passing over before proceeding to the dyeing processes. In fact, were it
not for this "proofing process" (see Lecture VII.) the dyeing of felt
hats would be as simple and easy of attainment as the ordinary dyeing of
whole-wool fabrics. Instead of this, however, I consider the hat
manufacturer, as regards his dyeing processes as applied to the stiffer
classes of felt hats, has difficulties to contend with fully comparable
with those which present themselves to the dyer of mixed cotton and
woollen or Bradford goods. You have heard that the purpose of the
wool-scourer is to remove the dirt, grease, and so-called yolk, filling
the pores and varnishing the fibres. Now the effect of the work of the
felt or felt-hat proofer is to undo nearly all this for the sake of
rendering the felt waterproof and stiff. The material used, also, is
even more impervious and resisting to the action of aqueous solutions of
dyes and mordants than the raw wool would be. In short, it is impossible
to mordant and to dye shellac by any process that will dye wool. To give
you an idea of what it is necessary to do in order to colour or dye
shellac, take the case of coloured sealing-wax, which is mainly composed
of shellac, four parts, and Venice turpentine, one part. To make red
sealing-wax this mixture is melted, and three parts of vermilion, an
insoluble metallic pigment, are stirred in. If black sealing-wax is
required, lamp-black or ivory-black is stirred in. The fused material is
then cast in moulds, from which the sticks are removed on cooling. That
is how shellac may be coloured as sealing-wax, but it is a totally
different method from that by which wool is dyed. The difficulty then is
this--in proofing, your hat-forms are rendered impervious to the dye
solutions of your dye-baths, all except a thin superficial layer, which
then has to be rubbed down, polished, and finished. Thus in a short
time, since the bulk of that superficially dyed wool or fur on the top
of every hat is but small, and has been much reduced by polishing and
rubbing, you soon hear of an appearance of bareness--I was going to say