R 



WORSTED MANUFACTURE. 



quality; as prunelle, amens, (probably from Amiens in comb. Alfo at the other end of the ftem f, clofe to the 

 France, where they were manufaftured, ) and drawboys : poft. there is a fmall hook /» rivetted, which terminates with 

 itbe width 1 8 inches, length 30 yards. " --::-^-j ■ ^ . , • . . 



Worfted (hag, or velvet woven like corduroi and cut, is 

 made principally at Banbury, in Oxfordfhire, and at Co- 

 ventry ; but has been manufaftured alfo in Yorkfhire. 

 I In the worlled manufaftures of France, there were greater 

 varieties of pieces than in England. One kind of camlet, 

 made with a fine warp from the wool of the Angora goat and 

 a weft of fine worfted, was remarkably beautiful ; but we 

 believe it has not been manufaftured in Yorkfhire or at 

 Norwich. 



For fome account of the worfted manufaftures of France, 

 fee Woollen ManufaSure ; under which article we have 

 given the hiftory of the worfted manufafture as conneAed 

 with the woollen, and where may be feen the number and 

 value of the worfted pieces exported from England in the 

 year ending January 18 17. See alfo long combing-ivool, 

 under the article Wool. 



I Worsted Spinning, In the article Wool we have given 

 an account of the different kinds of long wool which are 

 proper for fpinning into worfted, alfo the manner of forting 



a pointed pin, fituated in an horieontal direftion. This 

 point IS inferted into a hole made in the end of the handle 

 of the comb, in the direAion of its length. The end of the 

 comb-handle being firft .placed on the point of the hook h 

 It is let down upon the other point g, which, by paffin? 

 through the handle, fixes the comb quite faft to the poft 

 as fhewn ^tjig. 2. r j 



In the operation of combing wool, it is necefiary to heat 

 the teeth of the combs, in order to fofteii and relax the 

 fibres of the wool, and render them more eafy to work. 

 The heat alfo tends to diftribute the oil with which the 

 wool is lubricated. The combs are heated in a comb-pot 

 or ftove, fg. 3, which is a fmall furnace built in brick, to 

 inclofe a fire-place, of which A is the door, B the afh-pit, 

 and C the flue. Above the fire a circular caft-iron plate a a 

 is placed. This is made flat, except in the central part, 

 where there is a concavity, to obtain a better aftion of the 

 fire. Immediately over the plate a, another plate, b b, is 

 placed parallel to the former, but with a fufiicient fpace 

 between them to admit the teeth of the combs: feveral 

 and fcouring them. This wool muft be prepared for fpinning pieces of iron are placed between the two plates, to keep 

 by repeated combings, with a comb or heckle that is pro- them at a proper diftance afunder, and to divide the fpace 

 vided with a great number of long fteel pins which are into fmall cells proper for the combs. 



Iharp-pointed. Thefe points being few in number com- In ufing this ftove, the workman muft be careful not to 

 pared with the teeth of cards, they can be fafely introduced heat it too much, and a damper in the flue is very ufeful 

 between and drawn through the long fibres of the wool, in to regulate the draught ; if the heat is too great, it fpoils the 

 'order to feparate and ftraighten them, without materially temper of the comb-teeth, and injures the wool alfo. The 

 ;i)reaking them. Another objeft of the combing is, to moft improved ftove is heated by fteam, which will give a 

 leparate the fliort fibres which are intermixed with the long fufficient warmth, but cannot overheat the combs, 

 ones ; for in fpinning any kind of thread, it is defirable that 

 the fibres fliould be all as nearly as poffible of a length. 



Wool-combing. — In the ordinary procefs of wool-combingby 

 hand, the implements ufed are, i . Two combs for each work- 

 man. 2. A poft, to which either of the combs can be fixed, 

 'to fupport them during the operation. 3. A comb-pot, 

 which is a fmall ftove to heat tlie teeth of the combs, 

 which is found to facilitate the combing. The combs 

 are ftiewn at _;f5'. i. Plate I. Woollen Manufa8ure : each 

 comb is compofed of two rows of pointed fteel teeth, 

 \a and b, difpofed in two parallel planes. One of the rows 

 tcontains longer teeth than the other. They are fixed into 

 a wooden ftock or head c, which is covered with horn, and 



In order to comb the wool, it is feparated into handfuls, 

 each containing near four ounces of wool, which is about a 

 proper quantity to be combed at once. Thefe handfuls 

 are fprinkled with oil, and the wool is rolled in the hand* 

 to diftribute it equally. The quantity of oil varies from 

 Toth to T-'yth of the quantity of wool by weight. The comb 

 i» firft heated by introducing the teeth into the ftove, in one 

 of the cells between the two iron plates ; when it has ac- 

 quired fufiicient heat it is withdrawn, and another comb is 

 put in its place. The heated comb is then fattened to the 

 poft, with its teeth pointing upwards, in order to be filled 

 with wool ; the comber takes one-half of the handful of 

 wool in his hand, and catches it upon the teeth of the comb 

 has a handle d fixed into it, perpendicular to the planes of by throwing the wool over the points, fo that they pene- 

 '^' r . .1 1 . r trate it ; then by drawing the wool towards him, and at the 



fame time downwards to the bottom of the teeth, a portion 

 of the wool will remain in the teeth. The lock of wool is 

 again caft upon the teeth, and drawn through them, and 

 every time fome wool remains ; this is repeated as often as 

 is neceffary, until all the wool is gathered upon the 

 teeth. The comb thus filled is placed with its points in 

 the ftove, and the wool which is upon it remains outfide of 

 the ftove, but will become llightly warmed. The other 

 comb, which was heating whilil the firft was filling, is now 

 filled in turn, in the fame manner as the firft, and is then 

 put to heat with the wool upon it, and whilft this is going 

 on, the workman occupies himfelf in making a handful 

 ready for the next combing. 



When both combs are properly warmed, the comber 

 holds one of them with his left-hand over his knee, as he is 

 feated on a low ftool, and with the other comb held in his 

 right-hand he combs tiie wool up«n the firft, by introducing 

 the points of the teeth of one comb into the wool contained 

 in the other, and drawing them through it ; this is repeated 

 for 14 or 15 ftrokes, until the fibres of the wool are fepa- 

 rated, difentangled, and laid parallel. Iji combing, he di- 



rea» 



the rows of teeth. The rows of teeth are about feven 

 inches long, and each row contains about twenty-four teeth. 

 'The length of the longeft teeth is near twelve inches, and 

 ithe (horter ones about eight inches. The teeth are made 

 :of fteel, of a round figure, and regularly tapering from the 

 ,bafe, where they are fixed into the ftock, to the point, 

 ! which is quite tharp. The teeth are about one-fixth of an 

 [inch in diameter at the bale ; and the interval between 

 ithe two adjacent teeth at the bafe is rather lefs than their 

 idiamcter, or one-eighth of an inch. The fpace between 

 Ithe two planes in which the teeth are difpofed is about one- 

 ithird of an inch at the bafes of the teeth. The teeth ftiould 

 be ftraight and well-tempered, and pohftied. If they become 

 [crooked in working, the workman muft ftraighten them, 

 and fit them all in a true line. The combs ufed for the laft 

 combmg of the wool have three rows of teeth. 



In the wool-comber's ftiop a poft is fixed, as fliewn 

 by fig. 2, in order to fupport the combs occafionally 

 durnig the working. An iron ftem g is fixed faft into 

 the poft, and projctts liorizontally from it ; the ex- 

 treme end of it turns upwards with a point, wliich is in- 

 ferted into a liole throngli the middle of the handle of llie 

 6 



