MAKING UPHOLSTERY CLOTH Part 2
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: Making Upholstery Cloth, Part III. “This ultra rapid view illustrates the action taking place.” Spinning machinery in operation - hands removing spools of thread from machine. “Now we see the difference between ‘roving and yarn.” Hands placing thick, untwisted roving and thin twisted yarn side-by-side, pulling each until it is broken. “Winding the yarn from the bobbins to the ‘jack spool.’” Worker inside semicircular rack of spools. “Six of these spools are wound onto a still larger spool called ‘section beam.’” Thread being wound onto very large spool, worker tending machine. “Eight ‘section beams’ in their turn to make up a Ford warp.” Bank of large spools, thread from them unwinding into loom - worker’s hand moving under warp, inspecting it. “Threading the harness which moves the warp ends up and down in the loom.” Worker seated at harness, threading harness. “Each of the 2,424 ends must be pulled through the eyes - like this.” Close-up of threading operation - harness lying on top of spool. “Warp and harness being installed in loom.” Workers moving spool to loom, hanging harness in frame. “Tying ends of yarn to leader apron.” Worker’s hands tying yarn in bunches. “One man operates 4 looms.” Loom in operation. “If a single thread breaks a finger drops down and stops the loom.” Worker tending loom, finding broken thread. “The broken yarn must be threaded and tied before the loom continues.” Worker’s hands retying thread in loom - loom in operation. “A shuttle.” Worker’s hand removing, showing, replacing shuttle in loom. “The shuttle speeds like an arrow from one side of the loom to the other, weaving the cross threads.” Views of loom in operation some at normal speed and some in slow motion. “As if magic the cloth grows before our eyes.” Loom in operation - worker making chalk mark on cloth - loom weaving, chalk mark moving - workers hands showing warp, cloth on loom. “When the rolls of cloth are removed from the loom they are sewed into one long strip.” Worker sewing ends of cloth together. “The burling shears are next applied to the surface of the cloth to remove loose end knots, etc., and make it smoother.” Machine with rotating mower-like knife in operation. “Shearing burrs off the back of the cloth.” Close-up of burling shears in operation. “Fulling the newly woven cloth.” Cloth being run through machine. “This shows the result of the fulling process.” Close-up of bolts of cloth. “The cloth must be laid in even folds so that it can be put through the finishing operations.” Cloth falling in folds. “Soaping preparatory to the final washing.” Cloth moving through vat. “In the washing, water is sprayed and sucked through the cloth.” Cloth moving through vat. “Going into the dryer.” Cloth moving over roller into machine. “The cloth undergoes another inspection as it comes from the dryer.” Worker inspecting cloth moving past him. “The cloth is then sheared - note how blade automatically raises over seams.” Burling shears in operation. “Close inspecting is made to see how the shears are cutting.” Worker inspecting cloth - cloth moving over rollers. “Brushed.” By machine. “Sprinkled.” By machine. “And pressed.” Cloth moving through pressing rollers, steam rising. “All these are finishing operations. A storage rack aids in steady production.” Cloth on rack - worker inspecting cloth. “The cloth is now finished, a durable product beautiful in appearance. Each roll is automatically measured. Eighteen hours have elapsed since the time we saw the fleece until now.” Workers hands displaying cloth - close-up of gauge moving - worker tying roll of cloth. “The cloth must prove up to 17 ounces per yard.” Worker weighing rolls of cloth, stacking them. “A truck takes the finished rolls to the cutting department and a small sample goes to the laboratory for test.” Worker cutting swatch off of roll - tractor-hauled trailer of rolls of cloth. “The test in the laboratory. Determining the tensile strength. This machine registers the number of pounds pressure the cloth will stand in tearing.” Workers hands placing sample in machine. “It must test 50 lbs. or better.” Cloth being stretched until it tears - close up of dial - close up of torn cloth. “There are many grades of thread used in cushion making. A six pound test is necessary for this grade of thread to pass.” Testing single threads to breaking point - close-ups of dial after each break. [1927]
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