Box 1

Scope and Contents Gelatin silver print. Image depicts the combing process of wool slivers. Note the pile of finished coils on the left. Text: "Combing. This process removes shorter fibers below a desired length for worsted processing. It combs the longer fibers which are retained and arranges them in parallel order. During this combing operation, neps and other impurities, which have not been previously removed, are also taken out with the shorter fibers. The short fibers, called noils, are the basis for...

Scope and Contents

Gelatin silver print. Image depicts combed slivers being processed through a gill box. Text: "Finished Gilling. A number of combed slivers are processed through the gill box which further parallels the fiber mass by means of drafting rolls and fallers. These fallers consist of a number of tapered pins which move at a faster surface speed, thus performing a combing action."

Scope and Contents Gelatin silver print. Image depicts combed slivers being reduced to a fine roving through the process of drawing. Text: "Drawing (Mix Gill). After combing and top making, it is necessary to further blend the various fiber components and to reduce the heavy sliver down to a relatively fine roving which can be used on the spinning frame. Here we have an overall view of some of the drawing operations. The first operation is the Mix Gill. Here we see a number of tops blended and drafted through...

Scope and Contents

Feed side. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20407.

Scope and Contents

Napper raising surface fibers by action of pins. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20408.

Scope and Contents

Two yarns are wound from spinning bobbins through a tension devise and slub catcher, upward to the gathering rol, then down to the traversing yarn guide onto the tube. He two ends are wound as one. Tubes are fed to twisting where a 2-ply yarn is produced or may be fed to warper. The machine is a Foster #57 Doubler Winder. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20409.

Scope and Contents

Bobbins form spinning or twisting are placed on stationary spindles (to left of bin: see mid-machine) and yarn passes upward through a tension device and slub catcher t traversing yarn guide, then into cone which is rotated by the rum. The machine is a Folster Cone Winder. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20410.

Scope and Contents

Multiple-wound tubes are creeled behind the warper. Many ends are drawn from all the tubes to form a sheet of yans which is wound onto the warp beam. The beam may be used to feed a twister or a slasher. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20411.

Scope and Contents

This continues the reducing of he strands. The spools from the 2-spindle Gill Box are fed into the "rover" and the strands are drafted using drafting rolls (in contrast to the pins used in gilling). Again it is wound onto double-headed wooden spools with more twist added to enable removal in the next operation. The path of the stock is downward. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20412.

Scope and Contents

Spools from the First Roverr are placed in creel at the top and fed downward to the drafting rolls, drawn down t the size needed for spinning, more twist added for strength (but not enough to interfere with drafting) and then wound onto double-headed wooden spools. The path of the stock is downward. U.S.Department of Agriculture; Negative #20413.