The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-03-24
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. 1t is sized first, when it is ready
for painting. 1t isn't painted with brush
es, but with a 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 a roller
and the knife. and the blade scrapes of
all the superfuous paint as it passes
through. No brush could lay the color
on so evenly. They paint sixty yards OF
burlaps in minute. Then when 1t 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, accord
ing to the quality of the oil-cloth. All
the blocks from which oil cloth is printed
in these-and. with few exceptions, all
the manufactures il 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 rlght
angles with very fine saws, which works
automatically, and don't need any super
intendence 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, per-
feet duplicate of the block. In copying
the design on the block, the operator
works one block for each color, and the
copying is done with chisel, the oper-
ator cutting away all the little squares
made by the saws. except those covered
by the pattern. It is like worsted work,
'four squares to the right, three straight
ND. five to the right, three down, and
four to the left" The same old three
green's and then brown" business. The
designer is limited to few colors, and has
to make the most of his combinations.
These blocks are then fitted with ham
dies, and the printers go to 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 post
office. The printer slaps the black on
pad. then strikes it on the oil-cloth.
First the white, say. And there is a
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 something like leaf Then
| another shade, and another, until you see
cluster of leaves and birds In tlgure,
| outlined by very distinct color, and the
printing is ready for the ''masher," /"
which is block Just like the others, only
all the squares left on, not one struck
out. This is pressed down on the figures
/ fho ravr1 1Q
| 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. If he
wants to cline" the finish, the ''masher'
he uses has only been sawed one way,
and the oil-cloth has o 'lined" appear.
ance on the surface. This work is all
done by hand, guided only by guages,
but SO perfectly is-it done that the fig.
ures never lap, and you will have hard
work finding where the blocks join on
your oil-cloth. They print each day al
each table, 100 yards of oil-cloth. Then
the cloth goes into the s'ice house" te
dry. The ice house is frozen by steam
Superintendent Dun very kindly told me
to put on my overcoat before l went in
1 put in on, and when got in there the
Thermometer marked It's degrees above
and still going. Itook off my overcoat
The cloth is then ready to varnish. Thi
is done with brushes, fourteen brushes
which q man works with crank Her,
in these works they varnish fourteen
thousand yards week. And if you wan
to know any more about oil-cloth, writ
to Salem. I can make it myself, but
haven't time to write any more about it
Burlington Haackeye.