OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 561, 16 July 1909, Page 8

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

: /HOW WOOL IS MADE INTO CLOTH. (Prom Our Special Correspondent.) Bradford, Jnne ; 4, 1909. 7 ' v the. ;worid oyer have Very little conception of how their fleeces are manipulated . before;they leave the manufacturer's warehouse as. a "finished article, and I do not'think it will'be-badly spent ■ time just to briefly cpi- | tomise the various processes through which , wool goes.after.it leaves the saleroom.. Nothing, surprised\me. more when a young man than to read the.order-sheets we. received from •mer-' ] chants and wholesale clothier* for pieces, for ! they evidently had the'notion that a piece of ■ cloth could be manufactured in 21 hours! •...'■ HANDLING THE RAW MATERIAL. . .'.■■, ,' I take for granted that every woolgrower te familiar with .the way his fleeces are dealt with when - they leave ,the station, the same being sold by .private 'treaty or elso by public auc tion-.- From the saleroom wool' goes 'direct,, to manufacturing districts,.there to be dealt-with ihone.way'oranothei' by the owners. It is.not, perhaps,iso well known as it should be that there are -two different and distinct methods of handling :the raw material, namely, in the production of woollen or worsted fabrics, lhese processes aro dißerent and -distinct,' but subject is too big-for tackling in one article. However, I will briefly outline the various ways wool' is dealt: with on arrival, 6ay, in Bradford.-. ■',"'■ .'. ~ ' -The first process that wool undergoes is.that of- sorting. Even this operation' is not so extensively, performed■; as w.as'.the' case twenty years' ago, simply because of the better preparation for market and classing that is now being done'.by Australian-.woolgrowers.i,' However, sorting is done by all' topmakers,' 6ome firms doing ihe work more thoroughly, than'others.. Every bale should be looked over, for tho pur--ppse of, removing all stained britch'ends that ■may have, accidentally got in. I am now supposing- we 'are dealing with straight .'greasy fleece wool.','By .sorting, the operative is,able to 'at once detect, any.'coarser • fleece' or even finer fleece, that/'may have got .into the bale. For, bear in mind,' the object of sorting'is,-to have a blend of material. as uniform' as'pos'sible, .both'.in- quality and length of staple. ,Every.6brter':will have immediately;,surrounding him : four or' ; five little '■ skeps .or : baskets; and as a fleece comes on.to the board he will divide 'that'fleece.into,, perhaps,', three or four, qualities, allotting a portion, say, to 70's, another. to'64's, and the strongest.\portion to GO's.- ■': It is a daily occurrence where topmaking is' carried on to make" a pile or blend; of wool, this oftentimes of -\ raw. < materialgrown In Australia, South Africa, 'and South America."; The great principlp toi observe-is tq.have • .the .blend all one. quality,. arid • length.' After ithas been niade,'the next process is that of .•.scouring, or washing. .; This' is: most. carefully. .performed,'and deserves a,chapter.to 1 itself.;lf-. , wool .is; damag'ed.iin, the, scouring -.operation it : can never.'be brought ..back to its-natural state.' The'great.seoTet.of .washing'.is.to; preserve ,:in- : tact as much, as'-,possible the original, staple;, that 'isj •' the', fibre -should vnot'.'be ..mashed' or broken'i I .otherwise,if"-will;.bo, ir'ropaTably dam;aged." ;To./this,'end there;should,;.be;,as i little ; agitation' and working : upon 'the wool in-the - 'washbowl "as - possible. ; ': The ; first bath ",, is' .usually,'fairly.'hot,,and : .the : scouring-agent erhr .' ployed is.soft potash.ioap..; Soda ;ash,- which: . is.; a'chemical' compound,, is- largely,.employed nowadays,'but a potash soap is'-infinitely better,' for ,it; leaves .the fibre with muqh ' more ; handle.;.'ahd..elasticity, two important charac-. teristics in .all wool.'The .wool passes through ■ ,two |or'--'three/* scouring '.bdVvls:. or large; tanks,.-and-is 'automatically'carried forward with' slowly,, revolving forks, .getting bleaher l.as? it hears the, ;end.. The next' operation ,is >that Of'.drying.;.Wet wool cannot be m'anipuated by 'machinery,; hence-it is dried in. various wys. : . The,.great'thing, is to-.-drive;;'off. the moisture,, and this:, is "either done,,by, passing .the'wool ' -through .a. : . large square machine heated with steam,'.or'spreading it out .upon a wool-drying table, ; through,which hot air:,is driven with-a , fan., 'In up-to-date: plants, the ..wool .goes ' straight,.from the'sco.nring bowl -through the drying machine, -it] coining-, out-iat',,the ,'other• .' end as dry; as. snuff." This saves, valuable.time, ,and;'is?a. wonderful ; invention.' ;/In .the olden times, 'and in'many woollen', factories to-day, - wool is spread upon'att iron.floor-in the boilerhouse, 'but that takes '24 hours for 'tho'.wool to • dry, and such- a method is an obsolete one.i'-'. . fi The question 'jnow arises: 'What.-" about -the seeds and burrs which are of ten found in the . ,-raw :material?. These, are": a-source of. trouble, must be removed,.and,'the sooner ; that is done .the, better. It is 'exactly- at this .point .where they are dealt If they are too.numerous :, to .be,removed.'by -the-;burring-(machine,,the ' wool, is:; carbonised' or; extracted,, but as a rule the ..few -burrs that often '-trouble-'..combing . fleececan bo taken'out as .the; wool, goes on to .the carding machine as it-.is'."prepared" for. tjie ;. combing machine/. ;,': All;ther-very''seedy v aiid burry parcels, which' come' to, hana, and' which cannot be dealt,with" by,the:burring<.machine, . must.be carbonised, thi:sulphuric aoi.d .which- : is>use'd "eating' away. )the.. vegetable,," matter. , When: the' w-00l has; been steeped, in a'.diluted .fjplution of sulphuric acidjnt'is then rewashed " .in, order to' remove;, this,ifiery, ( element, -' other-,; |. wise it':,would soon act upon tKe';.ivo'pl'. fibre it !' 'self,'destroyingCall,';its manufacturing\proper-" i ' ties. :■ Great' care -has to be, exercised in' ( this •; process, otherwise-the life .and elasticity of, the fibre would, soon be-utterly; destroyed,'.and : the ; wool rendered .brittle' and' weak in::staple. : .Then -comes tho,: cardingN operation, .' ; 'whioh' : 'simply means that the 'wool Cores are carefully .separated .from, each' other, loosened, and -so , .'prepared for the combing operation, j No words ; can .adequately explain'this.process, it;,being . done upon;, a fairly Jong machine with,large ; revolving cylinders, : : all .set ''with- fine .steel .-] .teethl y These' act upon' ■the;;wd6L;'.fibrej';,and •■: 'separatei,one. from the..father.'.-Then- comes the ! back washing; which'-carefully, cleanses, the, 'wool .from- any: accumulations . ; of.: dirt ..which -■ it; has gathered through the ',previous, processes,' .'•■ it 'being; imperative-that the. raw' .material':be. '■; made as white as possible.;; The bath through J| which'the .wool, now'.goes'.'contaihs: a portion of blue powder, this;helping '. to.' whiten; the. I w001.,-..Colour is- an 'important, 'essential.-in' ,tops, -and.meansa penny per lb.;on its value, .the. whiterthe tops'the. better.,;..::' ■■/;.-,

