The feathers coming from the bioxolate of potash bath, after rinsing,
or from the blue baths, are squeezed out by pulling them through the
hand, and pressing them between the laps of a dry clean piece of white
muslin, whereupon they are immediately passed through a bath of raw
starch, that is, unboiled starch, consisting of about one-half pound of
starch to a gallon of water. After passing them through the hand the
feathers are then again pressed between the cloth; then the waves are
lightly drawn by hand over the stems, and the feathers either beaten
between the hands or upon a clean board over a stove until dry, or they
are agitated by hand or by a suitable mechanical contrivance before an
open fire or gas-jet, or hung in a warm room and frequently shaken
until dry, that is, until all starch has dropped out; and finally the
remaining starch is beaten out between the hands or upon the board by
means of a soft brush. By this treatment the feathers are not only
dried, but the flues opened besides. It needs not to be specially
mentioned, that the feathers are dried, or finished, as it were, in the
same manner after dyeing.
In case the flues are not sufficiently opened, although all the starch
has been beaten out, dip the feathers into clean benzine and swing or
agitate them until dry, which takes place in a few minutes, while the
flues are opened in the most perfect manner. For white feathers the
benzine may be blued, but in this case, they must be dried between
muslin.