- Singe
A singe is a slight scorching, burn or treatment with flame. This may be due to an accident, such as scorching one's hair when lighting a
gas fire , or a deliberate method of treatment or removal of hair or other fibres.Hairdressing
A singe is a treatment available at a
barber 's. [cite book|title= Trade Training and Vocational Guidance|page=241|publisher=Preston School of Industry|year=1943|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MaZAAAAAIAAJ&q=hair+singe+barber&dq=hair+singe+barber&lr=&pgis=1] A lit taper (candle) or other device is used to lightly burn and shrivel the hair. This is supposed to have beneficial effects - sealing cut ends, closing up the follicles, preventing the hair from bleeding and encouraging it to grow. [cite book|title=Zone Reflex Plus Translation Diet: Hydro-Therapy and Swedish Massage|page=74|author=Joe S. Riley, W. E. Daglish|year=1996|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8ST9Zc8TB54C|isbn=0787311243] This practice was popular approximately a century ago; it was believed that hair had "fluid" in it and singeing would trap the fluid in. This belief has since been debunked. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=v7lXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA171&dq=%22hair+singeing%22&lr=] Singeing is still sometimes used to bond natural hair tohair extensions . [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jpdqmtO2IycC&pg=PA122&dq=singeing+hair+history&lr=&sig=ACfU3U2xe-Jf-PD9-j4Z11PpreU4RIVqaQ]Primitive cultures have also used singeing as a means to trim scalp or body hair, as a part of normal grooming or during ritual activity. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EPYAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA419&dq=singeing+hair+aborigine&lr=] [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RT8TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA188&dq=singeing+hair+aborigine&lr=]
Sir Francis Drake was famously said to have "singed the King of Spain's beard" when he raided Cadiz and burnt the Spanish fleet. [citation|title=Management of the Hirsute Woman|author=Jocelyn R. Rentoul
year=1983|journal=International Journal of Dermatology|volume=22 (5)|pages=265–272]Agriculture
In the
agricultural industry ,poultry andpork is singed to remove stubfeather s andbristle s.Textiles
In the
textile industry , loose fibres protruding on the surface oftextile goods are singed to remove them. When done to fabrics containingcotton , this results in increased wettability, betterdyeing characteristics, improved reflection, no "frosty" appearance, a smoother surface, better clarity in printing, improved visibility of the fabric structure, less pilling and decreased contamination through removal of fluff and lint.The process is usually to pass one or both sides of a fabric over a gas flame to burn off the protruding fibres. Other methods include
infra-red or heat forthermoplastic fibers. Singeing ofyarn s is called "gassing". It is usually the first step afterweaving orknitting , though the fabric may be brushed first to raise the surface fibres.Cellulose fibres such as cotton are easily singed because the protruding fibers burn to a light ash which is easily removed. Thermoplastic fibres are harder to singe because they melt and form hard residues on the fabric surface.
ee also
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Cauterization References
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