The Portland daily press., 1870-11-05

'4uIOuEu uei suHSIlnSS Out III tue cOlu.
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How OH Cio,h Carpets nre Made.
Having recently passed half hour in the
oil cloth factory OF Messrs. Page, Wilder g.
Co.. in Hallowell, it occurred to us that many
OF our readers would be interested in an ac-
count OF making Gil cloth carpeting.
The clotn employed is burlap, a fabric
made mostly in Dundee, Scotlanp, from jute
fibre. 1t comes in bolts of one or two hun
dred yards, from forty inches to six feet in
width. The first thing to be done is to cut
the Goth into pieces twenty-five yards long,
tie length OF the piece OF carpeting when fin
ished. A sizing OF glue is then applied, and
after allowing sufficient time to div, the
cloth is ageia rolled up, about twelve pieces
to each roll, and allowed 10 lie until reauy for
the application of the paint.
Before any figures are laid upon the CLOTH
it receives several coats OF Uniform color
generally OF a ieddisn brown, as "a ground
work. This pant is composed OF lnseed oil
and ochra. IL is applied drawing the cloth
through machine consisting OF ,llers and
scrapng edges which spread the paint evenly
aud RAPIDLY over The Cloth, one uian standin.
d. the macnne, aid dip ing Cd paint Win a
great ladie from large tub standing near BY,
The room where this is done is nearly hlied
by several tiers Cf racks reaching from the
floor to the top OF the room, and twenty five
yards IN length. Across the room, a. The eud
of tue racks, runs tack upon which the
pant machine gides back and forth, SO that
IL may placed al pleasure opposite either
tier Each piece Of cloth, as il passes through
the pant machine, is drawn upon one OF the
~.
when II is ready " receive second coat, on
the other side. STANDARD goods receive six
coats OF pant three on each side, but cheap
article must lie cOniented with iour.
Alter the secon coat OF paint is dry, the
cloth is taken 10 III adjoining room, and
secured by blocks OF pulnice stoue moved by
machinery, and assisted by broad knives in
the hands OF the workmen, to remove all
rouqhness This is the repeated after the
fourth coat.
rol.y-elent honrs after the last coat OF
pant is applied, the cloth is in condition for
printing. To see this operation. we 20 10 an
upper room, where We hud a number OF LARGE
revolving taceS on which ale pads smeaIed
with the several cOlOIs wanted over each pad
hangs pot OF Appropriate paint, and brush
wherew'th 10 Apply it to the pad. By each
table stand Two workmen; before them is a
stationary table across which lies The cloth
n
OF racks Tor the painted goods to dry on, lust
as i'll the paint-loom below. The painting is
done from wooden blocks of the proper pat
TEN, and generally eighteen inches square so
that II the piece OF cloth is two. Yards wide
one block covers quarter of its width Each
block prints only one color, so that tuere
must be as macy blocks as tuere are colors.
Inc workmah Turns to the revolving table,
SEXES block from the freshly panied mad
upon which it is lying, lays il carefully upou
the cloth, presses 1T close Dy humping it with
an iron mail, ana returns it TO the pad ::
Whe you s-e that portion of the pattern, a
single cclor has been added to the erounu-
work. As soon as he is done with one color,
he pushes tue II volving table until it brings
Inc next block within reach. In this way he
Uses bic elk alter book until all the coIors have
been applied and tue fl .ure on that portion OF
the carpet now before him is complete. The
cloth is then drawn forward eighteen inches,
ana another section OF 1t receives the same
treatment. Ii The cloth is vide, two men
work side by side, each painting halt the
width. The body OF the palnt used in PAUL
lag the figures Is composed of the best oil
and White ea'I. The blocks and the pads
have to be carefully cleansed with naplha at
the closeol every days work.
Alter the printing, the Iabric lies upon the
racks two weeks, at The end of which time il
lsdry enough to lie rolled up and carried to
the clearinghouse. In this house is a lattice
work, through which there is an easy circuia-
ton OF air, The rolls of carneIin~ ara stond
on end partially rnrnI,ed to aGn = a,e s'oou
parts OF them. The temneratnre of thi.
house is, when the carpeiiDg is first brought
in at Is or 81 degrees FabIepheit h,,t o,'r7n,r
the three weeks that the Tolls stand here e
is raised to 90 degrees, This hardens t,,a fah'
nc sufficiently ior the next operation. which
is vanishing. ,5 -"
The vanishing is done very much like tho
painting, by drawing the carpeing randi,
through machine where the varnIsb is pui
upon the'c 9th, and series of brushes piay
lns Upon the surface distribute it evenly aud
without waste Tnis ,naoI;na 70 a. 80
ton Of the members Of the firm. The OLD
way was by band, one man pouring on the
yarnish. and others spreading 1t with Ian ge.
ong-handied brushes, looking like floor brush
es. An summer lime this was done upon the
elound III the open air, and no: untreoueutv
the sticky surface did lively business in
Catching grasshorpers, and whatever the wind
Au.r tha ,a,n,.n