52

DYEING AND CALICO PRINTING.

Rinse and dry in the shade, because the colour is very fugitive. The bleachedgoods might also be coloured after scouring with fustic and alum ; the colourwould be more permanent, but the process would require a longer time. Hotbleaching makes the goods appear woolley, and so does a brushing machinewhen they are dry.

Bleaching Cotton Stockings with Turkey-Red Tops.

Boil loo dozens with 5 lbs. of soda and 4 lbs. of soap for several hours,then take them out and rinse. They should be now entered in the bleaching-vat, which ought to be moderately strong. Handle the goods well, and letthem lie in the liquor for a few hours, or until they are bleached enough ;then take them out, allowing them to remain in the air as short time aspossible. They should then be soured for half an hour, rinsed, and scouredwith soap. Inferior Turkey-red dyed goods need great care in bleaching.

Bleaching Raw Cotton in Small Quantities.

If the same process were adopted as for stockings it would be tedious andexpensive, but the bleaching of raw cotton on the small scale is easilyeffedted by the following method :—

Boil the cotton in fresh water, without any lye or soda, only a few minutes,merely to saturate it. Long boiling would injure the fibre for spinning. Thenpass the cotton into the bleaching-vat containing chloride of lime in suchquantity as the operator may consider necessary. The cotton should behandled for fifteen minutes, then allowed to remain for four or five hours,afterwards being placed upon an inclined board to allow the liquor to drainback. The cotton is now rinsed in small quantities, and to every rinsing add1 lb. of diluted sulphuric acid; stir the cotton in this sour for a few minutes,then let it off, and give the cotton a few more waters, so as to rinse all theacid away ; then dry. The cotton will be quite white and easy to spin. Theexpense, inclusive of drying, will amount to about twopence per lb.

The Continuous Process of Bleaching.

By all dyers and bleachers having extensive business the continuousprocess, sometimes known as the “new,” the “Bentley,” or “Pendleton”process, is generally adopted, effecting a considerable economy in time andlabour. The process was first patented by David Bentley, of Pendleton, in1828, and in principle consists in drawing the goods successively through allthe bleaching solutions, the pieces being made continuous with the aid ofthe sewing machine. The following is a general outline of the operations:—The pieces having been sewn together with the aid of a machine, are arrangedin a carefully-construdted rope-like coil, being generally drawn through anaperture of smooth glass or earthenware to impart this form. When thepieces have been singed they are drawn into and boiled in the first kier, con-taining 1 lb. of caustic lime to 14 lbs. of cloth. The kier is construdled tohold about 500 gallons, and the boiling is continued for thirteen hours. Thepieces are next washed in the washing machine, and are then passed througha sour of hydrochloric acid at 2° Twaddle. Supposing 3500 lbs. of cloth tobe used, it is next bowked in a soda-ash and resin solution containing 170 lbs.of soda-ash to 30 lbs. of resin to 500 gallons of water. This boiling is