This brief description will sufficiently indicate the handicraft methods of rope-manufacturing, which are etill in extensive use in many countriee, but are in course of replacement by the intro duction of machinery, whieh will now come under notice.
MAOHINErMADE CORDACE.—The meet complete rope- and twine-factories are fitted with every requisite for dealing with tho raw material from the commencement, and carrying it through each succeediug stage until it encergee in the finished form, whatever may be required. This of course includea sets of preparatory and epinning machinery, which differ Hecording to the nature of the material to he treated. Tho beet deseriptione of yarn are those made from the long fibie or "line " of the raw material, and the machinery employed is denominated " line-maehinery," a set of which includes heekling-machinee, epreading-framcs, first, second, nnd third drawing-frames, roving frames, and wet aud dry spinning-nlachines. Every " set " of machines is subject to modification, according to the requirement of the manufacturer. Where a low quality of maleiiel is used, there are often only two drawing-frames in the set; but where good yarns are made, three are quite indispensable. For tow and low yarns from waste materials, what is called "tow-machinery " is employed, which, in several of its component parts, differe essentially from a line set.
The roughest and dirtied qualities of material require some preliminary treatment, the first procese being " willowing," to clear away the dirt and earthy matter that may have got intermixed with it. When the fibres are too long to be entrusted with safety to the carding-engine, tl e material la Brat passed through a " teazer," by which it is torn and broken down to the necessary dimensions. The teazer is called into requisition when euch materials as jute, phormiura fibre, some sorts of tow, long hemp which has been damaged, acutching-hemp, and some other eorts. are used. Woven fabrics, each as old canvas, mats, and gunny-bags, are broken up by a teazer-card," a combination of the foregoing, and a carding-engine.
With an average quality of material, however, these processee are not necessary. It is at once passed auccessively through a `. breaker " and 'finisher " card, in which, the carding is completed, tbe fibres being laid parallel, and delivered in the form of a sliver. A number of these slivers are doubled in tbe drawing-frame, and attenuated or drawn down to the dimensions of one; thie process is repeated in the second drawing-frame, by which it is sought to remove all irregularities. The
sliver thus prepared la conveyed to the roving-frame, where further elongation takes place, and a slight amount of twist is imparted to the " rove," aa it is called at this stage, in which it is also wound upon bobbins. The latter are then ready for the spinning-frame, in which the rove is further and finully attenuated to the required dimension, and firmly twisted, forming yarn. There are two methods of spinning, dry, and wet : in the latter, the water may be cold or hot, according to tbe nature of the work. The greater portion of spinning is dry, which enables a far tnoro exteie Q sive production to be obtained, the cost of driving being less, and the outlay upon machinery much smaller. Ordinary yarns, and those for heavy twines, are spun on the dry system ; fine yarns, on the wet plan with hot water, owing to the fact that hot water to some extent dissolves the natural gum which hinds the fibres together, and thus liberating them, enables the yarn to be drawn out much finer, though the loss of its gum diminishes its strength. When it is desired to preserve the highest degree of strength, cold water is used. The coarsest yarns are oft,en spun upon a modified roving frame, called the " Gill spinning frame," by which, one process is obviat,ed, and the cost reduced. This spins coarse yarns, whether composed of line or tow materials.
FIand-spinning has so far been superseded by machinery that a great number of rope- and twine- manufacturers prefer to buy their yarns from spinners, who do not carry the processes farther. When this is the case, the yarn is received in the hank form, and is wound upon bobbins in a hank-winding frame, of which there are several kinds. The hanks are placed on a frame, and the end of the yarn is attached to a bobbin, which is driven by a drum, whose face revolves in contact with the barrel of the bobbin or the yarn upon it as it is filled (Fig. 1186). The machine has a transverse motion, by which the yarn is wound in even layers. These machines are made of various sizes, according to the fineness of the yarns, but average about 20 drums to a machine, which is thus enabled to wind from 20 hanks at once. These hank-winding machines are not required in establishments where the yarn is spun, as then the spinner is enabled to place his spinning-bobbins direct upon the creel of his twisting-frame, by which he saves two processes and two costs—reeling and re-winding.