The many inconveniences attending the use of wooden baths, which necessitate the pouring of the liquor into a copper for the purpose of giving it the necessary degree of heat, have led to the general employment of copper vessels. These are fixed in brickwork, which extends half way up their surface, whilst a stove is so constructed at this elevation that the flame shall play around their upper part. By this means the bath is heated and kept at a favorable temperature without the liquor being obliged to be removed. The potash vats are usually formed of conical-shaped coppers, surrounded by a suitable furnace. These may be constructed with less depth, inasmuch as there is less precipitation induced in the liquor. By using steam for heating the vats, we might dispense with the employment of copper vessels, and so return to those of wood. The vats employed for dyeing wool are known under the names of the pastel vat, the woad vat, the potash vat the tartar-lee vat, and the German vat. Pastel Vat.[11]—The first care of the dyer in preparing the vat should be to furnish the bath with matters capable of combining with the oxygen, whether directly or indirectly, and of giving hydrogen to the indigo. We must, however, be careful to employ those substances only which are incapable of imparting to the bath a color which might prove injurious to the indigo. These advantages are found in the pastel, the woad, and madder. This latter substance furnishes a violet tint when brought into contact with an alkali, and by the addition of indigo it yields a still deeper shade. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] The distinction between pastel and woad is not very clear. Schutzenberger says: “Pastel, woad, and satis tinctoria is a _plant_ of the family of the crucifera. It would seem, however, that the term _pastel_ as used by the old French dyers is applied to the leaves of the woad which have been fermented, formed into paste, and afterwards into balls, and which contain much blue coloring matter. And the term _woad_ as distinguished from _pastel_ is applied to the unfermented plant.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In preparing the Indian vat, we ordinarily employ one pound of fine madder to two pounds of indigo. The madder is here especially useful, by reason of the avidity of some of its principles for oxygen. The pastel vat, when prepared on a large scale, ordinarily contains from 18 to 22 lbs. of indigo; 11 lbs. of madder would suffice for this proportion, but we must also bear in mind the large quantity of water which we have to charge with oxidizable matters. I have invariably seen the best results from employing 22 lbs. to a vat of this size. Bran is apt to excite the lactic fermentation in the bath, and should therefore not be employed in too large a quantity; 7 to 9 lbs. will be found amply sufficient.