Trowbridge Museum :: Fun, Friendly and Free


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Monday, 13 October, 2008



	School Workshops An exciting way to learn more about cloth making and wool processes in one of our School Workshop visits. Click here for more



	Booking Info All the information you need about booking a School visit using one of our teachers packs. Click here for more

Finishing

West of England cloth went through many processes after being woven. Finishing includes scouring; burling; fulling; raising; shearing; mending; brushing and pressing.

Snooker Cloth (samples of this cloth at various stages can be seen in the Museum)

After weaving, a billiard table cloth underwent the following processes in order to achieve the finished fabric.

1. Scoured and cleaned
2. Carbonised, with sulphuric acid to remove vegetable matter
3. Neutralised to remove acid
4. Dried
5. Cleaned and mended
6. Milled – felted with soap
7. Washed to remove soap
8. Potted – cloth left overnight in near boiling water.
9. Surface of cloth raised with wire teasels
10. Dressed with natural teasels
11. Washed on a West of England gig to polish and set down surface
12. Cloth dyed
13. Cloth back on West of England gig
14. Cloth dried
15. Cloth sheared
16. Steamed and pressed

A Group of Finishers including Paul Lucas wearing overalls