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chamois cloths or Turkish towels available for this
purpose.
Cheesecloth and Blotters
Cheesecloth, because it is soft and absorbent,
is used in spotting or feathering out—picking up
all the moisture around a spot just removed. This
prevents rings from forming. Chamois, because
of its heavy texture, is not good for feathering out.
You can use blotters for absorbing materials
rinsed from the garment. You can also use them
to test the resistance of dyes in fabrics to cleaning
chemicals and/or spotting agents. Put a small
portion of fabric on a blotter and apply the
chemical or spotting agent. The amount of
coloring matter dissolved by the chemical and
absorbed by the blotter indicates the effect of the
chemical on the dye.
Magnifying Glass
When in doubt about the substance that
caused a spot or stain, a spotter may examine it
under a magnifying glass. Although an inex-
perienced spotter may get few results with a
magnifying glass at first, through practice the
spotter will learn to identify various substances
as they appear when magnified.
The magnifying glass is used to observe the
weave and imperfections of the fabric and to
determine if a discoloration on the garment is a
spot or damaged fibers. It helps to determine the
kind of spot or stain and to observe the action
of the spotting chemical. The glass can also be
used to determine whether a spot has a staining
substance or whether the spot has a chafed area
with loss of dye. The magnifying glass will help
you determine if the stained area is too weak to
stand treatment and if a spot on a synthetic fabric
was caused by heat damage.
Soap Solution Containers
Usually each spotting board has two con-
tainers to hold soap solutions. The containers
should be cleaned daily.
Spotting Bottles and Agents
Spotting bottles and chemical agents are held
in a tray at the right end of the spotting board.
Dropper bottles with ground glass stoppers and
rubber bulk pipettes are preferred. These types
of bottles control the chemicals and conserve
materials. However, on board ship, squeeze-type
containers with a dropper top have been found
to be more convenient and satisfactory from the
standpoint of handling and breakage. The
chemical agents commonly used to remove spots
and stains are listed in table 6-3. Their
characteristics and uses are given, and also the
precautions you should take with them.
IDENTIFYING SPOTS AND STAINS
Once you have learned the basic uses of the
equipment, tools, and chemical agents, you must
be able to determine what the spot or stain is
before you try to remove it. Through experience
as a spotter, you will be able to easily identify
spots and stains. Until you learn, you must be
careful because if you try to remove a spot or stain
before properly identifying it you may damage the
clothing by using the wrong chemical or spotting
technique. Listed below are several ways to
identify a spot:
Sight—Sight is the most important and the
quickest way to identify a spot or stain. Is the spot
built up, built up and absorbed, or absorbed and
visible on the back side? What is its shape? Is
it dull or shiny, smooth- or rough-surfaced,
or is it rugged with uneven edges? What is
the color?
Feeling—Is the spot hard, soft, sticky, or
brittle? Does it become white when scratched?
Odor—Sometimes the odor is so prominent
that positive identification of the spot or stain is
possible without the use of other guides.
Sometimes a drop of water or a feather of steam
is required to intensify the odor so you can
positively identify what it is.
Location—Food spots are usually found on
the front of the garment and on the underside of
cuffs and sleeves. Perspiration stains are found
under arms, across the back and shoulders, knees,
and the seat of trousers. Leg makeup, mud,
and shoe polish are found on the lower part
of the skirt and coats or legs and cuffs of
trousers.
Solvent test—Solvent tests are used to
determine whether the spot or stain should be
removed by water or dry solvent. If the
appearance indicates the spot or stain was spread
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