FLAX OR LINT

Otago Witness, Issue 1586, 15 April 1882, Page 6

FLAX OR LINT

Continuing our remarks of last week, we will now shortly describe the various methods by which the flax is prepared for the manufacturer. The old method was by causing it to undergo a species of rapid decomposition by steeping in water and afterwards bleaching it on" grass or stubble t6 facilitate the operation of separating the fibre from the woody part of the stem. Experiments, however, proved this mode to materially affect the strength and diiration of the fibre, and so by the aid of new discoveries aud machinery the work is dona" in' a more satisfactory and economic manner;'- The steeping arid retting was performed either by placing the, bunches, of- flax in a stagnant pool or sinking in a sluggish stream for a certain period of time, great care being .necessary to watch the process of fermentation. Thin method 'was highly '6bjectidnableV'beih'g^ very tedious in its operation', and, besides, noxious gas'ses are emitted,.whichare'h%hly .objectionable irom a sanitary. point of. view, indeed so serious was this objection felt that m, several districts in Belgium a Jaw, was' passed prohibiting the operation. Dew retting is not so objectionable, .but, it takes,, longer, time. It simply means leaving the flax to be operated on by the dew, instead of steeping in water. , Schenk obtained, a, patent for a process which accelerated the operation of removing the woody part and the glutinous substance from the pure fibre, and removed some of the objections, to steeping; it was supply using hot water instead of cold. The temperature , of the water used, was from 80 to 90 degrees, hotter than this' produces top, rapid a decomposition, and the time 'necessary from 70 to 90 hours.. .Chevalier Claussen was,, the first to introduce the 'chemical 0 process, which, as its merits became known, gave a great impetus to flax cultivation. Professor Forbes explains the nature of the process. He says the stem of the flax plant consists of— lst, the wood or ' shove ' ; 2nd, the pure fibre ; 3rd, the gum,' resin, or glutinous matter which causes the fibre to adhere together. To prepare the plant for the purpose of manufacture it is necessary to separate the pure fibre from the •woody part and, glutinous substance. The process .consists, of, three stages. First, the 'straw is passed through the rollers of a hand.ma,phine, by which, the greajber portion, of the '.woody .fibre is remqved. .'The. flax so prepared is. reported! by the Royal Flax Society, of,lreland .to be well adapted for the manufacture of sail-cloth, canvas, nets, bags,' and 'other coarse articles. The next stage of Claussen's process is directed to the removal, of the . glutinous matter, which' will' only yield to "chemical action. This is done by boiling for 'about three hours, either in the state in which it comes from the held, or in a partially cleaned condition, in water containing abQut one-half per cent, of ( caustic i&da. After undergoing this process, the flax is' placed, in wafer slightly accidulated' with sulphuric acid— one part ' of acid to 500 oi water. A complete separation of the nbres is thus effected. The flax then only requires to be dried and stutched in the ordinary way, to be, used for spinning as long fibre ; or by the third stage of Classen's process it may be converted into short fibre or flax cotton. The principle of the process consists in the destruction of the tubular structure of the fibre by means of carbonic or other acid, the action of which splits it up into a number of filaments. To effect this object, the flax, either before or after 'the process of boiling described above is cut into short lengths ancf saturated in a solution of common soda, a sufficient time to allow the liquid entering, completely every part of the small fibres. It is then immersed in a solution of dilute sulphuric acid— l of acid to 200 of water. By the action of the acid on the carbonate of soda carbonic acid isliberated,the expansive powers of which split the tubes into the filaments. Mr Hudson's report of some experiments performed by Professor Way before the Royal Agricultural Society, s-^ys :— Mean's shown in their results to be so powerful, and in their, operation so gentle, give to the simple experiment made in the presence of the Council by Professor Way more of the air of natural magic than the sober reality of an ordinary operation of natural laws, of which the application only was novel ; and its effects on the meeting were accordingly both singular and striking, occasioning evident marks of their agreeable surprise and admiration of tho results obtained. The flax fibre soaked m a solution of sub-carbonate of soda was no sooner immersed in the vessel containing accidulated water than its character became at once chanced from that of a damp rigid aggregation of flax to a light expansive mass of cottony texture, increasing in size like leavening dough or an expanding sponge. The change was no less striking when this converted mass, rnits turn wns placed in the next vessel containing hycDlorMu i»l- iuaj;uu.sia, and bocaiue at once | bleached, atl-iiuh.y then thu colouv, iw it hud jusc before received the texture, ol cotton.