The continuous press, which is used for certain classes of worsteds,
but more especially for woollen goods, consists in principle of a
polished steam-heated steel cylinder against which either one or two
steam-heated chilled iron cheeks are set by means of levers and
adjusting screws. The pieces to be pressed are drawn slowly between
the cheeks and the bowl. A machine of the kind is shown in section in
Fig. 8. In working, the cheeks C, C_1 are pressed against the bowl B.
The course followed by the cloth to be finished is shown by the dotted
line, the finished material being mechanically folded down on the
left-hand side of the machine. The pieces thus acquire a certain
amount of finish which is, however, not comparable with that produced
in the hydraulic press.
_Pile Fabrics_, such as velvets, velveteens, corduroys, plushes,
sealskins, &c., require a special treatment in finishing, and great care
must be taken in all operations to prevent the pile being crushed or
otherwise damaged. Velveteens and corduroys are singed before boiling or
bleaching. Velveteens dyed in black or in dark shades are brushed with
an oil colour (e.g. Prussian blue for blacks), and dried over-night in a
hot stove in order to give them a characteristic bloom. Regularity in
the pile and gloss are obtained by shearing and brushing. Corduroys are
stiffened at the back by the application of "bone-size" (practically an
impure form of glue) in a machine similar to that used for
back-starching. The face of the fabric is waxed with beeswax by passing
the piece under a revolving drum, on the surface of which bars of this
material are fixed parallel to the axis. The bars just touch the surface
of the fabric as it passes through the machine. The gloss is then
obtained by brushing with circular brushes which run partly in the
direction of the piece and partly diagonally. In the finishing of
velvets, shearing and brushing are the most important operations. The
same applies to sealskins and other long pile fabrics, but with these an
additional operation, viz. that of "batting," is employed after dyeing
and before shearing and brushing, which consists in beating the back of
the stretched fabric with sticks in order to shake out the pile and
cause it to stand erect.
For the finishing of silk pieces the operations and machinery employed
are similar in character to some of those used for cotton and worsteds.
Most high-class silks require no further treatment other than simple
damping and pressing after they leave the loom. Inferior qualities are
frequently filled or back-filled with glue, sugar, gum tragacanth,
dextrin, &c., after which they are dried, damped and given a light
calender finish. Moire or watered effects are produced by running two
pieces face to face through a calender or by means of an embossing
calender. In the latter case the pattern repeats itself. For the
production of silk crape the dyed (generally black) piece is impregnated
with a solution of shellac in methylated spirit and dried. It is then
"goffered," an operation which is practically identical with embossing
(see above), and may either be done on an embossing calender or by means
of heated brass plates in which the design is engraved to the desired
depth and pattern.
The measuring, wrapping, doubling, folding, &c., of piece goods previous
to making up are done in the works by specially constructed machinery.
_Finishing of Yarn._--The finishing of yarn is not nearly so important
as the finishing of textiles in the piece, and it will suffice to draw
attention to the main operations. Cotton yarns are frequently "gassed,"
i.e. drawn through a gas flame, in order to burn or singe off the
projecting fibres and thus to produce a clean thread which is required
for the manufacture of certain classes of fabrics. The most important
finishing process for cotton yarn is "mercerizing" (q.v.), by means of
which a permanent silk-like gloss is obtained. The "polishing" of cotton
yarn, by means of which a highly glazed product, similar in appearance
to horsehair, is obtained, is effected by impregnating the yarn with a
paste consisting essentially of starch, beeswax or paraffin wax and
soap, and then subjecting the damp material to the action of revolving
brushes until dry. Woollen yarn is not subjected to any treatment, but
worsted yarns (especially twofold) have to be "set" before scouring and
dyeing in order to prevent curling. This is effected by stretching the
yarn tight on a frame, which is immersed in boiling water and then
allowing it to cool in this condition.
A peculiar silk-like gloss and feel is sometimes imparted to yarns made
from lustre wool by a treatment with a weak solution of chlorine
(bleaching powder and hydrochloric acid) followed by a treatment with
soap.
Worsted and mohair yarns intended for the manufacture of braids are
singed by gas, a process technically known as "Genapping."
Silk yarn is subjected to various mechanical processes before weaving.
The most important of these are stretching, shaking, lustreing and
glossing. Stretching and shaking are simple operations the nature of
which is sufficiently indicated by their names, and by these means the
hanks are stretched to their original length and straightened out by
hand or on a specially devised machine. In _lustreing_, the yarn is
stretched slightly beyond its original length between two polished
revolving cylinders (one of which is steam heated) contained in a box or
chest into which steam is admitted. In _glossing_, the yarn is twisted
tight, first in one direction and then in the other, on a machine, this
alternating action being continued until the maximum gloss is obtained.
