American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-29
The Treatment of Hair or Fur.

REFERENCE has already been made to
| a method of utilizing feathers of barn
ward poultry, wild fowl, etc, in the prep
| aration of loose fiber to be worked up
! into a felt cloth, blankets, etc. The fol
lowing describes Il somewhat cOgnate in
dustry having reference to new mode of
treating fur. This forms the subject of a
communication by Mr.. Joseph Tussaud,
who is at present one of the proprietors
of the celebrated waX-work establish
ment in Baker street, London, founded
by Madam" Tussaud. The attention of
Mr. Tussaud was first called to the sub
ject by his desire to transfer the hairs of
fur bearing or other animals to wax fig
ures without including the skin in which
they were inserted. After numerous ex-
periments he succeeded in accomplishing
this and developing, as already remarked,
a new industry. The great object
which Mr. Tussaud aimed to secure was
the removal of hair or fur from the skin
and then attaching this to an artificial
skin, obtaining thus a more perfect de-
gree of preservation for any purpose
whatever, while retaining the hairs in
their original and natural relationship.
For this purpose the piece of fur to be
treated may be soaked in lime water or
other suitable liquid, practiced by tan
ners, for the purpose of loosening the adj
hesion of the hair. 1t is then to be washed
in water to free it from the superabund-
ant lime or other substance, and hung up
for IA time to dry off the excess of moist
ure. 1t is then laid on "a board, with the
hair side up, and solution of glue APP
phi d by means of il brush or Otherwise,
taking care not to disturb the natural po-
sition and relation of the hair. The size
or glue is then allowed to harden, when
it will hold the fibers very firmly. he
natural skin may then be pulled entirely
OFT from the hairs, leaving their
ends exposed, which may then be
washed by some substance to free
them entirely from adherent fat, bulbs,
etc, and properly poisoned. An arti
fetal skin is next to be affixed by apply
ing india-rubber, guttapercha, boiled
drying oils, or other waterproof sub
stances, over the roots of the hairs and
allowed to dry, so as to form continu-
Gus membrane; after which all that is
necessary is again to soak the skins in
warm water for "a time to dissolve out all
the glue, and the new fabric is produced
in all its completed condition. To rem
der the rubber or gutta-percha more last
ing it may be combined with sulphur SO
as to vulcanize it, for which purpose
solution of chloride or hypochloride of
sulphur in bisulphuret of carbon may be
employed. In using bisulphuret of car
bon forty parts of the same are to be
addeu to one part of chloride or hypo-
chloride of sulphur, prepared as neutral
as possible, and the solution is then al
lowed to remain in contact with the arti-
fetal skin of rubber or gutta-percha a
longer or shorter time, Il minute being
sufficient for II thin sheet. This opera
ton must be completed, of course, be
fore immersing in warm water to remove
the glue which produces the adhesion of
the hairs. One great advantage of this
process consists in the fact that
fabrics thus prepared are moth-proof,
and it is suggested that for many pur-
poses, such as the construction of rugs,
mats, etc, they must be superior to the
natural skin. In the case of heavy skins
the artificial preparation is much lighter,
more pliablc, and better ip every respect,