The Dyer's Guide. Chapter VI. On Dyeing Cotton And Silk. Sulphuring (silk).

The Dyer's Guide
Being a Compendium of the Art of Dyeing
Linen, Cotton, Silk, Wool, Muslin, Dresses, Furniture, &c. &c.
With The Method of
Scouring Wool, Bleaching Cotton, &c.
And
Directions for Ungumming Silk, And For Whitening And Sulphuring Silk And Wool.
And Also
An Inttroductory Epitome of The Leading Facts in Chemistry, As Connected With The Art of Dyeing.

By Thomas Packer,
Dyer and Practical Chemist.

"Cet arte est un des plus utiles et des plus merveilleux qu'on connoisse."
- Chaptal.

"There is no art which depends so much on chemistry as dyeing."
- Garnett.

Second Edition,
Corrected and Materially Improved.

London:
Printed for Sherwood, Gilbert, And Piper,
Paternoster-Row.
1830.
The hanks, being upon poles seven or eight feet from the ground, in an appropriate room, one pound and a half or two pounds of roll brimstone will sulphur a hundred weight of silk.

Put the brimstone, coarsely powdered, into an earthen pipkin with a little charcoal or small coal at bottom. Light one of the bits with a candle, which will kindle all the rest.

The room should be close, the chimney, if any, being closed up; the sulphur should burn under the silk all night. The next morning the windows should be opened to let out the smoke and admit the air, which, in summer, will be sufficient to dry the silk; but in winter, as soon as the sulphurous fumes are dissipated, the windows must be shut and a fire kindled in the stove or stoves to dry the silk.

Observe, if the room for sulphuring does not admit of openings sufficient for the dissipation of the sulphuric fumes, the work-people will be in danger of suffocation.

When the sulphur is consumed it leaves a black crust which will light the future sulphur like spirit of wine.

If, in dressing, the silk sticks together, it is not sufficiently dry.

Silk, which has been sulphured, has a rustling, which, for some things, is esteemed; but this would not do for silk to be watered. If silk, which has been sulphured is to be dyed, it must, for many colours, be unsulphured.

Silks for lace, gauze, &c. are neither boiled nor ungummed; silks which are naturally the whitest are the best for those articles. It is sufficient to dip the silks in warm water, and wring them; then sulphur them, afterwards azure them, again wring them, sulphur them a second time, or soak them in soap and water, those for whitening hot enough to bear the hand, adding azure, if necessary, and turning and re-turning the silk in this liquor.

The fine silk of Nankin requires no whitening.