The :combing operation'follows, and this pro-' cess takes'-the straightened wool fibres and .lays them parallel with eacn'otbcrj:' forming /a combed sliver, which. is technically called' a "top.". This I :operation -is.-best understood 'by the uninitiated' when'>: I say that, it.'is simply la duplicate of: what a lady does ..when;, combing her long hair. Each'-fibre is laid parallel.and straight, 'and is then- r&dy : for.'the' : spinning' operation! The reader can-see at once how, jm-. .possible it would be to spin .the fibres if they iwere. not 'previously prepared'■ in' this way, and' being so. got,- ready /the process -of;:spinning is . considerably-, augmented.'. '■,;'.,": •.,' :•':•' .... '■.-■; ; "The; spinning, of ! wool'simply'.,, means ~the 'drawing out •'arid twisting"togethor.the small wool fibres.*into the . requisite- thickness required by : the' manufacturer. It, is-surprising what (elasticity a staplo of wool'possesses, and this principle is availed" ;of !by ; v tho? spinner in a remarkable degree.-In; this- process' the wool fibres are drawn put or-'Stretched, -and while that is being-done;strength; is at the samo-time imparted by. the yarns being twisted. •:Then follows the .warping, operation. .Spun yam threads are. no■ eartMy' -use ; Sunless : they can be yoked tb : the loom;, and.yarns' have to bo! warped■ on .to'a beam,; put through tho . "gear" and ''slay/' arid .'then' the warp, is ready for'the .weaving This, is done by experienced workmen,- , and,, the weft- is''shot' •through the warp at the rate of 100, picks per minute.;; It is in -the- warping .arid weaving operation; that the various patterns are made, 'it all, being duo to the •different':thread arrangement, and the design.put upon'the loom. The subject here is too technical for ; any. man to understand unless, he has a knowledge of 'the weaving: process.' :,When, the 'piece' is woven,' then'the same is scoured, dyed,• and finished/and the fabrio is then ready for the .tailor.'; ' >.:■■' •' ■■' > :''.'.-.:.-, -.-v. ■; , ;