Carding

Carding is a mechanical process t hat disent angles, cleans and int ermixes fibres t o produce a
cont inuous web or sliver suit able for subsequent processing.[1] This is achieved by passing t he
fibres bet ween different ially moving surfaces covered wit h card clot hing. It breaks up locks and
unorganised clumps of fibre and t hen aligns t he individual fibres t o be parallel wit h each ot her. In
preparing wool fibre for spinning, carding is t he st ep t hat comes aft er t easing.[2]

Dyed wool being carded with a 1949 Tatham carding machine at Jamieson Mill, Sandness, Shetland, Scotland.
Cotton carder (known as dhunuri or lep wallah) in Howrah, Kolkata, India.

The word is derived from t he Lat in Carduus meaning t hist le or t easel,[3] as dried veget able
t easels were first used t o comb t he raw wool.

Overview

These ordered fibres can t hen be passed on t o ot her processes t hat are specific t o t he desired
end use of t he fibre: Cot t on, bat t ing, felt , woollen or worst ed yarn, et c. Carding can also be used
t o creat e blends of different fibres or different colours. When blending, t he carding process
combines t he different fibres int o a homogeneous mix. Commercial cards also have rollers and
syst ems designed t o remove some veget able mat t er cont aminant s from t he wool.

Common t o all carders is card clot hing. Card clot hing is made from a st urdy flexible backing in
which closely spaced wire pins are embedded. The shape, lengt h, diamet er, and spacing of t hese
wire pins are dict at ed by t he card designer and t he part icular requirement s of t he applicat ion
where t he card clot h will be used. A lat er version of t he card clot hing product developed during
t he lat t er half of t he 19t h cent ury and was found only on commercial carding machines, whereby
a single piece of serrat ed wire was wrapped around a roller, became known as met allic card
clot hing.

Carding machines are known as cards. Fibre may be carded by hand for hand spinning.
 History

Cloth worker using a teasel frame to card cloth, 15th century stained-glass window, Notre Dame de Semur-en-Auxois,
France.

Science hist orian Joseph Needham ascribes t he invent ion of bow-inst rument s used in t ext ile
t echnology t o India.[4] The earliest evidence for using bow-inst rument s for carding comes from
India (2nd cent ury CE).[4] These carding devices, called kaman (bow) and dhunaki, would loosen
t he t ext ure of t he fibre by t he means of a vibrat ing st ring.[4]

At t he t urn of t he eight eent h cent ury, wool in England was being carded using pairs of hand
cards, in a t wo-st age process: 'working' wit h t he cards opposed and 'st ripping' where t hey are in
parallel.[5]

In 1748 Lewis Paul of Birmingham, England, invent ed t wo hand driven carding machines. The first
used a coat of wires on a flat t able moved by foot pedals. This failed. On t he second, a coat of
wire slips was placed around a card which was t hen wrapped around a cylinder.[5]Daniel Bourn
obt ained a similar pat ent in t he same year, and probably used it in his spinning mill at Leominst er,
but t his burnt down in 1754.[6] The invent ion was lat er developed and improved by Richard
Arkwright and Samuel Crompt on. Arkwright 's second pat ent (of 1775) for his carding machine
was subsequent ly declared invalid (1785) because it lacked originalit y.[7]
A "Cotton carder". An old engraving copied from artist Pierre Sonnerat's 1782 illustration.

From t he 1780s, t he carding machines were set up in mills in t he nort h of England and mid-Wales.
Priorit y was given t o cot t on but woollen fibres were being carded in Yorkshire in 1780. Wit h
woollen, t wo carding machines were used: t he first or t he scribbler opened and mixed t he fibres,
t he second or t he condenser mixed and formed t he web.[8] The first in Wales was in a fact ory at
Dolobran near Meifod in 1789. These carding mills produced yarn part icularly for t he Welsh
flannel indust ry.[9]

In 1834 James Walt on invent ed t he first pract ical machines t o use a wire card. He pat ent ed t his
machine and also a new form of card wit h layers of clot h and rubber. The combinat ion of t hese
t wo invent ions became t he st andard for t he carding indust ry, using machines first built by Parr,
Curt is and Walt on in Ancoat s, and from 1857 by Jams Walt on & Sons at Haught on Dale.[10]

By 1838, t he Spen Valley, cent red on Cleckheat on had at least 11 card clot hing fact ories and by
1893, it was generally accept ed as t he card clot h capit al of t he world, t hough by 2008 only t wo
manufact urers of met allic and flexible card clot hing remained in England, Garnet t Wire Lt d. dat ing
back t o 1851 and Joseph Sellers & Son Lt d est ablished in 1840.

