Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1888-08-09
HO,c Bandanas'are Made.

All bandana hankerchleis, which used 10
be imported from India in considerable
quantities in the end of the last and begin
ming of the present century, and an essen
tial part of the equipment of the man of
fashion, were long puzzle to the printers
and dyers of Great Britain. They were Of
silk, snd bore white spots on a uniformly
dyed red ground. The spots were produced
by tying up the cloth at those parts so tight
ly that when the handkerchief was dipped
into dye the latter could not penetrate the
protected parts. When the cloth was dyed
and the tyings loosed the white spots reliev
ed themselves.
Many attempts were made in Great
Britain to initiate this product of Indian
industry, but with little success until about
the year of1sl1, when VI. Kechlin invented
the discharge process" Of figuring dyed
cloth. This beautiful discovery was at once
adopted by Messrs. Monteith & Co., Of
Glasgow, and so successfully worked as to
produce goods exceeding in beauty the IA
nous bandanas of India. Several other
Glasgow firms turned their attention to the
production of bandanas, and the city and
its neighborhood has since enjoyed almost
a monopoly of this branch of manufacture.
The cloth intended for bandanas is dyed
of uniform color-most commonly red or
blue-and dozen pieces are laid one over
another and wound upon a roller. This
roller is placed on bearings behind press
of peculiar construction. The press consists
of a bed plate mounted on hydraulic gear,
and an upper plate or "platen." The prin
ting, if we may so call it, is done by means
of two stout plates of lead, fixed to the
upper and lower plates Of the press respect
lively. If design is to consist of, say, white
spots on the colored ground, the exposed
surfaces of the lead plates have cut into
them a series OF depressions corresponding
to the size and number of the spots desired.
These have to be accurately placed, so that
when the two plates are brought together
the depressions Of one shall fall exactly
over those in the other. All being ready,
the pressman takes hold of the end of the
twelye-fold web Of cloth and lays it on the
lower plate; the plates are then brought
togetherl with a, pressure Of two or three
hundred tons. 1t will be noted that now
the whole body of the cloth is tightly
pinched except those parts which come be-
tween the depressions in the plates. Com
municating with each of these depressions
are openings through the upper plato, and
channels leading thereto. When the pres
sure is fully on, tap is opened and astream
of bleaching liquid flows along the channels
in the upper plate and finds its way by the
aperature to the cloth, through which it
passes and makes its exit by the opening in
the depressions in the lower plate. To
quicken the action Of the liquid and cause
it to penetrate the exposed parts Of the cloth
thoroughly, a force pump is employed. As
the liquid passes through the cloth 1t dis
solves the connection between the mordant
and the coloring matter, and carries off the
latter, leaving the part it has come into con-
tact with purely white A press attended by
one man is capable Of producing 700 hand
kerchiefs per day. There is no limit to the
variety of forms that may be given to the
cleared spaces, and many beautiful effects
are produced by printing various colors into
these The effect of the adoption Of this
process Of producing bandanas was (it need
scarcely be said TO reduce their cost enor-
mously and consequently bring them into
greatly extended use.