WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE, 



bands are neareft together at that end where their pins take 

 hold of the lifts of the cloth ; but as the bands move for- 

 wards with the cloth, they recede from each other, and 

 extend the cloth in breadth in confequence of their obliquity, 

 which may be increafed or diminifhed as is found neceffary. 

 The aftual width between the two bands can alfo be re- 

 gulated according to the width of the piece of cloth. 



It is not ufual to crop the lifts of the cloth, and indeed 

 as the lifts are ufually of thicker fubftance than the other 

 parts of the cloth, they would bear up the fixed blade too 

 high from the cloth to cut the nap quite clofe. 



For this reafon, the bed or fupport on which the cloth is 

 cut is fo conftrufted, that it can be adapted in length to the 

 breadth of the piece of cloth between the lifts, in order that 

 the cloth only may be fupported or borne up to the edge 

 of the fixed blade ; whilft the lifts, being deprefled or borne 

 down below the level of the bed, (by thin flips of metal 

 called guards,) will efcape the aftion of cropping, and 

 thereby remain with the long wool upon their furfaces. 

 The bed by which the cloth is borne whilft it is cut is only 

 a narrow ridge of metal, over which it paftes, fo as to be 

 bent with a fudden curvature, and in this way, the nap 

 can be cut more clofe and even than upon a flat bed or foft 

 cufhion. The operation of cutting is facilitated by a row 

 of pieces of metal fcrewed to a ftrong bar, to form a ftraight 

 edge, very fimilar to the cutting edge of the fixed blade, but 

 thin and elaftic ; this edge is placed clofe to the elevated 

 ridge of the bed, and prefles the cloth gently down upon the 

 bed immediately before it comes to the edge of the fixed 

 blade, againft which the nap is to be cut off' ; this elaftic 

 edge being placed on one fide of the ridge, and the cutting 

 edge of the lower blade on the other fide, the cloth is only 

 expofed for a very narrow fpace juft where it comes to the 

 cutting edge. By this means, the cloth can with fafety be 

 brought nearer to a level with the upper furface of the 

 fixed blade, fo as to ftiear it clofer than could otherwife be 

 done without endangering the cloth. 



The ends of the ridge part of the bed are compofed of a 

 number of narrow plates of metal, accurately fitted toge- 

 ther, and placed fide by fide in a mortife made in the end of 

 the foUd bed ; their upper ends projeft out of the mortife fo 

 as to line with the elevated ridge, and form a continuation 

 thereof; but there is a Hiding piece in the bottom of the 

 mortife on which they all bear, and the point of it is of a 

 wedge form. By removing this wedge, any number of 

 the moveable pieces may be let down, fo as to diminifli the 

 length of the elevated part of the bed at pleafure, according 

 to the breadth of the cloth. The whole of this machine is 

 very well contrived to effeft the defu-ed objeft j it will be 

 found fully defcribed with drawings in the Repertory of 

 Arts, vol. xxix. p. 65. 



Prizing is an operation fometimes ufed in the finifliing of 

 woollen cloth : it confifts in rolling up and entangling the 

 fibres, which form the nap on the furface of the cloth into 

 fmall knots or burs, which cover near the whole furface, fo 

 that the cloth appears covered with fmall grains, which 

 almoft touch each other. 



This operation is of no utility to the cloth, and it is diffi- 

 cult to fay for what reafon it was ever praftifed at all. 

 The French firft introduced it, and it was fo much the 

 faftiion many years ago, that no other cloth was thought 

 comparable in beauty. At prefent it is but little ufed, ex- 

 cept for foreign markets, where our cloth meets the French 

 cloth, which is ftill prepared in this manner, but generally 

 on the back-fide of the cloth only. 



The friring is done by a fimple machine, in which the 

 cloth is drawn acrofs a narrow table by means of rollers, 

 II 



to give it a very flow progreffive motion. The table is 

 covered with a coarfe ftrong cloth, and over the table is 

 placed a heavy plank of wood, of the fame fize as the table. 

 The lower fide of this plank, which bears upon the cloth, 

 is covered with an artificial ftone, compofed of coarfe fand, 

 which is ftuck together into a fohd mafs by glue or other 

 cement, and a fmall but rapid reciprocating motion is given 

 to the plank by means of two cranks of very fmall radius. 

 Thefe cranks are formed at the tops of two vertical 

 fpindles, the upper ends of which are fitted in fockets at the 

 ends of the fixed table, and the ends which projeft up a few 

 inches above the furface of the table are received into 

 fockets formed in each end of the moveable plank. The 

 projefting parts of the fpindles are not in ftraight lines 

 with thofe parts which are fitted in the fixed collars at the 

 ends of the table, but are flightly cranked ; hence, if the 

 fpindles are turned round, they muft communicate motion 

 to the plank, and Aide it over the cloth backwards and for- 

 wards ; or rather they move it with a circular motion, caufing 

 every point and grain of fand cemented to the plank to 

 defcribe a fmall circle upon the cloth. It is this aftion 

 which gathers together the fibres of the nap, and entangles 

 them into knots or grains, as before mentioned. 



To put the two fpindles in motion, each one has a trundle 

 or lantern fixed on the middle part of it, and the lower end 

 is received in a ftationary focket. Thefe lanterns are turned 

 round by the teeth of two face-wheels, fixed upon an 

 horizontal axis, which lies beneath the machine. By this 

 means, both the fpindles and cranks are turned round at 

 the fame time, and with a very rapid motion. The rollers 

 which draw the cloth forwards are turned round flowly by 

 a communication of wheel-work, and draw the piece of 

 cloth through the machine, that is, acrofs the frizing-table, 

 fo that every part is in turn fubjefted to the aftion of the 

 fand cemented to the plank. The nap muft be left long 

 for that cloth which is intended to be frized, and the 

 operation is repeated twice or three times. See fome fur- 

 ther particulars in our article Frizing, vol. xv. 



Brujhing After being (horn for the laft time, the cloth 



is bruihed all over, to remove the loofe cuttings. This 

 operation is now commonly performed by a machine which 

 has two horizontal drums, or cylinders, covered with hair- 

 brufties on the circumference. The piece of cloth is con- 

 dufted over a fyftem of rollers to extend it and draw it 

 flowly forwards : it is condufted over one of the brufliing- 

 cylinders, and under the other ; and as they are kept in 

 rapid motion by the machine, they brufli over both fides 

 of the cloth at the fame time, and lay all the fibres one way. 



PreJJing. — This is the laft finifli to the cloth, and gives 

 it a fmooth and even furface. The piece of cloth is folded 

 backwards and forwards at every yard, fo as to form a pack 

 on the board of a fcrew-prefs ; and between every fold 

 ftieets of glazed paper are placed, fo that no part of the 

 furfaces of the cloth can come in contaA ; alio at every 

 twenty yards three hot iron plates are put in between the 

 folds, the plates being laid fide by fide, lo that they occupy 

 the whole furface of the folds ; and thin iron plates, which 

 are not heated, are alfo put above and below the hot plates 

 to moderate the heat. When the pack of cloth is pro- 

 perly folded, and the prefs contains a proper quantity, the 

 fcrew is forced down to give a very fevere prelTure to the 

 pack. The cloth remains in the prefs until the plates are 

 quite cold ; it is then taken out and folded again, fo that 

 the creafes of the former folds will come oppofite to the 

 furfaces of the paper, in order to be prefled with other hot 

 plates. 



The heat tends to foften the fibres of the wool, and the 



preflure 



