WOOL 175 



pure soft water and soap or ammonia. The water is kept at 

 a uniform temperature, and the wool is gently moved along 

 from one end of the tank to the other, and at last passed 

 between rollers, which squeeze out the dirty water. It is then 

 dried. 



CARDING. 1 When the wool has been thoroughly cleansed, 

 it is necessary to open it out, and separate the fibres from one 

 another. With this object it is passed through several 

 machines which tear the fibres apart. The mass of wool to 

 be operated upon is spread out on the feed- sheet and sprinkled 

 with oil. The feed- sheet moves forward and carries the wool 

 on to two rollers. As it passes through these it is caught up 

 by the teeth of a revolving cylinder called a ' swift '. 2 Three 

 other rollers, also studded with teeth, are placed at the top 

 of the swift ; these revolve in the opposite direction. The 

 first one tears the wool from between the teeth of the swift 

 and gives it back again, the second and third do likewise, 

 and finally it emerges a fine white down. But it is not yet 

 ready for spinning. 



It next passes through the Carding Machine. The action 

 of this machine is similar to that of the one just described, 

 but the process is more thorough, and in it the fibres are 

 separated literally one from the other. It consists of numerous 

 revolving cylinders each covered with card- clothing, i.e. of 

 leather into which sharp wire teeth have been inserted. In 

 each carding machine there are about fifty- six million of these 

 teeth operating on the wools. 



CONDENSING. The last action of the carding machine is to 

 divide this fine downy wool into narrow strips. These strips 

 or slivers then pass through the condenser, where they are 

 pressed between rollers. These rollers not only revolve, but 

 also sway sideways, so that the slivers are compressed into 

 loose soft threads, which only require twisting to make them 

 into good strong yarns. 



1 See p. 166. 



2 It makes from 400 to 500 revolutions a minute. 



