1867 Six Hundred Receipts by John Marquart

600 MISCELLANEOUS VALUABLE RECEIPTS.

84

scarlet, purple, and some other colours. If any article is directed to be alumed, be careful to rid it well of the soap-suds, as alum turns soap to grease. When the article is put in the alum-liquor, it is to be well dipped in and out and opened, to receive this preparation more equally', for an hour, or all night, if circumstances admit; and, when alumed, it must be well wrung out and rinsed in two waters, and then djed, the sooner the better, before getting dry. Note. — The aluming of silks ought to be done cold, or it will be deprived of its lustre. No. 161. Preparing of the Dye-Liquors, or Scalding the Wood. Having something like the end of a tub, about one foot deep, with a copper bottom, bored full of holes about a quarter of an inch in diameter, lay a piece of rather coarse sheeting on this ; lay it all together on another tub ; fill it with the wood to be scalded. Then, having a copper boiler full of boiling water, fill the tub which contains the wood with boiling water; stir it during the time it is going through; fill it up again, and so repeat the operation till you have got all the strength from the wood. The criterion by which to know when the strength is gone from the wood is the paleness of the liquor as it runs through. This operation is considered superior to boiling the wood in a copper boiler, especially for the ground wood : but either v/ay will answer. The method of rendering the liquor stronger of course is by evaporation, in a copper vessel, with a constant fire under it. The chips of dyewood are