The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Carpets And Rugs
Setting Up
The spools are then set up in a frame which resembles the frame used on a Brussels or Wilton loom. From this frame the threads are drawn out through a reed, and a pair of rollers, and wound onto a roll called a "beam". When the threads have been stretched out in this way, they form the complete face of the rug and the pattern is developed exactly as it will appear in the rug, except that it is elongated approximately 100 per cent. In this stretching process the threads are lined up on both ends with a line that is printed on the threads for the purpose. If the pattern shows no imperfections due to the threads being in the wrong place or due to imperfect dyeing, or unequal stretch, the set-up is 0. K'd and the threads wound onto the beam. This process is continued without cutting the threads until the spools are empty. In other words, a single thread will pass through a number of carpets.
These beams, with the pile threads wound upon them, are delivered to the looms, and the corresponding rugs are woven one after another until the end of the thread is reached. The weft, generally of jute, is thoroughly saturated with a special glue solution, called "sizing," and woven wet to help hold the pile in place and to give stiffness to the carpet. The finished rugs are wound on a beam, passed through a dryer, cut up, and made ready for shipment in the same way as any other machine-made carpet.
Quality
The quality of Tapestry carpet is determined first of all by the method of printing. The process which prints the completed carpet is the cheapest and the least satisfactory, because the color does not penetrate to the bottom of the pile and therefore deteriorates as the carpel wears. Carpet printed in the piece is at a disadvantage in appearance. The loops often stick together in clots and the surface is very rough to the touch. Where the yarn is printed before weaving, better results are obtained.
The number of wires has the same meaning in Tapestry carpets as in a Brussels carpet. Frame does not enter into the determination of quality, as there is only one frame in all Tapestry carpets.
