MAKING UPHOLSTERY CLOTH. PART I

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MAKING UPHOLSTERY CLOTH. PART I

Ford Motor Company

1927

The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “‘From raw materials to finished product’ is a phrase applied to many activities of the Ford Motor Company.” “Weaving cloth is one of the world’s oldest industrial arts. Yet today its manufacture plays an important part in modern motor car construction.” “As with iron, steel, glass, and other materials, so also is it true of the upholstery cloth used in closed Ford cars.” “The story of Ford wool begins in pastoral scenes like this --” Herder driving flock of sheep through woods - sheep in pasture. “With the Spring comes the shearing and the wool buyer’s opportunity to carefully select his purchase.” Buyer stopping car in farmyard, getting out - two workers shearing sheep using power clippers - farmer and wool buyer talking, looking at upholstery of car - views of sheep - sheep shearing in progress. “Selecting wool from the sheep’s back.” Examining fleece as it is removed. “Examining the sheared wool.” Buyer and farmer looking at fleece, talking - sheared sheep running. “Satisfied with the quality the buyer places an order.” Buyer and farmer shaking hands, buyer leaving. “How each fleece is prepared for shipment.” Farmer placing fleece on table, folding sides and ends to form box, packing and tying fleece. “The latest in sheep ‘bobs.’” Sheared sheep in pen and pasture. “Farmer Jones loads his wool for shipment to Detroit.” Loading fleeces onto truck, from truck into railroad car. “The wool arrives and is weighed.” Trailer load of fleeces on scale, being hauled by tractor, being unloaded. “Sorting the fleeces into different grades.” Workers sorting fleeces into different piles. “The first manufacturing operation -- the machine which opens and dusts the fleece.” Workers placing fleeces into machine. “The bath where the wool is thoroughly washed with a solution of scouring liquor.” Raw wool going through washing machinery. “It comes from the bath minus grease and dirt and weighing half what it did before.” Wet raw wool on conveyor from washing machinery. “Hot air blowers dry the wool and send it along in the continuous manufacturing process.” Wool on conveyor, leaving dryer. “Unwashed and washed wool.” Dirty and clean wool side-by-side on table. “It next come to the burr picker which removes the chaff, shives, dust, burrs, etc.” Wool going through machine. “This machine picks out a lot of dirt -- just look.” Hands showing debris from machine. “Part of the wool is left in the natural color -- the rest is dyed brown, slate, and black. One of the dying machines.” Worker placing wool into machine - hands showing dyed wool. “In this machine the different colored wools are blended, weighed, mixed and oiled, preparatory to manufacturing into cloth.” Different colored wool on conveyor, oil spraying from spigots. “The carding machine. Proper blending, good carding is necessary to high quality.” Carding machinery in operation. “Bristling cylinders rotate and different speeds, rapidly transferring the wool from one to the other.” Carding machinery in operation. “A close-up of the cylinders.” Several views - worker’s hands showing carded wool coming off of machine. Conveyors carry the material to the next carding machine laying it crosswise to give an even blend.” Wool on the conveyor. “Belts now take the material to the next machine in strips.” Carded wool being laid in folds by machinery - spinning machinery in operation. “Here by rubbing motion the fibers of the wool are loosely knitted together into ‘roving’ the basis of yarn.” Machinery in operation - hands displaying roving, pulling it apart. “After three complete carding operations the ‘roving’ is removed on spools.” Worker removing a large spool from machine. “The spools are now placed on the mules. These machines make yarn by a drawing and twisting process.” Spinning machinery in operation - worker placing spool of roving into mule. “Only a certain amount of the roving is fed on each outward movement of the mule which draws or stretches it after the feed has stopped.” Spool revolving. “The bobbins come out rotating 3,300 times per minute.” Mule moving away from spool. [1927]

National Archives and Records Administration

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http://catalog.archives.gov/id/93139

1927

National Archives and Records Administration