Baird from Scot land t ook carding t o Leicest er, Massachuset t s in t he 1780s. In t he 1890s, t he
t own produced one-t hird of all hand and machine cards in Nort h America. John and Art hur Slat er,
from Saddlewort h went over t o work wit h Slat er in 1793.[8]
A 1780s scribbling mill would be driven by a wat er wheel. There were 170 scribbling mills around
Leeds at t hat t ime. Each scribbler would require 15–45 horsepower (11–34 kW) t o operat e.
Modern machines are driven by belt ing from an elect ric mot or or an overhead shaft via t wo
pulleys.[8]

Cotton manufacturing processes

 Cotton manufacturing processes

Bale Blowing
breaker room

Willowing

Breaker scutcher Batting

Finishing Lapping Teasing

scutcher

Carding Carding
room

Sliver lap

Combing

Drawing

Slubbing

Intermediate

Roving Fine roving

 Mule spinning Ring spinning Spinning

Reeling Doubling

Winding Bundling Bleaching

Weaving Winding
shed

Beaming Cabling

Warping Gassing

Sizing/slashing/dressing Spooling

Weaving

Cloth Yarn (cheese) Sewing thread

Bundle
Carding machine

Carding: t he fibres are separat ed and t hen assembled int o a loose st rand (sliver or t ow) at t he
conclusion of t his st age.

The cotton comes off of the picking machine in laps, and is then
taken to carding machines. The carders line up the fibres nicely to
make them easier to spin. The carding machine consists mainly of
one big roller with smaller ones surrounding it. All of the rollers are
covered with small teeth, and as the cotton progresses further on
the teeth get finer (i.e. closer together). The cotton leaves the
carding machine in the form of a sliver; a large rope of fibres.[11]

In a wider sense carding can refer t o t he four processes of willowing, lapping, carding and
drawing. In willowing t he fibres are loosened. In lapping t he dust is removed t o creat e a flat
sheet or lap of fibres; Carding it self is t he combing of t he t angled lap int o a t hick rope or sliver
of 1/2 inch in diamet er, it can t hen be opt ionally combed, is used t o remove t he short er fibres,
creat ing a st ronger yarn.
A Combing machine

In drawing a drawing frame combines 4 slivers int o one. Repeat ed drawing increases t he qualit y
of t he sliver allowing for finer count s t o be spun.[12] Each sliver will have t hin and t hick spot s, and
by combining several slivers t oget her a more consist ent size can be reached. Since combining
several slivers produces a very t hick rope of cot t on fibres, direct ly aft er being combined t he
slivers are separat ed int o rovings. These rovings (or slubbings) are t hen what are used in t he
spinning process.[13]

For machine processing, a roving is about t he widt h of a pencil. The rovings are collect ed in a
drum and proceed t o t he slubbing frame which adds t wist , and winds ont o bobbins.
Intermediate Frames are used t o repeat t he slubbing process t o produce a finer yarn, and t hen
t he roving frames reduces it t o a finer t hread, gives more t wist , makes more regular and even in
t hickness, and winds ont o a smaller t ube.[14]

Historical Carding Machines

 A restored carding machine at Quarry Bank Mill in the UK

Play media

A wool carder from 1913 at the Mueller Tuchfabrik, Euskirchen

 19th- century ox- powered double carding machine

Tools

Predat ing mechanised weaving, hand loom weaving was a cot t age indust ry t hat used t he same
processes but on a smaller scale. These skills have survived as an art isan craft in less developed
societ ies- and as art form and hobby in advanced societ ies.[15]

Hand carders
…

Creating a rolag using hand cards.

