The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-01-21
FLOOR OIL-CLOTH.
How II 10 Made and Where II Com

How II 10 Made and Where 1t Comes
From.
This common article OF the house.
hold is manu- iactured in this country in
large quantities, by men who profess to
keep the public in ignorance OF their
operations. Any increase in the num-
Der of factories tends to decrease their
immense annual income. 1t is not,
therefore, strange that nothing scarcely
is known how the crude materials are
manufactured into floor coverings for
the rich and the poor.
The following are some of the most
important operations
Jute is shipped to Dundee, Scotland,
where it is spun and woven into bur-
laps of various widths, which are
brought here and stretched on wooden
frames about one hundred feet long
and twenty-five feet broad. These
frames are stretched from the upper
part of the building, about two feet
from each other and between them are
erected platforms for the workmen
to stand upon, about twelve inches wide,
and placed over one another six feet
apart. They now ascend the platforms,
one or more each from the bottom to
the top. A brown, thick paint is fur
nished them, so thick that tools like
those used by masons are necessary for
the work, and dextrously dashed against
the tightly stretched fabric and evenly
spread over the entire surface with long
elastic trowels. Day after day the
operation is repeated as fast as it dries,
until it has received seven coats of paint
three on one side and four on the
other. It is now called oil.cloth body,
and taken from the frames to another
part of the building, and oiled upon
wooden roller, under long table about
two feet wide. Behind this table is
another one long and narrow, covered
with thin oil.cloth and padd, d with
cotton, called the cushion. Near at
hand are what are called the "print.
blocks" made of wood, eighteen inches
square, one inch thick, and studded
here and there on the face side with
little square types Of wood, in such
manner that each block has different
arrangement Of types; so that one
block represents one part OF the
figure to be painted on the oil
cloth, and the other blocks repre-
sent one of the figures to be painted on
the Uil.cloth, and the other blocks rep
resent other parts. The blocks are
prepared for some particular design.
Suppose the figure about to be pro-
duced on the cloth is a bouquet Of
flowers. Several print blocks are re-
quired, all different and carrying differ
ent colors. These various colors are
spread with a paint brush on the long
cushion in squares as large as the
blocks, and one end of the oil.cloth
body is drawn from the roller and laid
on the table, and held in place by
straight. edge of wood, having points
along its length eighteen inches apart,
as guides for the blocks.
Print.block No. one, having the
types to represent all the green leaves
OF the picture, is now pressed into the
square patch of green paint on the
cushion, and then lifted and firmly
pressed upon one side Of the oil.cloth,
and deposits upon its surface the paint
taken up by its small prints, arranged
in the form Of leaves. Print-block No.
two, representing all the white bios.
SONS OF the bouquet, is next used
to take up white paint, and stamped
upon the cloth then block No. three,
representing the yellow flowers, is used,
and Tins block after block is used in
like manner, until the whole square (or
half yard) is covered with the various
colors arranged according to the
original design, and the figure is com.
pleted.
This gives only half yard in width
and for the next half q yard the same
blocks and colors are used in the same
manner and thus square after square
is printed for as many yards as the oil
cloth il broad. The cloth is now
drawn further over the table, and an.
other series Of squares is printed, join
ing the first and Just like them; and
then another and another, until the
fabric is covered over its entire length
and breadth. IL is now removed to o
heated room, where eight days are ie.
quired for drying and after trimming
and vanishing. il is ready for market.