Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-11-06
HOW oIL-cLoTH is MADE.


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What we call oil-cloth is known in
England as "hoorcloth," but the ma
terial and the process of manufacture
in both countries is the same.
The body ofoilcloth is what is called
burlaps, made of jute, and imported
from Scotland. This coarsely-woven
fabric is limp, and is stiffed 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 oilcloth,
depending on the number of body coats
of paint. That which is to be the best
quality receive five or six coats; the
poorer grades less number. The
cloth, in pieces twenty-five yards long
by two yards wide, is dried in racks
which are constructed in tiers OF
| twenty.
The thickness of each coat of paint is
governed by a steel knife, in manipu-
lating which a workman becomes so
proficient that he can tell nearly to the
pound what piece of cloth will weigh
when the coating process is completed.
The operation of coating the first
quality cloth occupies week, as each
coat requires twenty-four hours in
which to dry. It is then sent to the
rubbing machine, where surfaces
coated with glue and sand pass rapidly
over the side which is to be printed,
ridding 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 operation. For every color in the
pattern to be transferred to the oil
cloth there must be q block. These
blocks come from Maine. They are
about two inches thick, two feet square
and are composed of several layers Of
wood. The surface to be used is OF
maple, crossed and recrossed by mar
row grooves, which form surface of
small squares, one-hundred and forty
four of them to the square inch.
These squares look like, and are in
reality, so many pegs. Where the pat
tern is desired to show, the pegs are
left standing, those on the portion Of
the surface which is not to be printed
being cut away.
The styles in patterns change twice q
year. Some are designed in Utica, and
others come from Philadelphia and New
York.
Some patterns containing many col
ors require from twenty-five to thirty
blocks, and consequently that number
of impressions to reproduce the design
Rug patterns are the most difficult tc
make, as it requires different blocks fol
the corners, sides and the center.
The printing is done on the top floor
so that the oilcloth can hang for dis
tance of fifty feet to dry. Each printer
has table with eight pads, on which
he smears his colors.
Pressing block to the pad contain
ing the required color, he transfers i
to the surface of the cloth, using hanC
pressure only.
Having done this with every block
as each transfers but one color, an(
consequently but small portion o
, the complete design, he has finished
about four feet square of printing, ant
, goes about repeating the operation OF
| 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 oilcloth day, when printing
: seven or eight color patterns. Th
, paint used is similar to the ordinar,
house paint.
| When the printing is completed
another block is pressed on, whicl
3 gives the embossed surface, of whicl
= there are two kinds, pin and line finish
The wet cloth then hangs from tn
loft for week, when by an ingeniou
mechanism it is transferred to the dry
ing room, where for another week
t. ! remains in temperature of 13O dc
y grees.
The door to this dry-room is fit
q feet high, allowing that length of o.
= cloth to be passed through without roll
= = ing or bending. Coming out, it is val
y nished, three men, with the aid of
: machine, vanishing 1000 yards day
!. Next it is trimmed and the cloth
: ready to be shipped.