THIS TAPE HAS BEEN RECORDED ON AUGUST 28TH 1979 AT 13 WHITEHEAD STREET, RAWTENSTALL. THE INFORMANT IS JOHN GREENWOOD, FORMER MANAGER AT SPRING VALE MILL. THE INTERVIEWER IS STANLEY GRAHAM.
R- Right, the doffer as I have already said is covered in wire but the thing is as it revolves there is across its central point an oscillating comb.
Yes, this is on picture 27.
R- This is picture 27. And the oscillating comb vibrates very fast, and it combs the web off the doffer. Now the wire on the doffer is so set that the angle presented to the comb is the back rather than the face so that it combs off the back of the doffer wire . Nov, the thing is that it's collected on this tray, on a travelling apron and it goes through a
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small hole, again we compress it and it's made into a rope. Now this is actually the first stage of a thread.
Yes.
R- And then of course, it goes through a coiler which is so regulated that the coils are laid flat and every portion of the can is filled with the exception of a small central hole. The speed of the platform on which the can rests is regulated and then we have what we call a tube wheel in the top that goes fast so that it's distributing the coil of the cotton rope into the can. Now then, so much for the action but one or two features of the card that are very interesting and that is that the rollers and clearers can be adjusted in height to the wire on the cylinder. And the usual practice is to go through the card, we set these with metal gauges, and I’ll give you the figures as they come to me. And that's the feed roller to the licker in, that's the one with the saw tooth roller,
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is 7 to 10 thousandths of an inch, the licker in to the cylinder is 7 one thousandths of an inch. Now, the back rollers, the back pair, and usually there are seven rollers and seven clearers, are set at l2 thousandths of an inch, the next pair at 10 thou and the front two, the front three at 7thou. Now that's not hard and fast. Different carders have different ideas, but these are what you might call the guiding lines. And then of course, the clearers are set at 10 thousandths of an inch to the cylinder, and at 12 thousandths of an inch to the rollers, you see? Now there is at the front a roller which is covered, it's usually 7 to 10 inches in diameter and it's covered with very long wire, and when I say long, the normal wire might be ½ an inch on the cylinder, rollers and clearers. This wire is 1 inch to 1 and 1/8 of an inch and it's very fine and soft, it's not rigid. Now this is the only case in the whole of the textile
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industry that I have come across where a roller, where the wire on one roller actually touches the wire on the next roller. And you actually set the wire on this particular roller which we call the fancy roller, into the wire on the cylinder to lift the fibres to the top ready for the doffer. And the surface speed of the fancy should be at least, 10% faster than the surface speed of the cylinder. Now the rollers of course, they only travel very slowly, round about, I think it's about 22” a minute you see. Whereas the clearers, they just go fast enough. I should say that the rollers are 6” in diameter and the clearers are 3” in diameter. Well, the clearers of course have to go so much faster to take the material off the rollers. Anyway that’s that, and that completes the breaker card. Now we have got the rope of cotton in cans and these cans are taken to another machine which is called the Derby doubler, but the name's a bit of a misnomer in as much as it doesn’t do any doubling at all.
That's it, that's something I couldn't understand, yes, go on.
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R- But what it does, we take 96 of these cans and as this doubler is a long ‘V’ shaped machine they are spread down either side are the cans, and then the material is put through a hole in a guide plate. It passes over a spoon, and then it goes under the take in rollers. The object of the spoon is this, if a sliver breaks, we call these ropes a sliver, if it breaks, the spoon tilts and stops the machine instantly or it should do before the tail end of the sliver has got into the take in rollers. [And then a new can full of sliver is put on and the end pieced up] So that you see you have no gap to make a variation in the lap. Now, when we have got these 96 slivers, again, we press them through calendar rollers and we make them, re-wind them into a lap and we hope you see, that when all these slivers are gathered together they may equalise themselves should there be any variation in the thickness.
Because here again, this is a blending process.
R- It is indeed, yes. Because although we have got 96 cans going in, in the ultimate, when it's made into a thread on the next process we shall only have 30 threads coming out. So in point of fact, in theory you have got three slivers making one thread you see?
Yes.
