enough to keep the circulation energetic. When the water is not
sufficient in amount the goods get somewhat dry; there is then a
liability to tendering, but with plenty of water there is no fear of any
damage being done during a boil with alkali. Some works use caustic soda
instead of soda ash in which case less is required, from 120 lb. to 150
lb. to 10,000 lb. of cloth, otherwise no alteration is made in the mode
of boiling.

This lye boil clears away the fatty and waxy matter left in the goods
after the lime sour, and thus prepares the way for the next boil. There
is no advantage in using caustic soda in this preliminary boil, soda ash
being just as effective and cheaper.

(7) =Resin Boil.=--Following the lye boil is the resin boil which
consists in boiling the goods in a resin soap liquor. This is made as
follows: a soda ash liquor of about 15 deg. to 20 deg. Tw. is prepared, and into
this is thrown resin, broken up into small pieces.

The whole is boiled up until the resin is dissolved, and then as much
more is added in small quantities as the alkali will take up. The soda
liquor should not be much weaker than 20 deg. Tw., it will then be heavier
than the resin which will float on the top, it is found to dissolve
quicker and better than when the liquor is weak, in which case, the
resin would sink to the bottom of the boiler and would there melt into a
single mass difficult to dissolve. The resin soap liquor when made is
ready to be used. The proportions of resin and alkali used in the boil
vary in different works, but, as a rule, the quantities for 10,000 lb.
of goods are 430 lb. of 58 per cent. soda ash, 180 lb. of resin, and 80
lb. of 70 per cent. caustic soda. Too much resin should be avoided, as
it is found that with an excess the whites obtained are not nearly so
good as when the right quantity is used; on the other hand, too little
acts much in the same way. It may be taken that from 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 per
cent. of the weight of the goods is about the right proportion; 1 per
cent. being too little, and 2 per cent. too much. The quantity of soda
used should be rather more than twice that of the resin, from 3-1/2 to 4
per cent. The length of boil is usually about twelve hours in a
low-pressure kier; in a high-pressure kier about seven hours is
sufficient.

What the special function of the resin is in this boil is not
definitely known; but experience, both on a large and small scale,
proves that it is essential