How Fibres Are Spun (1940-1949)

how fibers are spun how short thin fibers are made up into one long thread it is perhaps not easy to understand the working of modern machines used for spinning but we may get quite a good idea of the spinning processes if first we see them done by hand next by simple spindles and then by some of the early spinning wheels using the hands only is not very satisfactory the thread from this tuft of wool straight from the sheep's back tends to break some preparation of the fibers is needed the first stage of preparation is called opening out we'll see the opening out of wool and then of cotton fibers wool fibers and out like this to prevent bunches of them from clinging together such bunches would produce an uneven thread uneven threads are weak in places they do not look well and they're difficult to spin in addition opening out gives the chance to blend wool from different parts of the sheep's back this is raw cotton that is cotton as it was picked from the ball of the cotton plant this West African woman is taking out the cotton seeds a process known as dinning in the textile industry ginning is done much more quickly by machines when the seeds have been taken out the raw cotton is picked up on a stick knocking the stick repeatedly separates the fibres quite soon the raw cotton is ready for spinning wool needs carding ekkada is a wooden tool with hundreds of wire pins close together in straight rows sticking up on one side woolly placed on one Carter and another similar Carter drawn across the pins of each taste one another the process is really rather like combing or brushing your hair you there are three results of carding the fibers are further separated they lie roughly in the same direction and there is a fairly even texture with wool prepared like this we are likely to get a good strong even thread the wool comes off the Condors quite easily to make it simple to handle during spinning it is made into a roll called roll egg a good many roll eggs are made so that spinning can go on without interruption before looking at some of the ways in which wool cotton and silk fibers are actually spun let us pause for a moment to see where we are the spinning means opening out fibers twisting winding we've seen the opening out stage now we go on to the twisting and winding stages she is using a hand spindle the thread is taken round the bottom of the spindle and then a simple knot is made at the top when the spinner has used up all the fibers from one roll egg she twists a few fibers from the end of a new one with the thread already on the spindle thus making a join with her right hand she sets the spindle revolving she draws out the fibers and from time to time she spins the hanging spindle when at length has been spun the thread is unhitched from a tip and wound round the stem of the spindle that's ready and on as before the actual twisting has to stop for the winding on and the winding on stops for the twisting this is an improvement on the method of using unprepared wool and only the fingers the making of thread from fibers is done almost all over the world here is the way a peasant from Yugoslavia spins the carded wool is fastened to a distaff the spinners left hand controls are drying out of the wall so that a uniform thread is produced years of practice have made her fingers very skillful she can spin like this even when walking along but winding on and spinning are still separate when the spindle is almost at arm's length she must stop to wind on the new response read you cotton and silk can be spun in much the same way here is our West African woman spinning again the twisting stops for the winding on the knot at the top of the spindle is the same the weight of the spindle however is partly supported by the bowl the method is suitable for delicate fibers and thin threads but imagine the patients needed to produce thread by these hand spinning methods it is not surprising that inventors tackled the problem one of the most important of their early attempts was the Great Wheel which has a driving band that turns the spindle one turn round of the wheel produces many turns of the spindle thus the actual twisting is greatly speeded and so is the winding on but they are still separate processes an invention which provides for twisting and winding on to take place at the same time is the treadle wheel the treadle wheel frees both hands for spinning the foot provides the power by means of a treadle the really important part is the spindle let's examine it closely on the left the fibers into the spindle through a hole they are twisted and pass over one of a series of hooks on a horseshoe shaped part called the flyer this almost surrounds the bobbin there are two driving bans one on the right turns the flyer and the one on the left turns the bobbin here is the bobbin and it's driving band outlined the bobbin turns round independently of the flyer the flyer spindle and driving band on our outlined Bobby I revolve these twists the thread and they also wind it on at the same time you you to make the bobbin winder lay the thread is moved from one hook on the flyer to another notice that the bobbin can rotate independently of the flyer but to wind the thread the bobbin must revolve faster than the flyer we lock the two fillets first the bobbin then the flyer now turn the driving wheel and see which mark comes round first the bobbin let's do it again the bobbin has gone much further round it revolves more quickly than the flyer and thus draws the thread through the spindle and onto itself now for a moment or two we'll look at the wheel in action on the Left fibers from a row leg are drawn through a hole in the end of a spindle they are twisted the thread passes through a hole in the side of the spindle and is wound onto the bobbin by the fire in modern Mills the processes of spinning are all mechanized but what is done to the fibers is really much the same drawing out twisting and winding on will look into a modern mill what a contrast but we can recognize upright spindles flyers and bobbins the fibers enter and leave the Flyers as in the treadle wheel but there are no hooks on the Flyers they move up and down over the bobbins instead yes this is a contrast and it has needed the efforts of many generations to produce the change but what is actually done to the fibers remains the same

Channel: British Pathé

Views: 43,568

Keywords: Instructional, DOCS, Films, British Pathe, Education, Visual, 2885.03, mills, Danvers-Walker, British, Yugoslavians, Committee, newsreel, crafts, Aids, in, Bob, footage, West, spinning, Africans, women, National, Reuters, BritishPathe, for, documentary, work

Id: pLtdyFIe_VA

Length: 10min 12sec (612 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 13 2014