub containing forty or fifty pails of cold water; during the mixing of the solution of alum with the water it should be well stirred lest the cold water should crystallize the alum and spot the silk; when, however, this happens, dipping silk in warm water will dissolve the alum. The silk should be alumed cold, for, if hot, the lustre of the silk will be injured. Alum is used for certain reds and yellows but not for blue. See also chapter VI.

When silk is deprived of its gum so as to acquire the greatest possible degree of whiteness, it is still necessary to have different shades of white, some yellow, some blue, and others reddish; these are known under five denominations, namely, China white, India white, thread or milk white, silver and azure white. All these whites, although differing from each other by very slight shades, are nevertheless apparent, especially when compared with each other, which will be seen in the processes of dyeing silk.

For ungumming and boiling, whitening and sulphuring silk, see chapter VI.

We have described M'Kernan's method of preparing and neutralizing sulphate of indigo in pages 51 and 52, to which the reader will be kind enough to refer: the following blue vat is from Macquer.

The BLUE vat of indigo for silk.

This should be so contrived that heat may be applied to it, which it now mostly is, by steam, as well for woollen woad vats as for indigo vats. For silk, take eight pounds of the finest indigo and six pounds of the best pearl-ash, and from three to four ounces of madder for every pound of ash, besides eight pounds of bran for the whole, washed in several waters to take the flour out. When washed, and the water squeezed out, the bran is to be put at the bottom of the vat; the pearl-ash and the madder being mixed by bruising them roughly together, are now to be boiled a quarter of an hour in a copper containing two-thirds of the vat; the fire being damped, the liquor is then suffered to rest. Two or three days previous to this the indigo is to be steeped in a bucket of warm water, and washed well, the water being changed once or more. Some dyers begin by boiling the indigo in a ley made with one pound of pearl-ash and two buckets of water; they afterwards pound it in a mortar quite wet, and, when it becomes like paste, fill the mortar with the liquor before boiled, and still hot, stirring it for some time. It is then suffered to stand a few moments, and then the clear is poured off into a separate boiler or into the vat. The same quantity of the mixture is then poured upon the indigo remaining in the mortar and mixed as before; again the clear is poured off into the boiler, and the operation is repeated till the whole of the indigo is dissolved in the liquor. The whole of the liquor in the boiler is now to be gradually poured into the vat on the bran at the bottom, adding afterwards the remainder of the composition, grounds and all.

After stirring and raking for some time, the mixture is left to cool till it will bear the hand in it, when a little heat is added to keep it in this state, and so continued till it begins to turn green, which is easily known by trying it with a little silk. When the green begins to appear it should be stirred with the rake, then suffered to stand till the brown and coppery scum which rises upon the surface shews that the vat is come to; or, in other words, the preparation of this part of the process is complete. But as it is necessary to be very certain of this, the scum should be well examined; and if, when blown aside, a fresh scum is immediately formed it is as it ought to be. In this state it is to remain for three or four hours, when a new composition is thus made:—

Put as much water as is requisite to fill the vat into a copper, boiling it with two pounds of pearl-ashes and four ounces of madder as at first. This new liquor is to be poured into the vat, raked and mixed, and being left to stand for four hours it is then ready for dyeing.

When a vat or vats are set for green, double the quantity of madder must be added. (See Chap. VI.)