Whatever be the form or name under which the carbonate of
soda is sold, it must be free from hydrate of soda, _i.e._ caustic soda,
or, as it is also termed, "causticity." By using this carbonate of soda
you may dispense with soap, and so be able, even with a hard or
calcareous water, to do your wool-scouring without anything like the ill
effects that follow the use of soap and calcareous water. The carbonate
of soda solutions ought not to exceed the specific gravity of 1 deg. to 2 deg.
Twaddell (1-1/2 to 3 oz. avoird. per gallon of water). The safest plan
is to work with as considerable a degree of dilution and as low a
temperature as are consistent with fetching the dirt and grease off. The
scouring of loose wool, as we may now readily discern, divides itself
into three stages: 1st, the stage in which those "yolk" or "suint"
constituents soluble in water, are removed by steeping and washing in
water. This operation is generally carried out by the wool-grower
himself, for he desires to sell wool, and not wool plus "yolk" or
"suint," and thus he saves himself considerable cost in transport.
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