Bare, badly-covered cloth, caused by the back rest of the loom being too low, the shed too large, late treading and picking, too much weight or uneven sheds. Cockly cloth looks raw and has raised lumps on the face caused by too little weight. Cracks are sometimes weavers’ faults in not letting back after weft breaking, take-up motion working unequally, or through some parts not being screwed up tightly. The reed case also requires attention in case of this objectionable fault. Uneven cloth is generally attributable to the unevenness of the weft, although anything tending to unequal release of the warp from the beam, such as weights touching the floor, damp ropes, or loose pivots, may cause it.
Reedy cloth is caused when a few dents of the reed are bent out of position.
Bad sides are either slattered, caused by unsatisfactory bottoming, or are frayed and raw from lack of sufficient side ends. Occasionally a bad picker catches the weft and causes a peculiar ridgy selvage.
Floats are the result of obstruction in the shed generally, broken twist keeping down the warp threads and preventing their interweaving with the weft; a raw place is caused which can generally be obliterated.
Mashes are on a larger scale. If the shuttle is entrapped without the reed flying out, in loose reed looms, or the protector acting in fast reeds, the twist is entirely broken out for several inches in the width. To piece up all these ends leaves an ugly place, and it is occasionally preferable to weave on and seam the piece, after cutting out the obnoxious part. A shuttle spelling will cause the same effect as trapping.
Broken picks are caused by several layers of weft coming off the cop into one shed. These should be picked out by the weaver, as, besides being unsightly, they are objectionable in certain after processes—printing, raising for oilcloth purposes, etc.
In figured work faulty patterns, slattering borders, and missing picks or ends require attention.
Black oil—that is, oil discoloured by being mixed with the particles of iron ground off the shaft necks and bearings—must be washed out with soap and water. Oxalic acid is often applied to the spots, combining with the iron and forming oxalate of iron, which, being soluble in water, can be rinsed out. This substance, unless thoroughly cleansed out, acts somewhat corrosively on the fibre, and for this reason is tabooed by some cloth buyers. In coloured work care must be taken that the colour shows up well and bright. According to the prevalence of any of these faults in a piece of cloth, the cloth-looker has to select and classify his deliveries. Other important items are included in the scrutiny—short lengths and widths, short or uneven weights, too light reed and pick, wrong headings, are all very important points, necessitating careful attention, and instant report of same to the persons responsible.
Headings.
Headings, or cross-borders, are bars of coloured wefts placed at the end of each piece of cloth for distinction from other pieces. These headings are also placed at other parts of the cloth, indicating where the pieces are to be separated by the retail dealers. These headings are very fanciful and intricate in some instances, ranging, as they do, from the simple stripe heading of 2 or 4 picks, to the extensive Sarrie or Madras heading 15 or 20 inches in length. The principal headings are the Bombay, Ceylon, Sarrie, Calcutta, and Madras.