The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing / Lectures Delivered Before the Hat Manufacturers' Association

This collection presents a sequence of practical lectures that apply chemical principles to hat production, beginning with detailed examinations of vegetable and animal textile fibres and microscopic and chemical tests to distinguish them. Subsequent chapters explain the chemistry and treatment of water, the roles of acids, alkalis, borates, soaps, and solvents, and the use of shellac and stiffening agents for proofing. The work also treats mordants, dyestuffs, and the dyeing of wool, fur, and hair, including optical properties of colour, illustrated with experimental descriptions and manufacturing guidance.