R- And of course the slivers are regulated in channels so that they can't wander because after all, and you can see from the picture that machine is anywhere up to what? 30 feet in length.
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I think you'll find that picture number 30 John shows that quite clearly, it's a view from the top of the machine.
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R- Ah you see. But they could tend to wander in that distance you see so they are channelled. Anyway, number 28 and 29 show the Derby Doubler from the different sides. Here we are, number 30 is the one that shows the channels up more distinctly and the number of slivers are regulated according to the width of the channel [machine?]. You see for instance, in the very top it's only comparatively narrow. Well there might be four slivers in there or six. Well down here of course, where you get to the centre of the table, you see you might have twelve slivers but the width is in pro rata to the number of slivers. They, it’s graduated. And 31 is a good view of the mechanism because it shows the guard over the rollers. And they’re very stringent about these today, you can't get your hand in at all, well you haven't to do. And it shows the mechanism for raising the guard and the point is that you can see a chain in it. Now that chain will stop the starting handle you see. When that starting handle, when it's gone a specific length you'll see the ratchet mechanism here which moves so many teeth and allows that handle to drop which then disengages the driving wheel and by virtue of that chain and a friction wheel it raises that guard. So although there is a wheel, a hand wheel on, all the operative does is put the foot on the pedal, as you’ll see, and then the guard should raise itself and the lap should he ejected so that there is no putting your hands in. That’s a Derby Doubler. Now then…
How did it get its name of Derby, any idea?
R- I can’t tell you that at all, it goes back to antiquity. As far as I know it has always been a Derby Doubler, whether a chappie called Derby invented it, I have no idea.
That’s it aye. Picture number 32. Eh but really 32, the only reason I put that in, it's the back of the breaker cards again, it was the fire buckets again.
R- Oh yes. Well of course the whole of the room is sprinklered you see. All of the room is sprinklered but we do have these fire buckets and the extinguishers.
[By ‘sprinklered’ John means that it is protected by a sprinkler system which is a series of pipes containing water under pressure which are fitted at regular intervals with sprinkler heads. These are spray nozzles which are held closed by either a fusible link or a small glass capsule filled with a volatile liquid. In either case, any rise in temperature to a dangerous level melts the link or explodes the capsule and allows water to spray out. This spray either extinguishes the fire or slows its progress allowing staff to escape and giving more time to get the fire service to attend.]
There are also humidifiers in that room isn’t there?
R- Oh yes. Well this is it you see, because being a shed, I mean you can see the humidifiers, being a shed, when the sun's on [the roof]of course it dries the air up and of course you put this moisture back again. Because as I say, cotton works best, is most pliable at 8 ½ % moisture and of course if you get it under a drying heat, it’ll dry some of the natural moisture out. And you'll also see the thermoliers for heating the shed.
Yes, that's it the fans, yes.
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R- Besides the steam pipes because again you see, you've got to have a certain temperature for cotton. It works bent in conditions as near alike the conditions when, where it grows. That means to say that it's got to be warm and it’s got to be moist you see? Right, well now then, the thing is we have taken two laps from the Derby Doubler and they are put on the back of a finisher card which is the exact replica of a breaker card except the front delivery doffer.
Yes. Actually, if I could just interrupt you John a second. Picture 33 is just a picture of a row of cards, but there are some better pictures of the condenser cards further on. Now the next pictures…
R- Yes. Oh here, picture 34 shows the two laps behind the condenser card. And the point is that again, evenness is the characteristic sought by putting on two laps. Now the condenser card is exactly the same as a breaker card in principle, the only difference being that the doffer at the front, instead of being a continuous sheet of wire, is divided into rings. And we have got a ring of wire, and a ring of leather, so that the web is split up then into small sections and they ...
This is picture number 35 of course.
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R - This is picture number 35. And then you'll see the rings on the doffer and then it passes through, or over a dividing roller which is just to separate the slivers. And then we come to what I believe to be the system where the trade gets its name. The point being that when it's passing through these leathers that are going sideways and forward at the same time they are known as condensing leathers you see, and it's the only place where I could find that the word condenser comes in. So I’m taking it that the trade takes its name from the condenser trade in as much as the slivers are, the threads are made by condensing them from the small pieces of web, and then of course you see they are wound on to a bobbin for conveniences for taking now to the final process, which is spinning.
