An old engraving of a shearing machine used in the textile mills of the 1800s. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. Shearing where the fabric is enhanced by cutting the loops or raised surface pile to a uniform height. This machine usually has a rotating spiral cylinder blade similar to a lawn mower – the raw cloth is fed into the belt-driven shearer (right). Shearing was most commonly used to make woollen, worsted, moleskin and velvet fabrics. Often called gigging, napping or cropping, a smooth feel was produced by a gradual lowering of the nap (‘dry shearing’).
An old engraving of a shearing machine used in the production of textiles in the 1800s. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. Shearing where the fabric is enhanced by cutting the loops or raised surface pile to a uniform and even height. This machine usually has a rotating spiral cylinder blade similar to a lawn mower – here the raw cloth is fed into the belt-driven shearer (right). Shearing was most commonly used to make woollen and worsted fabrics. Often called gigging, napping or cropping, the process improved the appearance of the fabric. A silky and smooth feel was produced by the gradual lowering of the nap, known as ‘dry shearing’. Moleskin and velvet are also shorn materials.
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Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
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