Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-06
OIL-CLOTH.
The Various Operations it Undergoes in
Making.


Making.
From Golden Days.I
What we call oil-cloth is known in Eu-
rope as "hoor- cloth" but the material and
the process of manufacture in both coun-
tries is the same.
The body of oil-cloth is what is called
burlaps, made of jute and imported from
Scotland. This coarsely-woven fabric is
limp, and is stiffened by being passed
through mixture of starch and glue and
over hot rollers, coming out, it might be
said, laundried. 1t is then ready for the
paint-machine, where it is given the body.
There are four qualities of oil-cloth, de-
pending on the number of body coats of
paint. That which is to be the best quail
ity receives five or six coats; the poorer
grades a less number. The cloth, in
pieces twenty-five yards long by two yards
wide, is dried in racks. which are con-
structed in tiers of twenty.
The thickness of each coat of paint is
governed by steel knife, in manipulating
which a workman becomes so proficient
that he can tell nearly to the pound what
piece of cloth will weigh when the coat
ing process is completed.
The operation of coating the first-qual-
ity cloth occupies week, as each coat re-
quires twenty-four hours in which to dry.
1t is then sent to the rubbing machine
where surfaces coated with glue and sand
pass rapidly over the side which is to be
printed, Kidding it of all irregularities.
The better qualities are afterward given
another coat of paint, when they are ready
for the printers.
This is the most interesting part of the
| no1or - he,
to be transferred to the oilcloth there must
be block. These blocks come from
Maine. They are about 2 inches thick, 2
feet square, and are composed of several
layers of cd. The surface to be used is
of maple, crossed and recrossed by narrow
grooves, which form surface of small
squares, IA of them to the square inch.
| These squares look like, and are in real
ity, so many pegs. Where the pattern is
desired to show, the pegs are left stand
ing, those on the portion Of the surface
which is not to be printed from being cut
away.
The styles in pattern change twice a
year. Some are designed in Utica, and
others come from Philadelphia and New
York.
Some patterns containing many colors
require from twenty-five to thirty blocks,
and consequently that number of impress.
sions to reproduce the design. Rug pat
terms are the most difficult to make, as it
requires different blocks for the corners
sides and the center.
The printing is done on the top floor, SC
that the oil-cloth can hang for distance
of fifty feet to dry. Each printer has a
table with eight pads, on which he smears
his colors.
Pressing a block to the pad containing
the required color, he transfers it to the
surface of the cloth, using hand pressure
only.
Having done this with every block, a:
each transfers but one color, and conse
quently but small portion of the com
plete design, he has finished about foul
feet square of printing, and goes about re
= peating the operation on another portion
of the cloth, and so on.
Two men generally work at table
and can turn out from 100 to $50 squar,
yards of oil-cloth day when printin!
seven or eight-color patterns. The pain
used is similar to the ordinary hous
, paint.
When the printing is completed, an
: other block is pressed on, which gives tn
, embossed surface. of which there are tw,
: kinds, pin and line finish.
The wet cloth then hangs from the lof
for week, when, by an ingenious me
chanism it is transferred to the drying
: room, where for another week it remain
in a temperature of 1902.
: The door to this dry room is so fee
high, allowing that length of oil-cloth t
E be passed through without rolling o
r bedding. Coming out, it is vanished
e three men, with the aid of machine
: vanishing 5000 yards in day. Next
: is trimmed and the cloth is ready to
shipped.