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 appearance, adhesion or wettability, solderability, corrosion re ...
of
cotton to obtain an appearance similar to silk.
Process
In contrast to other imitative finishes such as
mercerizing, 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 or other metallic acid.
# Soaking in a solution of pure silk (of dissolved
Silk waste/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
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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 "hand" ...
*
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 prop ...
References
Textile techniques
Textile chemistry
Properties of textiles
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