What difference is there John between the manufacturing of the roving by use of the condenser leathers, to the way roving's manufactured in fine spinning. Do they use the same process for making their roving or is it a different process?
R- Oh no. It's a different system altogether in as much as condenser spinning is the shortest of short processing. Or was I should say, it's not now with the new technologies you see. But in the old system of spinning cotton they used to get it from the bales, put it through a bale breaker to loft it, then it used to go through the
cleaning plant, which might be Crighton openers, Buckley cylinders, whatever, through as it is now, step cleaners. They still use this system by the way in cotton spinning, step cleaners. They have advanced tremendously, but this is to take out the bits of seeds and sand that have got into the cotton. And then it goes through the scutching process, similar to ours, and at one time, I mean it's easy to get confused with new technologies, but at one time the laps were then taken to the card. Now they still have the cards but they don't have the scutcher in as much as the stock is fed direct from the opening plant into the cards. And then from the cards of course, in the ordinary spinning you've got to get the fibres absolutely parallel for ease of manipulation, elongation in drawing them out, and this is where the processes start, putting that little bit of twist in to make them carry along. Well you've got the draw frames, of which it went through three, we used to call that three head drawing, and then it went on to a machine that took it, it was still in rope form when it came out of draw frame and then it went into a machine which we call the slubber, from which of course, the thing is it was drawn out three times.
Yes, it was drawn out by draughting rollers, weren't it?
R- Draughting rollers. And it went on to the intermediate, which was another glorified slubbing frame, except it used rovings instead, or it used slubbings, which is a big bobbin of soft material, instead of cans. And then it went on to the roving frames which again drew it out eight times finer and then from the roving frames it’d go, it went an to the spinning unity, all roller draughting. So you see, with all this roller draughting you had to have your fibres parallel. Now, in the case of condenser spinning we don’t aim so much to get the fibres parallel. I’ll explain why when we come to the mule.
Yes, great Johnny, great.
R- So the thing is this, as I said this is the shortest of short processing as it stood.
Yes, and I think that must be one of the shortest explanations of the fine spinning process that there’s ever been.
R - Oh I could go into a lot more detail you know?
Well I know you can, but no, but the beauty of it is that it is perfectly clear, that’s perfectly clear to me, that's what matters.
R- Right, picture number 36.
36 yes.
R- This is another view of the condenser showing the eccentric motion.
That’s it.
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R- This upright shaft driven by this rope makes the rollers go sideways but at the same time, the gearing at the opposite side turns them round you see. But this gives the eccentric, the two eccentric blocks there and you can alter the degree of stroke you know to rub it harder or softer, according to the position of your eccentric blocks.
Tell me now, John, one question please, is there any adjustment on the pressure between those two pieces of leather?
R- Oh yes. You can see there are these nuts on top of the, what you might call these little castles for the want of a better expression. Now, the middle one is spring loaded you see, in either case the middle one is spring loaded and you can adjust the front. You can't adjust the back, but you can adjust the front and these, you see running through these rubbers are a series of rollers you see on which they run, but the pressure rollers as we call them are in the middle. Because there are three with one on the top, you see, and the top one is the one where you put the pressure on with the spring but the two are more or less fixed in the framing, the two bottom ones and the top one presses the leathers together.
Now which governs the hardness of the roving when it comes out most. Is it the amount that the rubbers move from side to side or the pressure that’s put on by the middle roller.
R- Both.
Both, so it's a matter of balancing them out
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R- Both yes. Yes, the thing is that you can alter your degree of stroke for instance, the main object of altering your degree of stroke, say for instance you have got some long fibred cotton in. Well, now then you'd find out that as the material passes through these, the fibres get interlocked and when they come to the front they pass through these slots in the guide wires, they are guided on to the bobbin, they'd stick together and break down so that then you shorten your stroke. Now, on the other hand, if you get some very short cotton in you see, of which there is no length of fibre to grip on itself you give it that bit more or again you can adjust the speed at which your rubbers oscillate.
Oh, as well as the stroke.
