WOOL FINISHING

MILLING
• Milling is an essential process for woolen
material.
• Also known as felting and fulling.
• This is used to alter the appearance, body,
elasticity and the strength of the woolen
fabric.
 MILLING
• Different types of wool vary in their ability to
felt and this depends on:
(1) Length
(2) Fineness
(3) Scaliness
(4) Waviness
 MILLING
• The object of milling is to make the fabric
fuller and denser as a result of which the
woven pattern becomes more or less obscure
(unclear, indistinct, or blurred).
• Both dyed and undyed fabrics are milled.
• The milled cloth is suitable for producing a
raised finish.
 MILLING
• Milling is classified into two types:
(a) Acid milling
(b) Alkaline milling (including soap milling)
• Both are carried out in stock or in rotary
milling machine.
• The three essential requirements for felting
to occur are:
(1) Moisture
(2) Heat
(3) Pressure
 ALKALINE MILLING
• This may be carried out with soap and soda
ash or with alkali alone.
• Alkali is used when milling in the grease.
• It is actually a form of soap milling, where the
soap is formed by interaction between the
alkali and the grease, instead of applied as
such.
 ALKALINE MILLING
• The fabric is wetted with sodium carbonate at
a pH of 9 to 11 and temperature of 38°C.
• Suitable for unscoured wool of low quality.
• Not suitable for fine fabrics.
• Both scouring and milling are carried out in
one operation.
• 30% cost saving compared to soap milling.
 SOAP MILLING
• It is the method most widely used.
• The cost is higher than greasy or acid milling.
• Softer cloths are obtained with much less risk
of damage.
• There is minimum wear and tear on both
fabric and machines.
• Soap solution of 8 to 10% at 40°C is used.
• After milling, the material is given a short and
warm wash to remove all traces of soap.
 ACID MILLING
• It is very suitable for heavy fabrics such as
felts for printing and paper-making machines.
• Also employed for colored woven goods due
to less bleeding of color.
• Sulphuric acid is the best milling agent.
• 0.2 to 0.5% of sulphuric acid at a pH of 2 and
temperature of 45°C is used.
• After milling the fabric should be washed
thoroughly.
 ACID MILLING
• This method is used to mill cross breed wool
which is difficult to mill with soap solution.
• It is suitable only for animal fibers since it
destroys the cellulosic fibers and produces
unwanted harshness.
• Before milling, fabric should be thoroughly
scoured to remove any traces of soap, as the
soap precipitates the acid.
 PERMANENT SET
• One of the most remarkable properties of
wool is its elasticity, which increases with the
moisture content.
• When wool is stretched in cold water it is
highly elastic.
• The behavior of wool which has been
stretched for a time in hot water or steam is
different.
 PERMANENT SET
• It becomes set and does not recover in cold
water, even in the absence of tension.
• This behavior has been utilized in textile
finishing processes and often described as
permanent set.
 PERMANENT SET
• The chief processes for imparting permanent
set to wool are:
(1) Crabbing
(2) Blowing or Decatising
(3) Potting or Roll-boiling
 CRABBING
• Carried out to bring dimensional stability.
• To eliminate the strains developed on the
fiber during spinning and weaving.
• To eliminate the distortions like crocking and
uneven shrinkage.
 CRABBING
• The degree of stress relaxation during
crabbing depends on:
(a) Fiber quality
(b) Yarn twist
(c) Cloth construction
(d) Subsequent dyeing and finishing operations.
 CRABBING
• Crabbing consists of winding the fabric on a
roller under tension on to a beam through hot
or boiling water, containing a wetting agent.
• Then the loaded beam is rotated in the hot or
boiling bath for about 10 minutes.
• The fabric is then wound on another beam
and the operation is repeated.
 CRABBING
• By this method, the fabric is set and does not
get distorted during the subsequent
processing.
• The effectiveness of crabbing depends on:
(a) Tension
(b) Duration of the treatment
(c) Composition of the crabbing liquor
(d) Temperature
(e) pH of the crabbing liquor
 CRABBING
• Higher tension leads to the production of a
papery feel in the fabric.
• Too low temperature leads to inadequate
setting.
• The pH of the should be maintained at 7.
crabbing liquor
 CRABBING
• Poor setting may take place if the pH becomes
acidic.
• In the composition of the crabbing liquor, no
alkali should be added.
• The addition of alkali will damage the fabric.
• Prolonged crabbing with alkaline solution
discolor the fabric and impart a poor handle.
 CRABBING
• Care should be taken while winding, as bad
winding leads to listing (cause to lean to the
side).
• Creases should not be allowed to form while
winding, as these creases too will get set
during crabbing.
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• This is mostly meant for woolen fabrics, but
today all suitings are decatised.
• The cloth is subjected to the action of steam,
which is forced through the fabric under
pressure.
• As the steam is applied to the fabric while it is
in a state of strain, a permanent set is
produced.
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• The purpose of blowing is to set the woven
structure in a regular and permanent manner.
• The lustrous effect being secondary, results
from the improved regularity of the structure,
together with the slight flattening.
• The fabric is wound on a perforated roller
whose perforations are covered with a cotton
or canvas wrapper.
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• The winding takes place under tension, which
must not be excessive or “pressure marks”
will result.
• A wide wrapper is the applied and the ends
are firmly bound with cord.
• Steam is blown through the roll of fabric for 8
to 15 minutes.
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• The wool becomes plastic, strains are relieved
to give a stable balanced product.
• This state is fixed by cooling, which is usually
carried out by blowing cool air through the
fabric roll.
• It is essential that the cloth should be dried
before removal.
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• It may be necessary to re-wind the fabric and
blow again, so that both the ends receive the
same treatment.
• This second treatment is usually of shorter
duration as the fabric is already hot.
• Wool fiber contains small quantity of Thiol
groups (-SH).
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• These groups are converted into Disulphide
bond (-S-S-) by the reaction of wool with a
reducing agent or by the action of hot water,
steam or alkalis.
• This interchange reaction and hydrogen bond
rearrangement are important in wool setting.
 DECATISING/BLOWING
• The effectiveness of decatising depends on:
(a) Type of fiber
(b) Time of contact
(c) Amount of steam
(d) Tension
(e) Type of finish desired
 POTTING/BOILING
• Used to produce a soft handle and a smooth
glossy surface.
• The goods are treated on a perforated iron
roller, whose perforations are covered with a
cotton or canvas wrapper.
• Fabric is wound on to this roller at full width
and without any creases.
• A certain amount of tension must be applied
during the winding process.
 POTTING/BOILING
• The roll of fabric is then covered with a
wrapper of cotton or canvas and both ends
are securely tied with cords.
• The rolls are placed vertically in a cistern
(tank) of water which is gradually brought to
60°C.
• It is maintained at the same temperature for
at least 3 to 5 hours or possibly 2 to 3 days.
 POTTING/BOILING
• The goods are lifted from the cistern when
the boiling is complete and allowed to drain
and cool in an upright position.
• The cloth is unwound and the process is
repeated with the centre of the roll on the
outer layers.
•
 BEAMING
• Regarded as a mild form of potting.
• Used to remove crimps or other marks which
have arisen during scouring, milling or dyeing.
• The goods are run through hot water and
stretched in the direction of weft by an
expander roller, before running onto a
wooden roller or beam.
 BEAMING
• The goods are allowed to cool over a period of
12 to 48 hours.
• With light-weight woolens, steaming
treatment may replace hot water.