Singeing

sin'jing, in cloth making, the process of removing the nap or fuzz from the surface of textiles by means of heat. If fabrics are to be printed, singeing is a necessity. The cloth to be singed is first brought into contact with brushes which raise the loose nap. The cloth is then passed over and pressed against heavy platinum plates heated to almost white heat by electricity. Great care is taken that the cloth run smoothly, as any delay would result in its destruction. The cloth is passed over the plates so rapidly that about 125 yards are singed in one minute. Gas singeing is another method. In this, the cloth is drawn over a row of smokeless Bunsen gas flames. The process is called "gassing."