R- By virtue of that stepped pulley there.
The stepped pulley at the bottom right-hand corner, yes.
R- You see because when you get these ends what we call crossing or breaking, you've get to take steps that cut that out you see. Because it you look at 37 the lady is what we call readying up a bobbin. In other words she is readying it for spinning, because there's been more than two ends broken. Now, a spinner will tolerate two ends broken but he'll not tolerate three, this is the mill practice. So you see, she has had more than two ends broken so she is having to get those threads ready for spinning and finding the lost ones. That's number 37 and that's Glenys by the way.
That's it, Glenys, aye.
R- Now, number 38 shows the condenser cards and in this case Glenys looks after 11, and she tends these 11 cards, they are facing each other, so that she hasn't too far to run. And the bobbins are conveyed away on an overhead conveyor. And now this conveyor in this particular case runs right across the shed so that wherever there are condenser cards they can put their bobbins on and it takes them away. And then it actually goes through to the top storey of the three storey building and conveys the bobbins up the wall side and across the top spinning room, and then comes down through the first floor spinning room so that the bobbins can be taken off at the place where they are needed. So number 39 shows Glenys putting a bobbin on with her thoughts many miles away.
Aye, they are!
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R- Now, picture number 40 we are on now. Now this is the actual spinning process. And first of all, what is spinning? Now, spinning is taking a series of fibres, holding them at two points and turning them on their axis with the result that when you turn it on its axis you twist it together. And that's all spinning is, is the twisting together of the fibres. And to do it mechanically of course we’ve got to hold it at two points, and we do this by means of spindles and rollers. Picture 41 gives you the sequence of the operation of the machine and then we'll talk a bit about the machine after. The thing is that the bobbins from the cards are placed in a delivery creel and the threads are passed under rollers. Now these rollers deliver x number of inches every time the mule carriage moves on its rails. Now the mule carriage is mobile, and from being stationary it moves out a distance of 60 inches and then the spindles on which the threads are held start rotating. And when they have rotated a specific number of times they automatically stop, and then the guiders come into action, what we call the fallers. And then the machine reverses and runs into the back winding the threads on to the pirns. And that’s briefly the spinning process. Now the machine itself is a very, very complicated machine. In this particular case, in my opinion, the most complicated piece of machinery in the textile industry mechanically. In as much as these particular types of mules are peculiar to the condenser spinning industry.
These are Taylor Langs we are talking about.
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R - These are Taylor Langs, and they are adapted of course from Crompton’s original idea of the spinning mule. But you see, whereas Crompton, his spindles run at a constant speed, in the case of these particular mules the spindles don’t; but Crompton was the first chappie who actually invented the moving carriage, because in the Arkwright water frame the spindles were stationary but the creel moved you see? Now Crompton had a stationary creel but the spindles moved and of course the thing is it's Crompton’s centenary this year, or whatever it is, I wonder if ...
Yes, I went to the exhibition in Bolton the other day, John.
R- Is it good?
Yea, it’s worth seeing, definitely.
R- Oh, where is it, Th’Hall I’t Wood?
No it's at, it's on Le Mans Crescent at the Art Gallery and they have got the original Crompton mule there and the new copy that's been made. Well worth seeing.
R- Ah. But anyway, the thing is that this particular condenser mule you see, with the threads being for a particular end use where you want a lot of cover. In other words the fibre has to stand out, you don't want too much twist in to bind the fibres into the body of the yarn. So Taylor Langs conceived the idea. Oh well, I don't know whether Taylor Langs did because I've seen mules older than Taylor Langs where they had the same principle that we have on the scutcher of cone drums where the spindles, the carriage started out slowly and of course as it get further out and further out the speed of the spindles increased because they were driven from cone drums you see. And as it got further out the spindles ran faster you see. Now that’s about the earliest type that I have seen. But on this Taylor Lang, the spindles are driven by three different mechanisms but they are all intermingled. For instance, on picture number, you haven't got a good picture, oh, on picture 47 you'll see if you look between the bobbins on the creels, two driving straps. Now in the first place the spindles start
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out, or the carriage starts out and the spindles are driven by the strap on the left, which is known as a carriage strap. Now that carriage strap also drives the carriage but in the first instance it drives the spindles as well and then through various levers and cams the second strap which is known as the twist strap takes over and drives the spindles, overdriving the carriage strap you see. And then again, when the carriage has gone as far as its stretch, the twist strap is switched from one pulley to another pulley which has a higher ratio of speed to what we call the rim shaft, which actually does the driving of the spindles, which overdrives the second speed and the carriage strap you see and gives the spindles their final speed ...
