Chath am Blanketeer
Vol. 1 DECEMBER 13, 1933 No. 8
Foremen and Loom Fixers Stage Annual Dinner
The above picture was taken at a dinner given the loom fixers by Mr. El Burchain, foreman
of the -weaving department, at his home on Chui'ch street, recently. This is an annual event and is
looked forward to each year. Guests of the occasion were Mr. Civrl Poiiideixter, Mr. Benson, Mr.
IMillard Darnell, and Mr. Noah Darnell. The meal was prepared by Mi*s. Burcham, Mrs. Bob Hall,
and Mrs. Free Pardue. Music was provided by the Darnell string band and Mr. Eniest Day.
GIVES PROCESS
OF MANUFACTURE
Wool Needs Much l*reparation
Before Ready For
Loom
By S. E. NEWMAN
Wool, after being removed from
the sheep by shearing, contains
substances which render it unfit
for the manufacture of fabrics
without considerable preparation.
These include the greases natur
ally secreted by the sheep, as
well as dirt, manure and vege
table matter, such as burrs, seeds
and cockles which have become
entangled in the wool.
Many grades of wool contain
burrs, seed and shives of such
peculiar structure that their re
moval is quite impossible by
carding.
So the wool must go over sort
ing tables and be sorted by hand,
the sorter takes each fleece from
the bag shakes it out and first
skirts it, then separates into the
various grades. We make six
grades from the average grease
wool used by this mill. (Fine
wools are used more for cloth
ing.)
The best wool comes off the
shoulders, others follow in order,
side, back, thighs, breech, an,d
belly. One fleece will not con
tain more than three sorts.
All wool as it comes from the
sorting tables is blended in large
bins and is now ready to start
the scouring process.
First the wool is run through
tire opening machine, which
opens up the wool and blows out
a lot of trasli, from this it drops
into the large scouring machine
0,nd passes through four bowls.
First and second bowls contain
soap and soda solutions. Third
and fourth bowls contain warm
water for rinsing only. From
the last bowl the wool goes
through squeeze rolls and direct
ly into a large drying machine
where the heat must be even and
at a certain temperature.
The percentage of shrinkage
varies from 20 per cent to 80
percent, nevertheless a good buy
er will be able to estimate with
in two or three per cent.
The factors to be considered in
this connection are the breed, the
soil, the climate, and the care
with which the sheep are raised,
as well as the diligence with
which the fleeces are put up.
Fine wools always shrink more
lieavily than coarse wools. The
average shrinkage of United
States wool is about 5 5 per cent.
Fine domestics shrink about 60
per cent. Lower grades about 45
per cent. Fine territory wools
about 60 per cent; lower grades
about 5 5 per cent. Pulled wools
average 27 per cent. The cus-
‘^^om wool averages from 40 per
cent to 45 per cent in this plant.
The wool is then put through a
cleaning machine and from this
to the bagging rack, and is now
ready for the stock room, or to
start on the manufacturing pro
cess.
Carbonizing
Mcchanical removal of burrs
from wool being impractical in
many cases, it becomes necessary
to resort to carbonizing or the
preparation of suitable reagents
which when exposed to heat dis
integrates the vegetable matters
leaving the wool unimpaired. In
carbonizing raw stock the wool
is scoured and then saturated
with the reagent in a cold water
polution of proper strength which
is determine;! by the character of
the burrs to be removed. In this
plant sulphuric acid is used.
The stock is now ready for the
dryer which must remove all the
water before any actual carbon
izing will take place.
Moving aprons carry the stock
through compartments heated by
steam pipes and in which circu
lation and ventilation are main
tained by powerful fans.
The wool enters one end and
emerges at the other, a gradual
concentration of acid in the burr
and exposure to high tempera
tures will complete the reaction
changing the burr to the hydro
cellulose, previously described in
whicli form it can be crushed and
dusted from the wool.
Now to place the carbonized
wool in the best condition it
should be neutralized.
Neutralizing
The use of unneutralized wool
in the process of manufacturing
often causes trouble in fulling
operations and dyeing.
The acid reacts with the soap
used in the fulling and precipi-
Home of Roy
Chipman Burns
A fire of unknown origin des
troyed the home of Roy Chipman.
of East Elkin, On Thursday, De
cember 7th, around four o’clock
in the morning. Mr. Chipman had
the misfortune not to save any
of his furniture or clothing. He
and his family barely escaping
injury. The noise of the roof
falling in woke Mr. Chipman
and they had only a few minutes
in which to escape.
tates fat in the soap used in the
fibre of the fabric which not on
ly materially lengthens the full
ing time but in subsequent dye
ing operations in which streaky
goods are sure to result. This is
why reneutralizing is done in this
plant.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Cleat
Simmons, a daughter, Betty
Charles, November 2 0, 19 33.