Thus the proofing could never reach the
outside. On throwing the hat bodies, thus proofed by a logical and
scientific process, into the dye-bath, the gums on the outer surface are
dissolved and removed, and the dye strikes into a pure, clean fibre,
capable of a high degree of finish. This process, however, whilst very
good for the softer hats used on the Continent, is not so satisfactory
for the harder, stiffer headgear demanded in Great Britain. What was
needed was a process which would allow of a through-and-through proofing
and stiffening, and also of satisfactory dyeing of the stiffened and
proofed felt. This was accomplished by a process patented in 1887 by Mr.
F.W. Cheetham, and called the "veneering" process. The hat bodies,
proofed as hard as usual, are thrown into a "bumping machine" containing
hot water rendered faintly acid with sulphuric acid, and mixed with
short-staple fur or wool, usually of a finer quality than that of which
the hat bodies are composed. The hot acid water promotes in a high
degree the felting powers of the short-staple wool or fur, and, to a
lesser extent, the thinly proofed ends of the fibres projecting from
the surfaces of the proofed hat-forms.
Pages:
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117