Yes. I think that those will become a lot clearer in the other pictures that show the other parts of the mule John, later on. But one of the things was I had to decide where to start when I was doing the mule so I started with doffing. I started with them setting the mule up to doff.
R- Yes. This is when a specified amount of yarn has been put on each pirn, and the pirns are placed on those spindles and of course, when a specified amount of yarn has been put on it automatically stops so that there is the same length of yarn on them all. And then the spinner has to prepare his mechanism to accommodate the bare spindles again you see. And then 42 shows the various stages and 43 shows the various stages. Where he has slackened the threads and if you look at what we call the sickles, which run down between the spindles, they have now been brought to the bottom of the spindle you see. Now then, he's tightened up, because what he has to do before he can remove the old pirn is to put a small amount of yarn on the bottom of the spindle so that when the empty pirn goes on it will automatically start to wind on. So that’s number 43. Now then, he’s tightened up and he’s adjusting the builder motion.
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On picture number 44. Yes.
R- You see on 44 he is adjusting the builder motion, he is the chappie at the back. Because they are built up by, again, a very special and intricate process in as much as you have got shaper plates that the rail on which the sickles are based has a differing profile. And because of this the sickles lift up and descend thus altering the profile [of the yarn on the pirn].
Yes. Those will be what Jim called copping plates.
R- That's it, those are the copping plates, yes.
Yes. Well we have some pictures of them further on John.
R- Oh. So now then on 45 they are ready now for doffing and 46.
He was just running in and…
R- No, he was just putting that little bit under the pirn you see, he has got it a bit too slack on 47.
Aye he said as much yes.
R - So, he has got to take that up before he can start to take all the pirns off.
Yes, he said so himself, so he is taking a bit out there, isn't he?
R- You see, yes, and he is just running them under you see then he is ready for doffing.
Yes, on picture number 48, yes. On 49…
R- Yes. Now he is adjusting the take-up you see which is the mechanism that is in the centre of the mule which we know as the headstock and from there, all the motions are controlled.
That's it, yes.
R- Right, now then, on picture number 50. 50 shows him actually removing the pirns from the spindles. You can see that the thread is held on the bottom of the spindle ready to receive the new pirn. Donald’s there putting the new pirns on. This has still to be done by hand. Various methods have been tried, you know, with batteries but due to the differing number of spindles between the sickles they don't operate. And then again, these are metal pirns specially for electric feeler motions you see, on the looms. So that's number 511, replacing the empty pirns. He has got his arm full [of filled pirns], and he is emptying them into the boxes ready for transportation.
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Aye and on picture 52 he is putting them into the box. Aye, he told me that he takes three bobbins at once so that'll be 90 pirns at a time.
R- Yes. Now then, on picture number 53 is a little gadget whereby all the pirns are pressed down to the spindle board so that they are all at the same height.
Yes, now that’s very important isn’t it?
R- Oh very. You couldn’t do with one up and one down because the thing is you'd have a, well no end of a barney on the mule, on the loom rather you see. Because you can’t do with the thread under the butt of the pirn because you see they are automatic changes and if there's any obstruction, the pirn is horizontal and it's hit by hammer and knocked into the shuttle. Now that pirn knocking into the shuttle knocks the old pirn out at the bottom. Well now then, if there is any obstruction of any kind, you'd have a real to do. No, that gadget on 53 is for making the pirns all the same height.
Yes that’s it. Now, picture number 54.
R- Now then, 54, that’s Jim pressing them downy so they are all the same height. And picture 55 shows the effect of using that presser.
Yes, and it also nicely shows the way it's the Counterfaller, the one that's pushed it right down to the bottom. The way the counterfaller has pushed the thread right down to the bottom to get that filled up at the bottom.
