The Gloss On Silk

The method of giving sn artificial glosa to the woven pieces of eilk wu invented in 1663. The disoovery of the mithod was purely accidental. Octavio Mey, a nierchant of Lyons, being one day deep in meditation, mechanioally put n Miiall bunoli of si Ik tb-rouds io bis lU-rruth and begun chewing tbem. On taking them out again in bis hand he was struek by the peculiar lustre they hi I ncquired, and was alittle astonished t-9 fi ii d (hat thi8 lustre continuad to ad h.ro to the threads even after tbey bad beco-.'io dry. He at once saw tont in tbis fact there was a secret worth uoravuling, and being a man of ingeuuity, he applied himself to the etudy of the queaticn. The result of bis experimenls was the procede de lusrage, or "glowsing methoil." The manuer of imparting th ortitici.il gloss bas, like all otber details ef the weaviüg art, undergone cerlain changea in the course of years. At present it is done in this wise : Two volta tcvolving on theirazes are set up a few leet frwn tbe ground, and at about taD yards in a straight liue from each nther. Round the first of these rollers il wound the piece ot siik of twenty, forty, or one hundred yarda in leugih, as the case inay be. Too yards of the ïilk are tnen uuwound, and fixed by means of a brase rod in a groove oa the (econd roller, care being taken io stretch tbe silk between the two cylinders as tifjh'.ly aspossibte. A workuian witb a thiu blade of metal io bis hand daintily ooveis ihe uppermost eide of tbe stik (that wbich will forra the inside of tbe piece with a ooating of gum. Qn the üoor nuder the outstretched silk is a Bmall tramway upon which run' a sort of tender filled wnb glowing coals. As fast as one man covers the silk with gum, auother wnrks tbe tender up and down so as to dry the muciUge before it ban had time to perraeate the texture. This is a very delioate operatioo; for if, ob the one hand, the gum is allowed to run throngb the silk, or if, o the o her the ciials are kept too long under one pl.ee ido piece is spoiled. Iu the first iUitance, it would bo stained beyond all pow r of cleaning, and in tbe second it would be burned. None bat tmety workmen are conSded witb this task ; and even with the most proved hauds there is sotnetiuies damnge. Wben ten yards of the piece huve been gummed uud driud, tliey are rolled arouud the wound. TÍ.t'TsVepe'ÍTe.ftirf tY,e elZ. But the f-ilk, with its coating of dry gum, in thcu stiff to tbe touch, and crHckles iike cream-la d note paper when fildtHl. To make it soft aud plinut iigain, il is rolled anew, rome eix 01 seven times, uuder two different cylindtrs, one of whiub has been warmed by the imroduction of hot ccals inside, and this is suffiuient to give it that bright uew Kok wbich we aü bo wuqlj, admire iu frok &ilk.