The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-28

METALLIC MILLINERY.
THE WONDERFUL IMPROVEMENT m
THE ART OF WEAVING.


Some Of the Different Methods Employed
Reproducing In MetaEFigures Hereto
fore Woven in Silk, Linen snd Wool.
All Finer Kinds Of Metals Used.
The fashion which began some time ego
of trimming the collar and cuffs of wo
mems dresses with lace, network and
other articles in metal, has not been con-
fined to the daughters OF Europe and
America, but has struck responsive
chord in the savage breasts OF the denizens
of Africa From all parts OF the Dark
Continent comes cry for the cheap and
gaudy metal millinery OF Christendom.
The demand is particularly large from the
communities where brass, copper and
other wire has long been employed as an
ornament for the neck, arm, wrist, waist
and ankle The practice is followed by
the warriors as we'll as the women, and is
said to produce very picturesque results.
In Christendom the practice has gradu-
ally grown to rather large proportions.
According to late price list the metals
employed to make the fabrics are gold,
platinum, gold plate, silver, silver plate,
nickel. steel, German silver, pewter, lead
and Berlin iron. The articles manufact-
ured include collars. collarettes, waist
bands, belts, sashes, braid. lace, crochet
work and embroidery.
Over 1900 designs are in the market al
ready. and more than twenty manufacture
ers advertise to reproduce any design
within reasonable time to please either
jobber or retailer In one system the goods
are produced in the rough by passing sheets
of metal between embossed cylinders of
hardened STEEL This makes the cheapest
and poorest work in the market.
1t is chiefly employed in manufacturing
metal collars, belts and attachments for
hanging watches, handkerchiefs and pock-
etboOls to the waist. Its only advantage
is that it enables poor girl to buy a silver
washed belt for 81 which resembles in a
faint way a handsome silver one costing
$40 or more The rolls will not turn out
fine goods such as lace work and the like.
METHODS OF MAKING.
A second method employs dies run by
steam power and the requisite metal rolled
in sheets of high tensity. Formerly it WAS
difficult TO get dies and stamps to do really
fine and delicate work. The coinage Of
silver and gold and the enclosing of tin
were about the highest points reached.
Recent improvements in mechanical science
and art have brought in vast change for
the better, and now enable the metalsmith
to stamp out fabrics as delicate as Brussels
lace In a series of experiments, according
to this mode of manufacture, admirable re-
productions in steel, tin and aluminium
bronze were made of ferns, cycads, Not
tinoham lace and crochet work
The work is exquisitely delicate and can
be brought down to a thickness not much
exceeding silver foil. The imitation of
fabrics is excellent, especially that of Lace
work. A steel collarette, to be fastened TO
The outside of cloth coat collar, is made
by this method with such clean cut angles
and fine lines as to suggest the finest kind
of the jewelers. art.
The third system consists in SO modify
ing the knitting machine and the lace loom
as to allow the use of metallic threads in
stead of others. The first experiment in
this line probably took place in the sue
cessful production of wire netting. The
next step lay in the brai1ing and weaving
of wire into all sorts of patterns. The third
step was easy, and brought wire weaving
down to common level with all other
kinds. Metal work has this advantage
over linen, wooden, cotton and silk.
1t can be drawn into threads of almost
mathematical perfection, and through sub
sequent treatment with chemicals can be
made almost finer than the human eye can
perceive. When such flaments as these
are employed in weaving the resulting
web is more delicate than the gossamer of
the poets. By using a form of the JAG
guard loom it is possible to weave colored
pictures in metal, using red, green and yell
low gold, white or black silver, gray plat
mum, red copper and other distinct shades.
DELICATE WORK.
By using the same variety of metals
with a lace loom chromatic effects can be
produced such as no point" ever dis
played. With the proper kind of metal,
the durability of all these new tangled art
products approaches indestructibIlity. The
cost of this textile process is much greater
than with the rollers or the dies. The
prime cost is very great, and the expenses
increase rapidly with the intricacy of the
design employed and the finenss of the
wire
A fourth process has been introduced
from Paris. Any article to be reproduced
is immersed in strong bath and exposed
in a peculiar way to the action of heat,
electricity and powerful reagents. The
atoms of the article are distracted under
these conditions and replaced by those OF
any metals desired. Among the things
thus treated may be mentioned insects,
blossoms, leaves, lace, basket work, seeds.
shells and minute fishes. Words fail to
describe the marvellous fidelity with which
the tiniest point and line is copied in the
hardest metal.
The "fuzz' of geranium leaf and even
the antenna of fly are thus reproduced
faultlessly. This process is the most beau
tiful as well as the most costly of all the
new ones described. 1t requires the high
est mechanical and scientific skill to secure
any result whatever. While in many cases
it reproduces the most exquisite fabrics,
yet the conditions of success are not thor
oughly understood as yet, so that its fail.
ures are numerous and discouraging
The last process seems to possess great
future scientific value for preserving per-
manently the forms of animal and vege-
table ,ife.-Drake's Magazine.
Baby Moccasins.
To make just the sweetest" pair OF
L l. L 4