R- Yes, that’s it.
And on picture number 56 he is just finishing pressing and Tom is up at the top and picture 57…
R- Yes. And on 57, they have got to run it in very carefully until the threads get round the pirn otherwise you'll break a right lot down, unless it's done very carefully.
I notice when Jim's doing that he very often puts some weight on the fallers or moves the fallers himself, helps them to move.
R- Well, he does, he is just easing the tension you see. After all, there's a great deal of tension on there, and not a lot of basis to hold it. So he eases the tension, so that by doing that of course it saves him a lot of breakages and then of course they have so much less [downtime].
Now picture number 58. He’s started off spinning now.
R- He's taken a bobolink off the conveyor coming out of the card room that we saw and he's putting it on the mule creel ready for dropping in when need be. And 59 of course shows him replacing a bobbin.
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Aye. That’s it. That’s creeling isn’t it?
R- Creeling yes. Only every one has to be put in by hand.
Yes. Well Tommy came down to give him a hand. That’s it, yes.
R- Oh well this is, you see when the wrong piece, there's a great deal of understanding and co-operation because if your mate doesn't come, it can take you longer and you know they are paid the number of times that mule goes in and out you see.
One thing I noticed, while they were on John, was the fact that all the end rovings are crossed. Why is that? The end ones.
R- Oh, the end ones?
Yes, the end ones, they always cross, the one on each end of the bobbin, the two end ones, they cross them.
R- Well, that is to pull it away from the edge of the flange. You see the thing is if it was coming over here you see, you can see that would be constantly getting nicked down there.
Rubbing on the flange. Yes.
R- So they always cross them over, so that it's drawn off, away from the edge of the flange, you see?
Yes, yes, with you John, with you. So picture number 61. That's it all set up again ready for…
R- Yes, ready for going.
And of course the actual twist is put in in between the guide wire and the roller isn't it, when the actual piece, the…
R- Well they are only, yes, yes, aye.
When the main one ..
R- Aye. Now then, there’s Jim, he has just pieced an end up and he is gathering up the waste. Now you see, the thing is that if an end breaks down it drops on to the carriage does the material. It still keeps delivering you see while it drops on the carriage. Now you see…
Yes. That shows up clearly further on.
R- In picture number 63 is Jim pulling it off the…
Yes, he’s just going to make a piecing. Now that’s the only time he can make a piece? When the carriage is right up to the creel isn’t it, when it’s right up there?
R- Oh no. He can piece up as it's coming out but you aren’t supposed to piece up when it’s more than a third of the way out.
Yes that’s it because that's when the twist starts isn't it. The main twist, yes.
R- Because they well, I mean the main twist. It is twisting all the way but the thing is if you get it more than a third of the way out it makes a soft yarn and when it gets to the loom it'll break. You are not supposed to do.
Yes, soft yarn, that's it. Now he was, this series of pictures, I know you haven't had time to really look through them all this afternoon. This series of pictures, now really there are about six pictures showing, he had a had cop and he had to take it off and then of course he had to level it up. And these pictures are showing it, so that you can describe what he is doing here John. He had one end go down, but it was a bad cop, and he had to take the cop off.
R- Well, the thing is that what's happened it's happen been down for say a few draws. Well in that case the pirn has got to he brought back so that it’s level and there’s no nick in it. So that he’s probably, or again you see the material’s happen broken down, and the pirn has picked it up.
I think that was what happened, yes.
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R- You see? And with the revolving action he picked it up of course and he's got to straighten it out then because you can see on 65 he is replacing the pirn you see but by virtue of his eye he won't push it quite as far down ...
That's it yes.
R- And then there won't be a nick you see?
Yes. Picture number 65.
R - Otherwise in a loom, if there was a nick in, when it came to there the yarn would be slack and all come up at once. In other words what we call a slub.
Yes. Now, on picture number 66 we can see that he has put it back on and he hasn't pushed it right down has he, it's stuck up a little bit.
R- Yes. He’s just a little bit higher.
That’s it and on 67 he’s still drawing it off.
R - Oh, because he was a bit too high. You see, he was a bit too high and he must have it level. Otherwise if it's too high it'll make a lump on and again that's more or less fatal to the shuttles
That’s it. Yes.
