CHAPTER XIII 

 PRESSING THE CLIP 



Correct method of fastening and branding bales. 



THE pressing of the wool plays a very important part in the 

 get-up of a clip, and in some cases it is not done as it should 

 be, to the great detriment of the appearance of the wool. Buyers 

 have made many complaints about the large quantity of twine 

 and hemp fibres which the wool contains. This hemp does 

 not take the dye like wool, and shows up on the face of the 

 cloth. Hemp in wool is mostly caused by the growers using 

 cheap and loosely woven packs, and not by pieces of string 

 or twine, as the latter can easily be picked out by the sorters. 

 The hairy surface off a cheap bale lets the small, hempy fibres 

 into the wool, and it is impossible to pick them out by hand. 



During the last two or three years a new method of fastening 

 the bales has become very popular amongst the growers, and it is 

 welcomed by the buyers. I consider it very much superior to 

 the old method of sewing the bales all round. The wool is 

 pressed in the usual way. When the monkey of the press is 

 down, instead of sewing the cap to the sides of the bale it 

 is fastened to the side by four steel skewers, two on each side 

 (see illustration). The monkey of the press is then raised, the 

 skewers holding the cap to the sides of the bale securely. The 

 two sides of the bale where the pins are, are thrown over the 

 cap and fastened by three stitches (see illustration). The two 

 opposite sides of the bale are next thrown over in the same 

 manner as the first two, and two pins inserted to keep them 



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