The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-11-17
MAKING OF SILK LACE.
49, silk Traced From Producer TO Co
y" suuer.

totn
Asamattcr of fact. nottingham is en-
,irelv innocent in the premises and the
o,lv connection between the two lies
r. the fact that Nottingham. being the
home OF the English lace industry, has
heen adopted as an appropriate name
70 h, given to the output of our cotton
,,,s manufactures. What Nottingham
10 England and Calais and Candre 70
France. Brooklyn stands TO tho United
sta,es-thc home or head center OF the
lace industry.
To follow thread OF silk from It's
raw state, through its course of prepa-
,ation TO be worked up into delicate
lace by the marvclously Ingenious ma
shinery. Is an exceedingly interesting
occupation. Tho silk is received in this
country in bales shipped from Italy,
China and Japan. IL is in skcins in the
raw state, either grecnish white or vel.
low In color. The finest silk comes
trum Italy The thread is like hair
and is as long as the slsein. The first
operation IS TO throw IL, or in other
words bring as many threads together
Is may be required in very fine or
heavier fabrics. When the thread Is of
the desired thickness IL Is boiled 10 re-
move tho gum which Is natural to It,
asd when dry 1t is wound on spools
holding several thousand yards each.
This is done by machines of from sixty
to ninety spools each.
The spools are then put on jack, or
frames of pins, on which they rcvolve
and from which the silk is fed on
drum or warping mill through brass
plates more or less perforated with
holes, according to the number OF
threads to be placed in the warp An
Ingenious device registers the yards as
they run on the drum, SO that when
The desired length has been wound
The machine is stopped. The wurps
vary in width according to the work
in which they are to be used. The
next operation Is to run the wurps on
the warp beams These beams are
steel rollers OF various thickness and
in width running as high as l54 inches.
Transferring the warp from the drum
to the beam is repetition of the oper-
alton from the spool to the drum. To
every machine there is main warp
which forms the ground work of the
pattern. supplemented by several auXil-
larry wraps of various size threads, with
which the pattern is perfected. The
main wrap may be several thousand
yards long, while the auxiliary wraps
are shorter and are replaced from time
10 time. When the slsein Is wound on
the spools part of it goes in another
direction, where the silk is run from
the spools on to bobb!ns The bobbins
are the instruments that in lace-mak-
Ing form the design of the pattern by
twisting around the warp threads. At
this stage the machine is armed with
the material ready to be worked up
And this is the point at which art
enters. A corps of draughtsmen are
employed making new designs and
laying out the work. The design be-
ing acceptable, n draughtsman' pat
tern is drawn to scale, on1 copy of
which goes to the operator on the
machine who threads il accordingly by
running the threads from the warp
beams which set at the bottom of the
machine through sley cloth and per-
iorated steel bars and fastened on the
'oIler at the tor.
This operation IS of the most eNact-
ing character aud. the greatest care
mus, b, exercised, as the mispiacing
oi single threal viii bring disaste"
10 the most elaborate and carefully
worked oHt dasirl. E2ch thread is
handled aaplrate!y aal M any hours are
required tp threll = ma chine of ~
inches in with. Wlthin that space
The pattern is repeated as many times
as the width viii allow, so that when
the faJ-ic is tucncd ont os ,he machine
asmany as thirty strips may be found.
Another copy of the drlughtsluan's
pattern is seat to The jacquard puncher,
Or what may be called piano machine,
where the pattern is punched on heavy
cardboard on the same pri nciple as the
music rolls OF an orchest rion, but with
The difference that each piece of card
@6out 25sylS incnes) contains the de-
sign of single movement of the lace
machine. II there are three hundred
stitches in a pattern there will be three
1undred of these cards strung together.
Ihc machine being threaded the cards
are adjusted TO the Jacquarl attach
ment, without which lace might better
be made by hand. The design cards
operate droppers in the attachment
oars, through which the threads pass
and weave the pattern each movement
oelng complete and perfect. On ma
chine l54 inches in width as many as
$4,000 threads are used. The Gescr,p-
aon of the working of one machine
covers all. When the desired length
mas been run OFF it goes to the examin-
ing room, where skilled women go over
q and pick up any flaw that may be
found, after which It goes to the dye
mouse to assume any color that may be
CHOSEN. From thence it is taken TO the
nnishing room, where it is washed in
prepared bath and then stretched on
trying frames in rooms kept at tenn
perature of 1870 degrees. 1t now reaches
.,s last stage preparatory to going into
the world-the carding room-where |