Play media

Irreler Bauerntradition shows carding, spinning and knitting in the Roscheider Hof Open Air Museum.

Hand cards are t ypically square or rect angular paddles manufact ured in a variet y of sizes from 2
by 2 inches (5.1 cm × 5.1 cm) t o 4 by 8 inches (10 cm × 20 cm). The working face of each paddle
can be flat or cylindrically curved and wears t he card clot h. Small cards, called flick cards, are
used t o flick t he ends of a lock of fibre, or t o t ease out some st rands for spinning off.[16]

A pair of cards is used t o brush t he wool bet ween t hem unt il t he fibres are more or less aligned in
t he same direct ion. The aligned fibre is t hen peeled from t he card as a rolag. Carding is an act ivit y
normally done out side or over a drop clot h, depending on t he wool's cleanliness. Rolag is peeled
from t he card.

A carding machine in Haikou, Hainan Province, China.

This product (rovings, rolags, and bat t s) can be used for spinning.

Carding of wool can eit her be done "in t he grease" or not , depending on t he t ype of machine and
on t he spinner's preference. "In t he grease" means t hat t he lanolin t hat nat urally comes wit h t he
wool has not been washed out , leaving t he wool wit h a slight ly greasy feel. The large drum
carders do not t end t o get along well wit h lanolin, so most commercial worst ed and woollen mills
wash t he wool before carding. Hand carders (and small drum carders t oo, t hough t he direct ions
may not recommend it ) can be used t o card lanolin rich wool.

Drum carders
…

Carding Llama hair with a hand-cranked drum carder.

The simplest machine carder is t he drum carder. Most drum carders are hand-cranked but some
are powered by an elect ric mot or. These machines generally have t wo rollers, or drums, covered
wit h card clot hing. The licker-in, or smaller roller met ers fibre from t he infeed t ray ont o t he larger
st orage drum. The t wo rollers are connect ed t o each ot her by a belt - or chain-drive so t hat t heir
relat ive speeds cause t he st orage drum t o gent ly pull fibres from t he licker-in. This pulling
st raight ens t he fibres and lays t hem bet ween t he wire pins of t he st orage drum's card clot h.
Fibre is added unt il t he st orage drum's card clot h is full. A gap in t he card clot h facilit at es
removal of t he bat t when t he card clot h is full.

Some drum carders have a soft -brist led brush at t achment t hat presses t he fibre int o t he
st orage drum. This at t achment serves t o condense t he fibres already in t he card clot h and adds
a small amount of addit ional st raight ening t o t he condensed fibre.

Cottage carders …
Workings of a cottage carder
 Using a cottage carder to card white alpaca

Diagram showing name, location, and rotation of rollers used on a cottage carder

Cot t age carding machines differ significant ly from t he simple drum card. These carders do not
st ore fibre in t he card clot h as t he drum carder does but , rat her, fibre passes t hrough t he
workings of t he carder for st orage or for addit ional processing by ot her machines.

A t ypical cot t age carder has a single large drum (t he swift ) accompanied by a pair of in-feed
rollers (nippers), one or more pairs of worker and st ripper rollers, a fancy, and a doffer. In-feed t o
t he carder is usually accomplished by hand or by conveyor belt and oft en t he out put of t he
cot t age carder is st ored as a bat t or furt her processed int o roving and wound int o bumps wit h an
accessory bump winder. The cot t age carder in t he image below support s bot h out put s.
Raw fibre, placed on t he in-feed t able or conveyor is moved t o t he nippers which rest rain and
met er t he fiber ont o t he swift . As t hey are t ransferred t o t he swift , many of t he fibres are
st raight ened and laid int o t he swift 's card clot h. These fibres will be carried past t he worker /
st ripper rollers t o t he fancy.

As t he swift carries t he fibres forward, from t he nippers, t hose fibres t hat are not yet
st raight ened are picked up by a worker and carried over t he t op t o it s paired st ripper. Relat ive t o
t he surface speed of t he swift , t he worker t urns quit e slowly. This has t he effect of reversing
t he fibre. The st ripper, which t urns at a higher speed t han t he worker, pulls fibres from t he worker
and passes t hem t o t he swift . The st ripper's relat ive surface speed is slower t han t he swift 's so
t he swift pulls t he fibres from t he st ripper for addit ional st raight ening.

