Hand spinning -- India; India -- Economic conditions; Manufactures -- India
The preparation of size from jawari and maize flour is just the same as
from wheat flour, except that the flour of these cereals not being so
fine as wheat flour, a larger quantity is required in their case.
Some people advise that wheat flour should be soaked for at least two
days before it is boiled with water. It is said that the adherent
quality of the flour is enhanced by this process.
_Rice._ The preparation from rice is simpler still. The required
quantity of rice is boiled well with a quantity of water larger than
that used for ordinary cooking and is allowed to remain for 12 to 24
hours. It is then strained through a piece of cloth tied over or into
the mouth of a large vessel, more water being added as required in the
process of straining. The strained matter is then reduced to consistent
thinness; then oil is added to it in proportion as described above.
Rice is sometimes preferred to wheat, as it gives besides strength a
fine gloss to the warp.
The thing to be borne in mind is that the yarn meant for preparing warp
must be made thoroughly absorbent beforehand. For this, all the hanks
must be connected in the form of one chain. It is then folded together,
placed into a big vessel, whether of earth or metal, containing water
enough to soak the yarn and then well pressed with both the feet for
some time. It is left in this condition for two or three days, during
which period it is beaten with a wooden club on a slab twice every day.
It should be remembered that, unless it is beaten, it does not soak
through for days. If it is not soaked well, it is incapable of absorbing
the sizing material, and is imperfectly sized. The cotton fibre has a
natural oily coating on it, which is removed by soaking it as described
before or by boiling it for some time. It does not become thoroughly
absorbent, till it is treated in this manner. After two or three days,
when the yarn is well soaked, the chain is opened out and dried in
shade, every hank being hung separately on a bamboo. Before it gets
completely dried, it is well shaken with both the hands twice or thrice,
so that the threads do not stick to one another. The Madrasi weavers are
used to pouring rice water (generally thrown away when the rice is
boiled) on the yarn, before it is dried out in the manner described
above. This gives greater strength to the yarn, and causes less breakage
in the process of winding and preparing it into warp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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