The Jute Industry: From Seed to Finished Cloth Part 8

The doubled piece now pa.s.ses between a pair of positively driven drawing rollers, and is then "faked," "cuttled," or pleated as indicated. The machine thus automatically, doubles the piece, and delivers it as exemplified in folds of half width. In other industries, this operation is termed creasing and, rigging. Some of the later types of crisping or creasing machines double the cloth lengthwise as ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 47, and, in addition, roll it at the same time instead of delivering it in loose folds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _By permission of Messrs. Urquhart Lindsay & Co. Ltd_.

FIG. 47 CRISPING, CREASING OR RIGGING MACHINE]

If the cloth is intended to be cut up into lengths, say for the making of bags of various kinds, and millions of such bags are made annually, it is cut up into the desired lengths, either by hand, semi-mechanically, or wholly mechanically, and then the lengths are sewn at desired places by sewing machines, and in various ways according to requirements.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _By permission of Messrs. Urquhart, Lindsay & Co. Ltd_ FIG 48 SEMI-MECHANICAL BAG OR SACK CUTTING MACHINE]

Fig. 48 ill.u.s.trates one of the semi-mechanical machines for this purpose; this particular type being made by Messrs. Urquhart, Lindsay & Co., Ltd., Dundee. About eight or nine different cloths are arranged in frames behind the cutting machine, and the ends of these cloths pa.s.sed between the horizontal bars at the back of the machine. They are then led between the rollers, under the cutting knife, and on to the table. The length of cloth is measured as it pa.s.ses between the rollers, and different change pinions are supplied so that practically any length may be cut. Eight or nine lengths are thus pa.s.sed under the knife frame simultaneously, and when the required length has been delivered, the operative inserts the knife in the slot of the knife frame, and pushes it forward by means of the long handle shown distinctly above the frame and table.

He thus cuts eight or nine at a time, after which a further length is drawn forward, and the cycle repeated. Means are provided for registering the number pa.s.sed through; from 36,000 yards to 40,000 yards can be treated per day.

The bags may be made of different materials, e.g. the first four in Fig. 32. When hessian cloth, II, Fig. 32, is used, the sewing is usually done by quick-running small machines, such as the Yankee or Union; each of these machines is capable of sewing more than 2,000 bags per day. For the heavier types of cloth, such as sacking, _S_, Fig. 32, the sewing is almost invariably done by the Laing or overhead sewing machine, the general type of which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 49, and made by Mr. D. J. Macdonald, South St. Roque's Works, Dundee. This is an absolutely fast st.i.tch, and approximately 1,000 bags can be sewn in one day.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 49 OVERHEAD (LAING) SACK SEWING MACHINE _By permission of Mr. D. J. Macdonald_]

The distinctive marks in bags for identification often take the form of coloured stripes woven in the cloth, and as ill.u.s.trated at _S_, Fig. 32. It is obvious that a considerable variety can be made by altering the number of the stripes, their position, and their width, while if different coloured threads appear in the same cloth, the variety is still further increased.

Many firms, however, prefer to have their names, trade marks, and other distinctive features printed on the bags; in these cases, the necessary particulars are printed on the otherwise completed bag by a sack-printing machine of the flat-bed or circular roller type. The latter type, which is most largely used, is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 50.

It is termed a two-colour machine, and is made by Mr. D. J. Macdonald, Dundee; it will be observed that there are two rollers for the two distinct colours, say red and black. Occasionally three and four-colour machines are used, but the one-colour type is probably the most common.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _By Permission of Mr. D. J. Macdonald_. FIG 50 SACK PRINTING MACHINE]

The ownership of the bags can thus be shown distinctly by one of the many methods of colour printing, and if any firm desires to number their bags consecutively in order to provide a record of their stock, or for any other purpose, the bags may be so numbered by means of a special numbering machine, also made by Mr. D. J. Macdonald.

The last operation, excluding the actual delivery of the goods, is that of packing the pieces or bags in small compa.s.s by means of a hydraulic press. The goods are placed on the lower moving table upon a suitable wrapping of some kind of jute cloth; when the requisite quant.i.ty has been placed thereon, the top and side wrappers are placed in position, and the pumps started in order to raise the bottom table and to squeeze the content between it and the top fixed table. From 1 1/2 ton to 2 tons per square inch is applied according to the nature of the goods and their destination. While the goods are thus held securely in position between the two plates, the wrappers a sewn together. Then specially prepared hoops or metal bands are placed round the bale, and an ingenious and simple system, involving a buckle and two pins, adopted for fastening the bale. The ends of the hoop or band are bent in a small press, and these bent ends are pa.s.sed through a rectangular hole in the buckle and the pins inserted in the loops. As soon as the hydraulic pressure is removed, the bale expands slightly, and the buckled hoop grips the bale securely.

Such is in brief the routine followed in the production of the fibre, the transformation of this fibre, first into yarn, and then into cloth, and the use of the latter in performing the function of the world's common carrier.