Fig. 21. Drum For Working With Liquids.
(Turner Tanning Machinery Co., Peabody, Mass.)
For the dipping process, the dye solution is prepared in vats, or liquid-tight drums, or in some instances in paddle arrangements. The skins are placed in the dye-bath, and the dyeing operation proceeds without any difficulty. After the proper shade is obtained, the furs are removed, washed free of excess dye, dried and finished. The dipping method is employed where a single shade is to be dyed on the fur, as the production of blacks on lambs. But in most cases, the dyeing in the bath is supplemented by the application of a coat of dye by the brush to the upper part of the hair, the color being usually a darker shade than the ground dyeing. Thus, for example, in the dyeing of imitation sable on kolinsky or a similar fur, the skins are first dyed the relatively light color of the under-hair by the dip process, then the dark stripe effect is brushed on.
The blending of sables, martens, chinchillas or other rare furs, is not done in the same manner as with other furs, because each skin requires individual attention and a long and careful treatment. The dye solution is applied by means of very fine brushes or sometimes feathers, to the extreme tips of the hair, until the proper degree of color intensity is obtained. The time, labor, and skill necessary for this sort of work are warranted only in the case of the highest-priced furs, and the blendings are so excellent as to defy detection, except by experts.
Fig. 22. Device For Conveying Skins.
(Turner Tanning Machinery Co., Peabody, Mass.)
After the furs have gone through all the operations required by the processes of killing, mordanting, dyeing and washing, they are ready to be dried and finished. The procedure is quite similar to that employed in fur dressing. Sometimes the leather side of the skins is brushed with a strong salt solution before drying, in order to replace some of the salt which was extracted during the dyeing processes. In other instances, a light coat of some oily substance is brushed on, to render the leather soft and flexible after drying, where there is a possibility of the skins turning out otherwise. Great care must be exercised in the handling of the dyed skins to avoid the formation of stains or spots on the hair, which might ruin the dyeing. As little handling of the furs as is feasible will reduce any trouble from this source. In conveying the wet skins from one part of the plant to another it is desirable to use a device such as is shown in [Fig. 22]. For drying, the same machines as described under Fur Dressing can be used, and similar care must be taken to avoid overheating or irregularity of drying. Drum-cleaning constitutes a very important operation in the finishing of the skins, the hair receiving a polish, and the full lustre and brilliancy of the dye being thereby brought out. Then after caging to remove the sawdust or sand, the skins are passed over the staking knife, or are treated in a machine suited for the purpose, to stretch them and to render them thoroughly soft and flexible. And therewith is concluded the work of the fur dyer proper, and the skins are ready to return to the furrier, in whose hands they undergo the metamorphosis into the fur garments to be worn chiefly by the feminine portion of humanity.