WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE. The processes described in the article Wool, are common to English, cross-bred and botany wools, whether intended for woollen or for worsted yarns. From this point, hpwever, differentiation starts. Wool may be manipu lated with the idea of converting it into felt (q.v.), "woollen" fabrics or "worsted" fabrics.
Woollen and Worsted.—In a general way it may be said that woollen yarns are those made from short wools usually possessed of high felting qualities. These are prepared for spinning by the process of carding, a process which so thoroughly blends or mixes the fibres—long and short, black and white or coloured, or even of different materials—that a homogeneous fibrous mass in broad film form is obtained, which is then divided up longitudinally, as it emerges from the carder, into a number of pith-like filaments. These filaments are then extended into finer filaments and twisted to form the woollen thread upon the mule or mule-frame.
On the other hand worsted yarns are generally made from the long lustrous varieties of wool ; the fibres are so combed as to bring them as far as possible parallel to each other; the spinning is usually effected on the frame, and the yarn is spun into a compact, smooth and level thread, which, when woven into cloth, is not necessarily milled or felted. At all points, however, woollen and worsted yarns and cloths as thus defined overlap each other, some woollens being made from longer wool than certain worsteds, and some worsteds made from short staple wool, carded as well as combed. The most fundamental distinction between the two rests in the crossing and intercrossing of the fibres in preparing woollen yarn, while for worsted yarn the fibres are treated by processes designed to bring them into a smooth parallel relationship to each other.
Woollen Yarn Manufacture.—To obtain a sliver which can be satisfactorily spun into a typical woollen thread the following operations are necessary : willowing, oiling and blending, teasing, carding (two or three operations), condensing and possibly roving. Spinning upon the woollen mule or frame completes the series of operations all of which are designed to lead up to the desired re sult. Of the foregoing operations the carding is perhaps the most important as it is certainly one of the most interesting. At the same time it must be fully realized that deficiencies in any one of these operations will result in bad work at every subsequent pro cess. For example, let an unsatisfactory combination of materials be blended together and there will be trouble in both carding and spinning. The roving operation included above is not always necessary. In the old days, if a really fine thread were required, roving was absolutely necessary, as the carder could not turn off a sliver fine enough to be spun at one operation. To-day, however, with the "tape" condensers, such fine slivers can be turned off the condenser that it is easy to spin directly to the required count.
Blending and Oiling.—At the beginning of the 19th century woollen cloths were made of wool—some of them of the very finest wool obtainable. To-day woollen cloths are made from any
and every kind of material, of which the following are the most important : noils (botany, cross-bred, English, alpaca and mohair), mungo, shoddy, extract, flocks, fud (short mill waste), cotton sweeping, silk waste, etc. ; in fact it is said that anything which has two ends to it can be incorporated into a woollen thread and cloth. It does not follow, however, that all woollen cloth is cheap and nasty. On the contrary the west of England still produces the finest woollen fabrics of really marvellous texture and beauty, and Batley, Dewsbury, etc., produce many fabrics which are certainly cheap and yet not cheap appearing. The first essential for blending is that the materials to be blended should be fairly opened out. This is effected by passing each material, if necessary, through the willow or through the "fearnaught"—a machine coming between the willow and card—prior to beginning the "blend-stack." Some times it may be that a blending of different colours of wools to obtain a definite "colour mixture" is necessary, more often it will be a blending of various materials, such as noils, mungo, cotton, etc., to obtain a cheap blend which may be spun into a satisfactory warp or weft yarn. The blender proceeds as follows : first a layer of No. 1 material—say wool—is spread over the required area on the floor ; it is then lightly oiled. A layer of No. 2 material—say noils—is now added to the first layer ; then another layer of wool with rather more oiling; then No. 2, then No. 1 with still more oil until all the material is built up into layers in the stack. The stack is now beaten down sideways with sticks or pulled, and then the more or less mixed mass is passed through the willow and fear naught still further to mix it prior to carding, where the true and really fine mixing takes place. After passing through the fear naught the material is sheeted and left to "mellow," this no doubt consisting in the oil applied distributing itself throughout the ma terial. If wool and cotton are blended together the wool must be oiled first, or the blend will not work to the greatest advantage. The oil may be best Gallipoli olive oil—which should not turn rancid—but there are many good oils—and unfortunately many bad oils—placed on the market at a reasonable rate which the really skilled judge may use to advantage. The percentage of oil varies from 2% to 12%-this remark applies both to the woollen and worsted trades—and there is no guide as to the amount re quired, saving and excepting experience, observation and common sense. Automatic oiling arrangements have now been applied in the woollen trade with a considerable amount of success, the sprink ling of the oil by means of a watering-can on the stack, made as described above, still being much in favour. The oil serves to lubricate the fibres, and to render them more plastic and conse quently more workable, and to hold the fibrous mass together and thus prevent "fly" during the passage• through the cards.