OCR Text |
Show How Cloth Is Shrunk Before It Goes to the Tailor IN order to shrink It evenly and prevent further shrinkage when in use. the cloth for your new suit of clothes, before be-fore It goes to the tailor for cutting and manufacture. Is subjected to an elaborate treatment known to the trade a cloth sponging, which comprises tho process of subjecting cloth as It comes from the mill to the action of steam under pressure or to the action of coll water, according to the material and weave of tho goods Theoretically this process prevents any further shrinkage, and one should bo able to wear cloth so treated In any sort of weather without experiencing future trouble m retting ret-ting Into the suit. Actually, as everybody krows. many of the cheaper grades of cloth begin to shrink at the first sign of cloudy weather, and when worn In a rainstorm are practically useless thereafter for wearing purposes. Tho cloth sponging process, however. In us In every cltv and town of anv sire where cloth ia made Into garmenti In New York city alone there aro sixty-five establishments, estab-lishments, with an average force of 300 men. noyvomen being employed In any branch or l.e Industry Tho Industry' Is divide,; into three branches examining, .old water or London shrinking, which is tho older branch of the business, and steam sbrihklng, or sponginc. which was devised a a lime and labor SHVlng device. Before the holts of cloth are put through at j of the processes every yard g Inspected by experts, known In the trade as cloth examiner, ex-aminer, Thus men pull tho cloth over s Elaborate Process Necessary to Safeguard Your Suit Against Ruin by Rain rpek or perch, and all defects found Dy them are marked by a tape put In the selvage sel-vage of ihe goods These distinguishing marks ore put in the material for the purpose, pur-pose, of guiding tho cutters, bo that they may avoid placing the defects In the clothing. cloth-ing. When the examiners find lhat tho defects de-fects run higher than a certain standard tho piece Is rejected and sent back to the mill. Cold water shrinking Is conducted by running run-ning the bolts of cloth through a tank of clean cold water and then, in some factories as it emerges from tho tank a spray of cold v.i'ter under pressure Is thrown against the cleth It is then run through wringers to dispose of the excess water and Is dried by being hung for from twelve to forty-eight hours on wooden racks attached to the celling. When dry the- cloth Is taken down, measure, meas-ure, i on a measuring machine and then rolled or wound on boards, some shops use a combination measuring and winding machine ma-chine It Is then ready for tho tailoring trade This process is known as th London o- cold water process of shrinking. Warm water is used in some factories Instead of cold water for certain WVea, while other factories use drying machine to acrHerato tho process of drying after thi . lotl has been run through the dampening machine. This machine consists of a rec tangular chamber approximately ;.i feet long. 10 feet wide and S feet high, and at the top of the chamber are placed racks of wood over whl. h tho rolls of damp cloth aro Slowly drawn by motor power. alout fifteen minutes being consumed In drying a seventy-five seventy-five yard holt of cloth Ir. a compartment at the side of the chamber cham-ber colls of team plpo aro Installed, three fans being used to distribute the boat evenly throughout the drying chamber This Is an eli bora t Ion of the London process and does not roughen or disturb tho nap of the cloth, thus obviating the necessity of reflnlshlng th goods. Reflnlshlng Is often ncary when the nap on the cloth Is roughened or disturbed, different machines and processes are used to restore the cloth to Its proper condition for the trade. In some places the cloth Is run ever a smooth roll under an endless sleeve, thereby smoothing and finishing It. In other ptaces a reflnlshlng process Is used, especially espe-cially for canvas. After canvas is shrunk and dried It Is often somewhat wrinkled and It Is put through this type of pressing machine which automatically smoothes and presses the goods between flat chambers heated bv steam In another process of reflnlshlng tho cloth Is placed In folds, between pieces of cardboard, card-board, which are then piled Ivctwcen steel plates which have been heated to a proper degree of temperature in n metal heatlnc box The: e piles are placed In a press and pressed i ntll the cloth Is smooth and the nap lies properly, a knucklo back link being be-ing used to reRulote the pressure. in tho horizontal roll process the cloth, after being examined for defects, is passed 0Vr a hollow metal cylinder having therein B great number of small perforations connected con-nected with tubes about two Inches long projecting Into the cylinder, through which live steam Is forced under a pressuro of from sixty to ninety pounds, depending on the weight, t, xture ard quality of the goods to be shrunk While being passed over on roll of the two cylinder machine containing live steam It Is wound on the second or dead, roll of the machine for drying. It Is then Carrie on this roll to the measuring and winding machines, where the exact yardagfl of the goods Is ascertained and the . oth wound on boards read;- for the taJor-Ing taJor-Ing trade. The steam Jet or vertical cylinder pro-CM pro-CM consists in winding the cloth on short perforated cylinders, about three feet six Inches to four feet. In length, prior to steaming. These rolls when filled with cloth aro set in an upright position over steam Jets placed lr a row on a narrow table, after which the steam Is forced under pressure pres-sure Into tho cvllnders and through the cloth Tho rolls, weighing approximately sixty pounds, are carried while still hot and steaming by the operators to tho winding machines. In doing this It Is necessary to wrap the roll in cioth to prevent the operator opera-tor being burned but despite this precaution th faces and shoulders of the operators are often scalded and blistered. |