R- Because these things you know, these shuttles are kind of tapered, they are not tapered, that’s the wrong word but they're so hollowed out just to take the pirn and no more. Because they are made to a specific size are these pirns.
Yes. And on picture number 68 we can see the roving gathered on the carriage.
R- How the roving gathers on the carriage, yes.
And he was, and 69 he is still drawing it off, that was a bad cop you remember and we were on about it at the time, because I asked him why he was taking so much off. And there was a fault in that cop, he didn't like it and that was why he drew so much off.
R- Well the thing is it would be another cop that he had by him. Because I don’t know if you can see any…
That's it. Yes it was.
R- We do keep one or two bits, yes.
It was, yes you are right John, it was.
R- He keep one or two bits so that if there's, you can see one on that faller there.
Aye on 69. Between the two…
R- On 69 and on 68. You see, they keep them little bit spare or they may have them in one of these tins here and then he digs one out and it makes a perfect cop as against the bad one.
Yes. And on picture number 70 he's looking to see if it's level there isn't he? On 70?
R- Yes. Aye, now having satisfied himself on 71 he is proceeding to piece up.
Yes that’s it, on 71 and 72.
R- Yes, shows him actually on the job.
Ye, and 73.
R- So he is piecing up not more than a third of the way out.
Yes. Aye, so pictures 73 and 74….
R- He is taking up the waste like a good spinner.
Aye. And on 75 he’s balling it up. What amazes me John is how Jim can pull up a great long string of waste like that without it twisting up amongst all the other ends.
R- Aye, that’s a, I was going to say an art but it’s something that you learn, it’s a knack you know. In other words you have got to pull it exactly vertical. If you deviate to one side or the other it'll twist in.
(950)
And that of course will bring a couple more ends down, or at least one or two and you are just wasting time and away again.
R – Aye. Yes, now on picture 76. You see what happens is when you have pieced an end up, they do tend to get a little bit tight do the threads and when the fallers come down you know, that little bit of extra tension, it's the last straw that breaks the camel's back and it breaks it. So what he does, he just eases it just a fraction, not supposed to do but he does see? Now then, the thing is that the rollers themselves consist of two steel rollers and a line of leather rollers. Now, the leather rollers tend to pick up little bits off the yarn as it's going through. And we have what we call a clearer. And the clearer is propelled along by the torpedo shape. You see, by virtue of being a cone, it carries round, and it pushes the block.
It's an amazing idea, amazing idea that John. I love it, I love it.
R- The block has of course a piece felt underneath, and it's cleaning the rollers as it goes along.
Yes. This is picture 77, he's just cleaning the block off with his hand.
R- Well. The thing is when it gets to the end you have to reverse them you see. So he's just cleaning the block off now and reversing it. Now then you can see the block on 78 where he is picking the little bits off. Because if he didn’t pick them off when they got so big they'd fall in and be wound in the yarn and make a slub you see.
Yes. And picture number 79?
R- And 79 actually shows the clearer in progress.
Tell me something Johnny while we have got a clear picture of the rollers there. Do those rollers actually draft, do they draft?
R – No. The thing is that there's no roller drafting because there are only three rollers. Now, where you have three you can't draft, you must have two pairs you see. Because drafting is one pair going faster than the other. And the thing is in this case there's no draft. But what happens is that the carriage is actually going faster than the delivery rollers. In the normal way of things the delivery rollers will deliver say up to 42-44 inches but the carriage will travel 60.
Yes. Jim was saying, he measured a piece for me specially, and he said it was 41 inches or thereabouts.
R – 41 inches, yes.
And just at that time. But he said that that varied with the different sorts that they would do.
R- Different types and different counts, yes it does. Well I said 42 to 44, you see
Yes, that’s it.
R- But the thing is here you see, that’s the beauty of this system. For instance, Jim. Well, when he's pieced a roving up, when he’s creeled you'll see those 30 pieces come through and you can watch them being drawn out until instead of being double they are more or less reduced to a third of the size by virtue of the drafting of the carriage over the delivery rollers.
SCG/02 September 2003
6,930 words.