WIRING CARDS
After the cards are laced, if intended to be wrought on power looms in the usual way, they require to be ‘wired’—that is, to have pieces of straight stiff wire, about 2 in. longer than the cards, tied across them to the lacing, so that they may be hung on the racks or frames prepared for them on the looms. The wires should project 1 in., or rather more, at each end of the cards; they should be tied to the under side of the cards, so as not to come against the jacquard cylinder, and it also bears them better, being under the lacing. A piece of waxed twine is mostly used for tying them on.
The distance between the wires depends upon the number of cards, and the height they are when on the loom. For a small set, a wire to every fourteen or sixteen cards is a very good distance apart, but for a large set a wire to every twenty or twenty-four cards will be sufficient in order to give a longer drop and take up less lateral space.