The so-called "scrooping" process, which gives to silk a peculiar feel
and causes it to crackle or crunch when compressed by the hand, is a
very simple operation, and consists in treating the yarn after dyeing in
a bath of dilute acid (acetic, tartaric or sulphuric) and then drying
without washing. Heavily weighted black silks are passed after dyeing
through an emulsion of olive oil in soap and dried without washing, in
order to give additional lustre to the material or rather to restore
some of the lustre which has been lost in weighting. (E. K.)
FINISTERE, or FINISTERRE, the most western department of France, formed
from part of the old province of Brittany. Pop. (1906) 795,103. Area,
2713 sq. m. It is bounded W. and S. by the Atlantic Ocean, E. by the
departments of Cotes-du-Nord and Morbihan, and N. by the English
Channel. Two converging chains of hills run from the west towards the
east of the department and divide it into three zones conveying the
waters in three different directions. North of the Arree, or more
northern of the two chains, the waters of the Douron, Penze and Fleche
flow northward to the sea. The Elorn, however, after a short northerly
course, turns westward and empties into the Brest roads. South of the
Montagnes Noires, the Odet, Aven, Isole and Elle flow southward; while
the waters of the Aulne, flowing through a region enclosed by the two
chains with a westward declination, discharge into the Brest roads. The
rivers are all small, and none of the hills attain a height of 1300 ft.
The coast is generally steep and rocky and at some points dangerous,
notably off Cape Raz and the Ile de Sein; it is indented with numerous
bays and inlets, the chief of which--the roadstead of Brest and the Bays
of Douarnenez and Audierne--are on the west. The principal harbours are
those of Brest, Concarneau, Morlaix, Landerneau, Quimper and Douarnenez.
Off the coast lie a number of islands and rocks, the principal of which
are Ushant (q.v.) N.W. of Cape St Mathieu, and Batz off Roscoff. The
climate is temperate and equable, but humid; the prevailing winds are
the W., S.W. and N.W. Though more than a third of the department is
covered by heath, waste land and forest, it produces oats, wheat,
buckwheat, rye and barley in quantities more than sufficient for its
population. In the extreme north the neighbourhood of Roscoff, and
farther south the borders of the Brest roadstead, are extremely fertile
and yield large quantities of asparagus, artichokes and onions, besides
melons and other fruits. The cider apple is abundant and furnishes the
chief drink of the inhabitants. Hemp and flax are also grown. The farm
and dairy produce is plentiful, and great attention is paid to the
breeding and feeding of cattle and horses. The production of honey and
wax is considerable. The fisheries of the coast, particularly the
pilchard fishery, employ a great many hands and render this department
an excellent nursery of seamen for the French navy. Coal, though found
in Finistere, is not mined; there are quarries of granite, slate,
potter's clay, &c. The lead mines of Poullaouen and Huelgoat, which for
several centuries yielded a considerable quantity of silver, are no
longer worked. The preparation of sardines is carried on on a large
scale at several of the coast-towns. The manufactures include linens,
woollens, sail-cloth, ropes, agricultural implements, paper, leather,
earthenware, soda, soap, candles, and fertilizers and chemicals derived
from seaweed. Brest has important foundries and engineering works; and
shipbuilding is carried on there and at other seaports. Brest and
Morlaix are the most important commercial ports. Trade is in fish,
vegetables and fruit. Coal is the chief import. The department is served
by the Orleans and Western railways. The canal from Nantes to Brest has
51 m. of its length in the department. The Aulne is navigable for 17 m.,
and many of the smaller rivers for short distances.
Finistere is divided into the arrondissements of Quimperle, Brest,
Chateaulin, Morlaix and Quimper (43 cantons, 294 communes), the town of
Quimper being the capital of the department and the seat of a bishopric.
The department belongs to the region of the XI. army corps and to the
archiepiscopal province and academie (educational division) of Rennes,
where its court of appeal is also situated.
The more important places are Quimper, Brest, Morlaix, Quimperle, St
Pol-de-Leon, Douarnenez, Concarneau, Roscoff, Penmarc'h and Pont-l'Abbe.
Finistere abounds in menhirs and other megalithic monuments, of which
those of Penmarc'h, Plouarzal and Crozon are noted. The two religious
structures characteristic of Brittany--calvaries and charnel-houses--are
frequently met with. The calvaries of Plougastel-Daoulas, Pleyben, St
Thegonnec, Lampaul-Guimiliau, which date from the 17th century, and that
of Guimiliau (16th century), and the charnel-houses of Sizun and St
Thegonnec (16th century) and of Guimiliau (17th century) may be
instanced as the most remarkable. Daoulas has the remains of a fine
church and cloister in the Romanesque style. The chapel of St Herbot
(16th century) near Loqueffret, the churches of St Jean-du-Doigt and
Locronan, which belong to the 15th and 16th centuries, those of Ploare,
Roscoff, Penmarc'h and Pleyben of the 16th century, that of Le Folgoet
(14th and 16th centuries), and the huge chateau of Kerjean (16th
century) are of architectural interest. Religious festivals, and
processions known as "pardons," are held in many places, notably at
Locronan, St Jean-du-Doigt, St Herbot and Le Faou.