Directions for reeling.—In family estab lishments, a common clay or iron furnace should be procured, to which should be fitted a sheet-iron top, about twelve inches high, with a door on one side, and a small pipe on the opposite side to convey off the smoke; this top should retain the same bevel or flare as the for mica, so as to be about twenty inches in diameter at the top. The pan should be twenty inches square and six inches deep, divided into four apartments, two of which should be one inch larger one way than the other. They should all communicate with each other at the bottom.
In large filiatures, a small steam engine to propel the reels, &c., and to heat the water for reeling would be necessary.
Before the operation of reeling is com menced, the cocoons must be stripped of their floss, and assorted into three sepa rate parcels, according to quality, or of different degrees of firmness. The double cocoons or those formed by two or more worms spinning together, the fibres cross ing each other and rendering them diffi cult to reel; these should be laid aside to be manutlictured in a different manner.
After the cocoons have been assorted as above directed, the operation of reel ing may be commenced. The basin should be nearly filled with the enfteet water, and kept to a proper heat by burning charcoal, or some other conve nient method of keeping up a regular heat. The precise temperature cannot be ascertained until the reeling is com menced, owing to the different qualities of cocoons ; those of the best quality will require a greater degree of heat than those of a more loose and open tex ture; hence the importance of assisting them. Cocoons also require less heat, and reel much better, when done before the chrysalides are killed, and the co coons become dried.
The heat of the water may be raised to near the boiling point, (it should never be allowed to boil,) when two or three handfuls of cocoons may be thrown into one of the large apartments of the basin, which must be gently pressed under wa ter for a few minutes, with a little brush, made of broom-corn, with the ends short ened. The heat of the water will soon soften the gum of the silk, and thereby loosen the ends of the filaments; the reeler should then gently stir the cocoons with the brush, until the loose fibres ad here to it ; they are then separated from the brush, hording the filaments in the left hand, while the cocoons are carefully combed down between the fingers of the right hand, as they are raised out of the water. This is continued until the floss
or false ends are all drawn off, and the fine silk begins to appear; the fibres are then broken off and laid over the edge of the basin. The floss is then cleared from the brush and laid aside as refuse silk, and the operation continued until most of the ends are thus collected.
If the silk is designed for sowings, about twenty-five fibres should compose a thread ; if intended for other fabrics, from eight to fifteen should be reeled to gether. The finer silk should always be reeled from the best cocoons. The co coons composing the threads are taken up in a small tin skimmer, made for the purpose, and passed from the large apart ment of the basin to those directly under the guides. As the ends become broken they are passed back into the spare apart ment, where they are again collected to be returned to the reel. The requisite number of fibres thus collected for two threads are passed, each, through the lower guides. They are then wound around each other two or three times, and each carried through the two guides in the traverse bar, and then attached to the arms of the reel. The turning should now he commenced with a slow and steady motion, until the threads run freely. While the reel is turning, the person attending the cocoons must con tinually be adding fresh ends, as they may be required, not waiting until the. number she began with is reduced, be cause the internal fibres are much finer than those composing the external layers. In adding new ends, the reeler must at tach them, bygently pressing them, with a little turn between the thumb and finger, to the threads as they are run ning. As the silk is reeled off, the chry salides should be taken out of the basin, otherwise they obscure and thicken the water and injure the color and lustre of the silk. When the water becomes dis colored, it should always be changed.
If, in reeling, the silk leaves the co coon in burs or bunches, it is evident the water is too hot ; or when the ends can not be easily collected with the brush, or, when found, do not run freely, the water is too cold.