Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-05-19
How Oil-ClOth Is Made.

All the burlaps on and of which oil
cloth is made is manufactured in Dun.
dee, Scotland. 1t is made from an India
grass. Ii is sized first, when il is ready
for painting. 1t isn't painted with
brushes, but with knife. A great long
knife. The end of the burlaps is passed
under the blade. When paint is labeled
on the burlaps by the gallon, machinery
takes hold of it and draws it between n
roller and the knife, and the blade
scrapes off all the superhuous paint as
it passes through. No brush could lay
the color on so evenly. They paint
sixty yards of burlaps in Il minute
Then when it is dry it is sand-papered
! by machinery and other coats of paint
| go on. From four to nine coats of paint
are put on, according to the quality of
the oil-cloth. All the blocks from which
oil.cloth is printed in these-and,
with few exceptions, all the manu-
| factories in the United States are
made in Hallowell, Me. The block is
about eighteen inches square, and is
made of three pieces, the inside block
is pine and outside blocks are maple.
/ The printing surface is sawed across at
right angles with very fine saws, which
work automatically, and don't nocd any
superintendent after they have been
started. When it reaches the factory
the surface Of the blocks look like a box
of matches; the designer then paints
his design on paper, lined out
IN tiny squares, a perfect dupli-
cate of the block In copying
the design on the BLOCK the operator
works one block for each color, and the
copying is done with q chiscl the opcr-
ator cutting away all the little squares
made by the saws, except those covered
by the pattern. 1t is like worstcl work
four squares to the right, three straight
up, five to the right. three down and
four to the left" The same old three
greens and then a brown" business.
The c.designer is limited 10 few colors.
and has to make the most Of his com
binations These blocks are then fitted
with handles, and the printer, go 20
work. The palette is q great revolving
table with pads Of the different paints
laid upon it. Two men work at each
table, and the operation OF printing is
like stamping letters at the mailing
table in the postoilicc. The printer
slaps the black on pad. then strikes it
on the oil-cloth. First the white, say.
And there is scattering meaningless
picture Of little white squares. Then
the red is struck on, more little white
dots that look like nothing. Then the
green, and YOU think you can see some
thing like a leaf Then another shade.
and other, until you see cluster of
leaves and birds in figure, outlined 10y
very distinct color, and the printing is
ready for the "masher,' which is n
! block just like the others, only all the
I squares left on, not one struck ont.
This is pressed down on the figures
by hand-press, and the printing is
I pressed down evenly and smoothly II
/ the printer wants to give a square or
pegged appearance to the finish of
/ the oil-cloth the masher is sawed both
ways, in the bunch Of matches style.
| Ii he wants TO line" the finish. the
"masher he uses has only been sawed
one way, and the oil-cloth has a lined"
appearance on the surface. This work
is all done by hand. guided only by
I gungcs, but so perfectly is it done that
the figures never lap, and you will have
hard work finding where the blocks
join on the oil-cloth. They print each
day at each table 100 yards Of oil-cloth.
Then the cloth goes into the ice.
house" to dry. The ice house is frozen
\ by steam. Superintendent Dun very
kindly told me to put on my overcoat
before 1 went in. put il on. and when
L got in there the thermometer marked
175 degrees above, and still going. |
took off my overcUat. The cloth is then
ready to vamish. This is done with
brushes, fourteen brushes, which man
works with crank. Here in these
works they varnish fourteen thousand
yards week. And if you want to know
l can make it myself, but / haven't
time to write any more about it.-B,g.-
hngfon Hd,ekeys.