340 MODERN PAPER-MAKING
'wise paper-maker provides for this by having the finish a little higher than the
sample in the first place. Complaints are often made of deficient bulk and too
high finish when all that is required is a reasonable time for paper to mature.
For this reason it is bad policy for a customer to send an order and ask for
immediate delivery, unless he knows the mill stocks the paper he wants, and
also for the paper-maker to delay making an order until he has to send it out
as soon as it is made.
Poor quality or badly-made gelatine size is also a common cause of the
deterioration of paper. Given the least extra humidity in the stock room,
poor size begins to give off an offensive odour, and the paper loses strength,
colour, finish and ink resistance. Generally a good quality of gelatine size,
properly made, will withstand the ordinary variations of humidity in the stock
room, but any definite dampness continued for a time produces bacteria which
destroy the gelatine.
Paper should not be stocked on a ground floor or under ground level,
where the atmosphere is likely to be humid. A well-ventilated stock room on
the second floor is most desirable, with a temperature of 60° F. and a diffused
light from ground-glass windows, preferably greenish-tinted.
All ventilators should be covered with wire cloth, to prevent dust or sooty
particles from gaining admission, and no machinery or shafting should be
installed in a paper store.
Sweeping can be safely undertaken by putting down damp sawdust, to
which the floor dust will adhere, or by using a vacuum cleaner. Spraying the
floor with water before sweeping makes the air too moist, besides the risk of
splashes or drops of water getting on the stacks of paper. Even under the
strictest conditions there will be some dust, therefore a sheet of wrapping
paper must be used to top each pile of paper or packages, and sheets of
wrapping put on the floor for the stacks to stand on, the sides being tucked
in all round to a height of 6 or 8 inches above the floor level. Wide avenues
should be left between each double row of stacks, so that every stack can
be reached without disturbing another. All those who have to handle the
stock must have clean aprons or overalls and must keep their hands perfectly
clean. It is surprising how many sheets a dirty thumb will spoil.
The stacks ought to be built up carefully so that there are no protruding
sheets, which will certainly be broken at the edges when the paper is again
lifted. The height of the stacks will depend on the size of the sheets. A small
sheet will not stack safely to any great height, especially if it has a low finish,
as a slight push may send it over. A safe rule is that no stack must be higher
than a man of average height can build without the use of steps.
If the paper is in wrappers there is, of course, less danger of it being spoiled