Silk surfacing was a
surface finishing
Surface finishing is a broad range of industrial processes that alter the surface of a manufactured item to achieve a certain property. Finishing processes may be employed to: improve product appearance, adhesion or wettability, solderability, ...
of
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
to obtain an appearance similar to silk.
Process
In contrast to other imitative finishes such as
mercerizing
Mercerisation is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric and yarn, mainly cotton and flax, which improves dye uptake and tear strength, reduces fabric shrinkage, and imparts a silk-like luster.
Development
The process was devis ...
, In Silk surfacing,
real silk was used in this treatment. Cotton was treated with acid and then silk waste (mixed) solution cotton to provide a lustrous appearance.
Treatment
The steps are as follows:
# Soaking of cotton yarns in
Tannic acid
Tannic acid is a specific form of tannin, a type of polyphenol. Its weak acidity (Acid dissociation constant, pKa around 6) is due to the numerous phenol groups in the structure. The chemical formula for commercial tannic acid is often given as ...
or other metallic acid.
# Soaking in a solution of pure silk (of dissolved
Silk waste
Silk waste includes all kinds of raw silk which may be unwindable, and therefore unsuited to the throwing process. Before the introduction of machinery applicable to the spinning of silk waste, the refuse from cocoon reeling, and also from silk w ...
/remnants in some acid.)
# Dry
# Passing through rollers.
The cotton is encased with silk. Although the finish was less durable, was adapted for selected products only that were less likely to wash.
See also
*
Finishing (textiles)
In textile manufacturing, finishing refers to the processes that convert the woven or knitted cloth into a usable material and more specifically to any process performed after dyeing the yarn or fabric to improve the look, performance, or ...
*
Plasma treatment (textiles)
Plasma treatment is a surface modification process for textiles that imparts various functional properties at a lower cost, with fewer chemical adverse effects, and with a reduced environmental impact all while maintaining important textile prope ...
References
Textile techniques
Textile chemistry
Properties of textiles
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