St raight ened fibres are carried by t he swift t o t he fancy. The fancy's card clot h is designed t o
engage wit h t he swift 's card clot h so t hat t he fibres are lift ed t o t he t ips of t he swift 's card
clot h and carried by t he swift t o t he doffer. The fancy and t he swift are t he only rollers in t he
carding process t hat act ually t ouch.

The slowly t urning doffer removes t he fibres from t he swift and carries t hem t o t he fly comb
where t hey are st ripped from t he doffer. A fine web of more or less parallel fibre, a few fibres
t hick and as wide as t he carder's rollers, exit s t he carder at t he fly comb by gravit y or ot her
mechanical means for st orage or furt her processing.

See also

Cot t on mill

Cot t on-spinning machinery

Doubling (t ext iles)

Dref Frict ion Spinning

Open end spinning

Spinning

Spinning wheel

Text ile manufact ure during t he Indust rial Revolut ion

Text ile manufact uring

Timeline of clot hing and t ext iles t echnology

 References

Notes
…
1. Yilmaz, Nasire Deniz; Powell (2005). "The Technology of Terry Towel production" (http://www.tx.ncsu.ed
u/jtatm/volume4issue4/Articles/Yilmaz/Yilmaz_full.pdf) (PDF). Journal of Textile and Apparel,
Technology and Management. North Carolina Stare University. 4 (4).

2. "Preparing Wool for Handspinning" (http://www.lahottee.info/E_FiberPreparation.php) . La Hottée. 27

July 2007. Retrieved 2014-09-16.

3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Carding"  (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britan

nica/Carding) . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

4. Baber, Zaheer (1996). The Science of Empire: Scientific Knowledge, Civilisation, and Colonial Rule in
India. the State University of New York Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-7914-2919-9.

5. Richards 1972, p. 73.

. Wadsworth, A. P.; Mann, J. de L. (1931). The Cotton Industry and Industrial Lancashire. Manchester
University Press. pp. 419–448.

7. Fitton, R. S.; Wadsworth, A. P. (1958). The Strutts and the Arkwrights 1758-1830: a Study in the Early
Factory System. Manchester University Press. pp. 65–80.

. Richards 1972, p. 74.

9. Jenkins, J. Geraint (1969). The Welsh Woollen Industry. Cardiff. pp. 33–4.

10. Williams, Richard (1894). Montgomeryshire worthies (https://books.google.com/books?id=b1ZSAAAAYA

AJ&pg=PA308) . Newtown: Phillips & Son. p. 308.

11. Collier 1970, pp. 66,67

12. Collier 1970, p. 69

13. Collier 1970, pp. 70

14. Hills 1993, p. 4

15. Campbell, Gordon (2006). The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts, Volume 1. Oxford University
Press. ISBN 978-0-19-518948-3.

1 . Matherne, Patrick. "What is Carding" (http://www.fromsheeptoshawl.com/2012/fiber/what-is-cardin

g/) . Retrieved 8 May 2012.

Bibliography …
Collier, Ann M (1970), A Handbook of Textiles, Pergamon Press, p. 258, ISBN 0-08-018057-4
 Hills, Richard Leslie (1993), Power from Steam: A History of the Stationary Steam Engine (ht t p
s://books.google.com/books?id=t 6TLOQBhd0YC) , Cambridge Universit y Press, p. 244,
ISBN 978-0-521-45834-4

Nasmit h, Joseph (1896), The Students Cotton Spinning (Third ed.), Deansgat e, Manchest er:
John Heywood Lt d, p. 637

Richards, R.T.D. (1972), "The development of t he modern woollen carding machine", in Jenkins,
J. Geraint (ed.), The wool textile industry in Great Britain (ht t ps://archive.org/det ails/woolt ext ile
indus0000unse) (1 ed.), London [u.a.]: Rout ledge & Kegan, ISBN 0710069790

External links

Media relat ed t o Carding (cat egory) at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Carding&oldid=1027181760"

Last edited 3 months ago by Tom.Reding

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.