Packing.
After having been passed the goods are made up into portable bundles of about 10 pieces in each, and are ready for forwarding to the warehouses in Manchester, or possibly to the bleachers or printers, or to some Glasgow or London house. Some few manufacturers have also a shipping connection, when the cloth is packed and forwarded direct without passing through the hands of the Manchester agent. The bulk of the cloth goes to Manchester, and here undergoes a second scrutiny preparatory to packing if shipped “in the grey,” or previous to being forwarded to the bleacher, dyer, finisher, or printer, if it has to undergo these processes before export.
Bleaching is the removal of any colour from the cloth by the action of chemicals.
Printing is the colouring of the surface of the cloth according to a figure or design, and may be in several colours.
In finishing, the cloth is coated with filling substances and has a gloss imparted to it, greatly improving the appearance of the fabric.
In such fabrics as cotton blankets, or for the thin oilcloths known as American cloths, the fibres on the surface of the cloth have to be raised; this operation is performed in a raising machine, where, by means of pointed filleting, the face of the fabric is abraded until the fibres form a nap.
In packing, the pieces are arranged in bales and compressed to about half their bulk when loose. The layer of protective material round the bales consists of white paper, brown paper, followed on the outside by black oiled sheets and pack sheeting. Occasionally, linen sheets are introduced between the inner and the outer layers as an additional protection against stain or damage. The bales are hooped in the press.
Varieties of Cotton Cloth.
The principal makes of cotton cloth are given below, together with remarks concerning export, sizing, etc., and at the end a list of the standard sizes is attached. The first group of cloths includes the shirtings, dhooties, and long-cloths:—