We maintain the power of the vat by introducing every night 2¼ lbs. of
madder. Some indigo is also added twice or three times a week. These
additions are made in the evening. After the former, the vat is left
at rest for forty-two hours; with the latter only for twenty-four, at
the same time observing the precautions already indicated. At the end
of three months, or sooner when we wish to stop the working of the
vat, we exhaust the indigo; for this purpose we continue to charge it
every night for the space of a month with madder, and dip into it
white cloths, or more particularly woollen tissues, which become more
or less loaded with the indigo. We must continue this plan until these
matters take up no further color. The dippings are to be performed
twice a day at first, but once only towards the termination. Many
dyers make use of this bath for preparing a new vat, but it is better
to throw this away and make it up afresh with common water.
Indian Vat.—These vats are of more simple and of more ready
construction than the pastel or woad vats. We are to boil in water a
quantity of madder and of bran, proportioned to the weight of indigo
which we wish to employ. After two hours’ ebullition, we turn into
this bath some tartar-lees, which are also to be boiled for an hour
and a half or two hours, so as to charge the bath with whatever
soluble matter they may contain; after this ebullition the bath should
be allowed to cool, and the indigo, which has been previously ground,
is then to be introduced. Supposing that we wish to employ 21 lbs. of
indigo, the following would be the proportions used in preparing this
vat: 41 lbs. tartar-lees, 13 lbs. of madder, and 5 lbs. of bran. These
vats are usually mounted in coppers of a conical shape; a small fire
should be kept up around them, so as to maintain a moderate and
uniform heat. The indigo will usually be found dissolved at the end of
twenty-four hours, often even after twelve or fifteen hours. The
liquor has a reddish color in the new vats, and a green tint in those
which are in a working state. The frothy surface, as well as the
brilliant-colored pellicle, becomes manifested in this as in all other
preparations of a like kind.
This species of vat has to be renewed much more frequently than the
woad and pastel vats, from the indigo being more difficult to dissolve
after a certain lapse of time. A moderate heat should be maintained in
all these vats.
Potash Vat.—This species of vat is extensively employed at Elbœuf for
the dyeing of wool in the flock. It presents in all respects a perfect
analogy with the Indian vat; in fact, the action of the tartar-lee in
the latter preparation depends entirely on the carbonate of potash
which it contains. The ingredients used in the preparation of the
potash vat are bran, madder, and the subcarbonate of potash of commerce.
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