This starts with the hand engraving of a few repeats on a small soft-steel cylinder, which is then hardened. If the repeat is small it may be that the mill-engraving method should be used. Sensitivity to the original design objectives and awareness of the printer’s requirements is important as well as skill and accuracy.Īn original design must be put into repeat and the dimensions adjusted so that one or more repeats will fit accurately around the roller circumference. Another specialist is the engraver whose task is to convert the original design into a set of engraved rollers that will enable a printer to achieve an effective reproduction of the design on fabric. The first of the specialists is the creator of the original design, which may already be suitable for reproduction but usually is not, and is sometimes little more than an idea. Printing, originally a handcraft, developed into an industrial art requiring the contributions of a range of specialists, coordinated by someone with a clear vision of the desired end-product. It is a high-speed process capable of producing 6000 yards of printed fabric per hour. The fabric was then transferred to a few elevated rollers or rods and allowed to dry, while the next table length was printed. After printing a table length with the first block, the second was printed, and then any others were required to complete the design. The block was then carefully positioned on the fabric, using the pitch pins as guides, and struck with a mallet. The sieve as saturated with color paste and placed on the waterproof fabric.įor each impression, the ‘tiered’ (a boy) spread the color paste on the top surface of the woolen sieve with a large brush and the printer charged the block by pressing it on the wool. A piece of woolen fabric was stretched on a slightly smaller frame and fastened to make the sieve. A small tub was nearly filled with a starch paste and a waterproof fabric, stretched on a frame, rested on the paste. The color paste must be applied to the block surface in a controlled manner, and this was achieved by using a ‘sieve’. The block can now be covered with ink and used in a press to create duplicates of the original. Next, craftsmen of various skill levels, ranging from master carvers for the fine work to less talented artisans for cheaper blocks or less important sections, carve the original painted, drawn or written image into the block of wood. This is laid on a large, smooth wooden block and fixed into place, reversed. The first step in block printing is the production of the original document. The earliest known example with an actual date is a copy of the Diamond Sutra from 868 A.D (currently in the British Museum), though the practice of block printing is probably about two thousand years old. The seemingly humble flying-shuttle loom, originally built to make the weaving of wide cloth faster and easier, stood at the threshold between the largely handcrafted world of the past and the automated world that followed.There are several methods of printing namely:īlock printing is a special form of printing first developed in China. The main idea with weaving is to raise alternate warp threads, which run with the length of the fabric, to create a virtual space, called the shed, through which a shuttle carrying the weft thread is passed.Īnd judging by how much work went into this miniature 3D-printed power loom, not to mention how fussy it is, it’s a wonder that we’re not all still wearing homespun cloth.ĭealing with the warp and the weft of it all isn’t easy, as discovered with this build. The weft thread is then pressed in place by a comb-like device called the reed, the heddles carrying the warp threads shift position, and the process is repeated. ’ version of the flying-shuttle loom is built mostly from 3D-printed parts, with a smattering of aluminum and acrylic. There are levers, shafts, and cams galore, not to mention the gears and sprockets that drive the mechanism via a 12-volt gear motor. The mechanism that moves the shuttle back and forth in the shed is particularly interesting it uses cams to release the tension stored in elastic bands to flick the shuttle left and right. Shuttle timing is critical, as a few of the fails later in the video show. had to play with cam shape and lever arm length to get the timing right, not to mention having to resort to a chain drive to get enough torque to move the shuttle. We’ve seen power looms before, but mainly those that operate at a somewhat more stately pace than this one. Hats off to for showing the true complexity involved in automating weaving.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |