The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-08-13
KID cLove.mAkINc.

KID GlOvE.MAkING.
Processes the skins Have to Go Through
Before Being Converted Into Gloves.
"Kid gloves" said leading glove
deaer to reporter the other day, ''are,
for the best part, made in France.
There are some made in England and
Germany, but the best are of French
make, the principle manufactures being
at Paris, Grenoble and Chaumont. OF
all the materials used for gloves kid is
the favorite, yet of the manifold oper-
atoms necessary to put the skin into
shape to cover the hand few people
have any idea. In all there are 219
separate and distinct processes that the
raw skin has to go through before con-
verified into the kid gloves"
The reporter had been brushing up
his knowledge of glovc-making. Al
what period of the worlds history
people began 10 clothe their hands in
gloves he had not been able to satisfac-
torily determine. His researches had
carried him back to Genesis, where it
tells of the mother of Jacob covering
the boys hands with the hairy skin of q
goat in order to deceive his father. this
seeming to be the earliest mention on
record, Coming down to late date,
Homer sings about them, and they are
spoken of in Shakespeare's writings.
Having exhausted his own time and
patience, the reporter had gone to the
local glove-dealer.
The first thing to do" continued
the latter, sis to get the hair from the
raw skins. A three weeks bath in lime
water does this. The skins are constant
ly turned and shifted, and when taken
out the hair comes off easily.
From the lime pit the skins go to the
unhairing room. where they are
on a wooden block and are
scraped with blunt knife. Then they
are taken by the fleshcr, who cuts away
all the worthless parts, that are used for
glue and gelatine, while the hair goes
for mortar and felt. The sudder next
takes the skins and removes any hair
that may have escaped the previous
operators. A soak in clear water to take
out all traces of lime il the next step the
skins are put TO, and then they are put
through process of artificial fermen-
tation. The French call it mise en-
confit, and it removes every fleshy inn
purity from the skins and renders them
soft and supple. The tanning of the kid
skin is not in the usual way with bark.
but they are put into revolving drum
with a mixture of the yelks of eggs,
wheaton -four, alum and salt. 1t takes
no end of eggs, one factory at Chau-
mont using, 1 understand, over three
hundred dozen every day. The skins
are kept in this mess for an hour, then
being allowed to lay for twelve hours.
Then they go to the drying-room, and
are subjected to temperature varying
from 40 to 100 degrees. This leaves
them dry, and they are next seasoned
or 'sammied' with cold water. Then
they are stretched backward and for
ward over an upright knife of half
moon shape.
Shaving is the next process. this
requiring great dexterity. 1t is done
with specially constructed knives, and
all the under flesh. The skins
are again treated to composition of
egg yelk, flour and oil, calculated to
make them pliable, after which they
are ready for dyeing. The preliminary
operation is to tread the skins under
water for several hours to soak out any
thing that would impair the action of
the dye. Another egg treatment fol-
lows, and days drying is given the
skins. They are then brushed with am
monia and several coatings Of I've. If
The skins are to be dyed on both sides
they are put in vat and covered with
the liquid. Black gloves show first de-
cided blue tinge, but this is worked oft
until perfect black is secured. This
process is called 'lustring.'
The caller. who, had taken in the ac-
count of the preparation of kid skins
with increasing interest, began to Won
der at this point, not that one of the
TEST make of gloves cost two dollars or
more. but how thew could be made so
cheap. Here the skins had been going
through no end of hands, and had been
lays on the way, yet they had only
the dye-shop.
Having been dyed and dried" went
On the affable informant, 1.-THE skins are
given grounding the object being to
all roughncss. They are next
sorted and cut up. This may seem an
easy thing. but it is called the most
and requires great care and
good judgment, as the natural stretch
IF the skin must be taken into account.
The finished skins. having been selected
and mapped out by the sorters, and
pieced out by the cutters, are put over
! frame-shape like glove spread out
lnsewn. The gloves. with the thumbs
1uly fitted and rent together, are
pressed, and punched, and trimmed a
number of times, after which the edges
are folded by machinery. and they are
ready for sewing. The stitching is done
chiefly by hand, thousands of women
and girls being employed. The fasten-
ngs are put on, the gloves are straight
ened on sticks, arranged in dozens,
placed in boxes, and there they are
ready for the market. Minneapolis
Tribune.
COMFORTABLE SEATS.