The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-23

Ma fTcCSSSE-3 k~esDESa tHt, SCtacrS
an;i sewers Rcs=ir. Their yorIs--rhe
Telling E-iaiXhin.S Touches.
Relatively few buyers of gloves are
familiar With the many separate proc
esses which glove must undergo be-
fore il is handed over the counter, anG
this article aims to describe clearly
ana simply how raw material is gath
cred and fashioned into t.2z finished
article. All classes of skins are treated
differently, but for purposes 81 ..Iu3tra-
ton let us take the "moa::a. or ''un-
dressed kii. Mocha" Is Il CONNER
ciaI name. and the GrSt known OF no
cha skins was when C2:5:.3 OF coffee
was shipped from Arabia Ill ,.e car
go were two bales of skins 9! an IN
known variety; hence tlie name was
adopted as mocha" This skin has
gained a reputation for fueness OF col
or and iinisl: and for dura :3iiity. L is
an American production which foreign
tanners have vainly attempted to imi-
tate for several years, but owing to
climatic conditions they have never
succeeded. lIochas come from Ara
bia and are q species of Il haired sheep
rrowin. Il short woOliy hair The
skins are taken OFF the animal by the
natives in Il manner peculiarly their
own. They are opened at the back SUI
ficiently TO get hold of the pelt, ana
then tho skin is turned and pulled off
the animal without Il cut in the length
till the head is reached when it IS cut
off square at the neck. The skins are
stretched on sticks and hung ZIP in the
| sun TO dry and cure. They are then
| poisoned with arsenic to prevent worms
| from breeding during their long voyage
| to America. where upon arrival in bales
| they are selected for weight and quail
| ity and rcpuckcd in compressed bales
| OF 200 to 800 skins each, according to
| the weight of the skins, and are sold
to the dealers and tanners by the piece,
! the weight of the skins ruling the price.
| One of the reasons why American lcath-
| err drcsscrS have made such progress in
| dressing these skins is that for lnany
! years the American market has re-
| ceivcd the entire product and by ham
| ding them in such large quantities is
| able to determine the style Of tanning
| and finishing for which they are best
| suited.
| When the skins arrive ut the tan
| merry they arc counted ana sLb(ivided
by practced hands. They are then put
| into watts of clear fresh water to soak
| out the poison and other foreign sub
SI:ticcS L ilt-N tiotIillN i>tI'1 III tiiI1N
| watts tvcnty-four hours ana taken out
| and drained and put back in clear
| fresh water again for another day or
| two. when they are removed and put
| in the lime watts. where they remain
| for three or four weeks, but are lifted
| about every ten days in the interval.
| They are tien haired and fried and
| after being thoroughly washed in plain
| water and fncn III pure are put into
| the tan watts. where they stay about 4
| week Aftcrward they are hung up IL
n hot room to dry. When thoroughly
| dried they are taken down and stored
away in a cool room to lie lin the
| crust for three or four weeks, when
| they are again handled to put the fin
| ish on them. They now go to the glove
| manufacturing department. where they
are piled on latticed shelves, about
| twelve dozen in pile, to allow them
to age. Care must be, taken in piling
up the skins so that air can circulate
around and between all bundles. and
| it is very important that the room be
| kept thoroughly dry so that the skins
| do not gather moisture The skins
| must be taken down ard shaken out
| Frequently and changed about so that
they get y uniform amount of fresh
| air. The SIX ins should be kept in this
| state for at least three months, ana
| six months would be much better.
| They are then turned over to the as
| sorters, who usually work at tables
| facing the north light ana examine cv
cry skin infinitely for quality, weight
| and fincneSS and must determine tor
| what colorS they are best adapted.
To inexperienced eyes this looks like
! q very easy task. but asserting skins
in the white is one of the most difficult
and responsible positions in glove
| factory. 1t is on the Judgment of these
| men that large amounts of money that
are invested in stock months in adj
| vance of actual demand are lost or
made. After asserting for colCrS the
skins arc sent to the colorinG depart
! meut. where the surplus tan is washed
out. Thea they are c-gcu and when
dry are finished on fine DUcktall
wheel. Il:c color is put Oh, after which
thcT are finished = gain on the Duclltail
and after being properly aired and
dried out are ready for the asSortcrs
| in the glove department. who assert
the finished stock for the classes Of
| gloves they are best adapted to be cut
| into
When = cutter receives Il batch of
fkinS his first duty is TO examine them
| carefully and sec if lie can produce the
quantity of gloves they arc taxed to