IMPROVED OILSKIN. OVERCOATS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6888, 25 June 1890, Page 2

IMPROVED OILSKIN. OVERCOATS.

Mr. C. Anderson's ITsnufactory. [FIIOM OUR BANGIOKA CORBKSPONDENT.J Mr C. Anderson, of Rangiora, who has given his attention to the manufacture of oilakm overcoats for close upon twentyyears, and by the superiority of his workhas successfully competed with the imported article, and gained a connection with some of the best known soft poods merchants and retailers, both in Christchurch and Dunedin, has just made a most; # decided improvement on the old fashioned black and yellow oilskins. The improveT«\ il in l r e dressin <? a PPlied to waterproof the cahco of which the coats aremade. This composition, the recipe for aakinir which is of course Mr Anderaon'a secret not only renders the material perfecthr impervious to the heaviest rain, but leave* it almost as soft and pliant aa before application, a result which cannot be attained with the black paint process... Ihen again, the composition has another great advantage in the tact of the possibility of mixing it up in any ordinary colours. Afc present Mr Anderson hns adopted a shade of drab, and the coats, being finished off with soft woollen linings and velvet linings, have an appearance which even a masher "could hardly find fault with.. Mr Anderson is making them up with and without capes, and he is also turning out some with double cuffs, the inner one having elastic bound into the edge, which clasps it closely to the wrist, thereby preventing the wet finding it 8 way to the S?J c « 0 / the under coa * The c ° afc ° ■£■ cut to fit more perfectly than the old style, and, of course, with all the improvements; Still they can be supplied at less than half the cost of a good quality macintosh, whilst they will equal a firrt-class one for practical purposes. Besides being useful as a waterproofing forcoat^thecomposSn can be applied to tarpaulins, sheeting, and to thl n miD§r °/ - a^ ittge ru " 8 ' Altogether! the new material is a decided advance on the old order of things. A few words with regard to his establishment, and the pro--cess of manufacturing oilskin coats will perhaps not be devoid of interest Probably, few of Mr Anderson's fellow townsmen are aware that tha number of coats turned out by him from htaSwJ. factory runs to thousands in the yea- It requires a good wet winter to make his harvest satisfactory Such a fine season II we have had up to the present will affect his outputby at least a thousand coats! In fact, he is just ; now giving his machinistsa fortnights holiday; a thing he has not lound occasion to do before at this time of the year since he has been in businees The ready eale which the new class of garment should find will probably, however, remedy this state of things. In the manufacture of the coats the best calico is used.. This is first soaked, in the web, for a few minutes in the waterproofing composition, and is afterwardfj run between a pair of iron rollers fixed above the vat, m which operation the superfluous liquid is wrune out. The calico after being thus treated is stretched on racks in the drying-room which is heated by a charcoal stove and pipes to a temperature somewhere about that of a Turkish bathroom. When quite dry the calico is turned over to the cutter who, from a set of patterns, quickly cuts it into shape for the machinists to go to work upon. The garments having been put together, they go back to the waterproofing room again, where, while they are stretched' upon a dummy figure, a second coat of composition is put on them with a brush After a few hours in the drying room the' garments are ready for the third and final coat of the waterproof dressing, which, after another turn in the drying-room leaves them smooth and glossy. They then go back to the tailoring department, where' the edges are bound, the buttons sewn on and the buttonholes and the collars, finished off, which completes the coat. In 4 finishing the old style of oilskin the 3 edges and buttonholes are bound with. . | leather, but m making the new style the I seams and edges are sewn and the button- . holes worked as in an ordinary overcoat , which improvement, in conjunction with , , the woollen lining and velvet collar, gives L '. the garment a much more presentable j appearance. At present, the factory is i capable of producing from 400 to 500 . | finished coats per week; and an order for , j 500 or 1000 coats from one firm is not . • uncommon. It may be noted that Mr J Anderson exhibited yellow and black I oilskina afc the Dunedin Exhibition, and | received favourable notice. It seems a pity that he did not discover his newcomposition in time to make it widely ExMbition 1 ! 1011811 *»■*«"* of thj