ironing  board  to  provide  large  and  small  work spaces  for  articles  of  different  sizes.  The  board is  usually  a  combination  of  a  smooth  area  and a  perforated  or  screened  area.  The  smooth  surface is  hard  and  usually  made  of  glass,  marble,  or Monel metal, all of which are resistant to alkalies and acids. The smooth area is used for tamping and for applying spotting agents. The perforated or   screened   area   is   used   for   flushing.   The perforated area must be taken apart and steam- cleaned  each  day  to  remove  excess  chemicals  or dyes. Sleeveboard The  sleeveboard  is  mounted  about  6  inches above  the  level  of  the  main  spotting  board.  The sleeveboard,  like  the  main  spotting  board,  also has  a  flushing  and  tamping  area.  The  sleeveboard is attached to the main board by a movable arm that  can  be  adjusted.  This  board  is  used  when working  out  stains  on  sleeves  and  other  small areas. Clean the sleeveboard in the same manner as  the  main  spotting  board. Garment Tray The garment tray is under the main spotting board, midway between the board and the floor. The  tray  must  always  be  clean;  otherwise,  the garment  resting  in  it  will  be  soiled. Chemical Tray All  the  basic  spotting  agents  are  placed  on  the chemical  tray. Spotting Gun The  spotting  gun  is  used  for  removing  spots or stains from wool, silk, and synthetics. The gun is adjusted so that slight pressure on the steam pedal provides steam and more pressure provides hot  water  or  wet  steam.  If  compressed  air  is  piped to  the  spotting  board,  it  will  come  through  the gun  when  the  appropriate  foot  pedal  is  depressed. When  vacuum  is  piped  to  the  spotting  board,  it is  controlled  by  a  foot  pedal.  However,  the vacuum  is  piped  to  the  perforated  area  of  the board to dry and hold the garment in place while spotting. The spotting gun must be held about 4 inches above the garment. If the gun is held closer than  4  inches  from  the  fabric,  the  steam  or  air pressure at 70 to 80 pounds per square inch can cause  permanent  damage  to  the  fabric.  The spotting gun should be held perpendicular when blowing  the  chemicals  or  spots  off  a  garment. Before using the spotting gun, point it toward the deck and depress the steam pedal to remove excess condensation. The spotting gun must be cleaned daily and all chemicals removed from the nozzle. Spotting  Brushes Spotting brushes help break up stains so that spotting  agents  can  penetrate  into  and  around  the stains. When the spotting brush is not being used, the bristles should be pointed downward to allow the agents to drain from the bristles. The brush can also be placed in the brush holder to obtain similar  results.  When  the  brushes  are  used  for tamping, the bristles should hit the fabric flat to prevent damaging the fabric.  Never brush or scrub the  spot. Spoting   brushes   usually   come   in   two   sizes (2-inch  and  3-inch)  and  two  colors  (black  and white) and are made of nylon bristles. The large brush is used mainly on woolens and synthetics because the bristles are spread far apart. The small brush  has  a  close  set  of  bristles  and  is  effective on silk. The black-bristled brush is used for dry- side  spotting  and  for  dark-colored  fabrics.  The white-bristled brush is used for wet-side spotting and  light-colored  fabrics.  After  a  brush  is  used on a garment, clean the brush with the spotting gun. Spatula The spatula is made of stainless steel, bone, or  ivory  and  is  about  1  inch  wide  and  5  inches long. The spatula is usually pointed on one end and  rounded  at  the  other  end  and  is  used  to manipulate  chemicals,  soften  the  stain,  and  to  get better  penetration.  The  pointed  end  should  not be  used  because  it  will  dig  into  the  fabric  and distort  it.  The  rounded  end  should  be  used  for better results. After each use the spatula should be  cleaned. Chamois  and  Towels A thick, heavy chamois is used for absorbing water and spotting solutions as they are removed from  fabrics.  The  chamois  should  be  spread smoothly  over  the  portion  of  the  spotting  board being  used.  A  medium-weight  Turkish  towel serves  the  same  purpose. chemicals,  particularly prevents   pitting   of   the By  absorbing  cleaning acids,   the   absorbent spotting   board.   Keep 6-23