weavng-sizing-msg - 10/4/99 Sizing for warp threads on looms. Period sizing solutions. NOTE: See also the files: weaving-msg, wool-clean-msg, spinning-msg, looms-msg, piled-fabrics-msg, velvet-msg, textiles-msg, knitting-msg, knitting-lnks. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Thu, 02 Oct 1997 13:09:56 -0700 From: Brett and Karen Williams To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: : Looking for Sizing in Period - Weaving From: Paula Barreto > I am looking for a recipe {and source if known} for period sizing. I > have one (not documented) for a Flax seed sizing {also sometimes called as > Linen seed/linseed}, but I am also looking for alternatives. > > Ldy Isabel Moundoghter With respect to Lady Isabel's question, I do not know of any period recipes for (what I presume is warp) sizing-- however, I haven't looked into the matter. I'd be interested to find out. I do know, however, that there are various modern and unattributed techniques for sizing out there. The most common way to de-stickify a tangling wool or mohair warp is the light application of hairspray, or a light spritz of Johnson's "No More Tears" (a type of creme rinse designed to detangle a child's fine hair for combing after a wash) to the warp while advancing the warp from the back beam. I've used pump hairspray on a 50/50 silk/wool warp that was extremely tiresomely sticky, to the point that I was having trouble getting a good shed every now and then due to extra warp threads raising when I didn't want them to do so. The pump hairspray worked. Lady Isabel mentions linseed dressing, which when looked up in Chapter 17, General Information, of Mary Black's _New Key to Weaving_, says in pertinent part (my copy is the 1957 edition, no ISBN-- but it's in print as a trade paperback RIGHT NOW...): "Weaving with a single-ply, natural linen warp presents an entirely different problem. This type of linen tangles and breaks easily, is springy and difficult to tie and keep tied, and makes a poor shed. "To facilitate the handling of this type of warp, treat it in a solution made from flaxseed. Prepare the warp chain as for dyeing (reference to see process detailed on page 527 of the same book), wet it, soak in the solution, and hang it up to dry. The solution is made by soaking and boiling flaxseed until it reaches the consistency of coffee cream. As this solution spoils quickly, prepare only the estimated quantity needed to dip the chain. Some weavers prefer to sponge the solution onto the warp as it is wound onto the beam. Plastic starch also makes a good size, as does sheet glue. "The wetting of this type of warp with water, as it leaves the beam and is rolled forward, acts as a substitute for the flaxseed dressing, but is not as satisfactory." I should point out that Black's TNKTW was first published in 1945-- the reference to both 'plastic starch' and 'sheet glue' mystify me! Any clues? I have subscribed and listened (without much comment!) to the weaving mailing list for a while now and the most common treatment mentioned over the last year for linen warps (whether singles or plied) is to use the water spritz method Mary Black mentions. It is also customary to water-spritz one's bobbin when preparing a new shuttle, however it's important to weave the damp bobbin off before the thread mildews. A humid environment is helpful, too, I'm told. ;) I understand why this is done-- the water serves to strengthen the linen fiber (spit would be better, but eewwww!) and also tends to cut down on shredding. This is the reason for the markedly different textures between dry-spun linen line and wet-spun linen line; the wet-spun is infinitely smoother and silkier and stronger a yarn than the former. All this is well and good, but it really doesn't address Lady Isabel's underlying question. I will tender the suggestion that the three most likely people I know of to answer this question with any sort of authority are: Nancy Spies (Lady Ingvild Josefsdattir)-- who is a gifted and *very* well-researched tablet weaver who lurks on the cards-l mailing list, as does Peter Collingwood (the name should be immediately recognizable to weaving cognoscenti... but he may not answer publicly depending on how busy he is) and Carolyn Priest-Dorman (Mistress Thora Sharptooth). The card-l list archive can be found at: http://www.mtsu.edu/~kgregg/SCA/cards/archives.html which, alas, are not up to date-- however a quick subscription and posting of query might be in order... and Mistress Thora's email address can be found in her postings in Stefan's Florilegeum (look in the Textile arts, Weaving section) at: [http://lonestar.texas.net/~lg_photo/florilegium/ is the newer address - Stefan] And lastly, I'd also suggest looking into Mary Meigs Atwater's body of work as well, though she seemed to view anything older than fifty years as very ancient. I would be more specific here, but I don't have anything in my library of hers. Mary Meigs Atwater is just about single-handedly responsible for the early 20th century revival of handweaving; Mary Black was a Canadian weaver of considerable expertise. ciorstan Edited by Mark S. Harris weavng-sizing-msg Page 3 of 3