Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

110 Conservation of Furniture
• Direct (usually on celluloses and ester celluloses)
• Disperse (usually on synthetics especially
polyester)
• Mordant/pre-metallized (usually on proteins)
• Reactive (used on most fibre types)
• Sulphur (usually on celluloses or ester celluloses)
• Vat (usually on cellulose)
• Optical brighteners (for most fibres; they
include ‘bluing’ and fluorescent brighteners).
Some textile printing techniques employ dyes
rather than inks on fabrics. The science of dyeing
and the chemical technology of textile
fibres is comprehensively discussed by
Trotman (1984). The art and craft of natural
dyeing are covered by Bemiss (1973) and by
Liles (1990). The history of dyes is reviewed by
Taylor and Singer (1956) and in a series of
papers on the history of dyes published by the
Paper Conservation Institute. Dyes may be
identified by wet chemical means using solubility
or liquid chromatography techniques
(Schweppe, 1979).
Textile structures
Woven All woven structures are made of two
sets of interlaced threads worked at rightangles
to each other. Those parallel to the
length of a cloth are known collectively as the
warp and individually as ends. Those parallel
to the width are known collectively as the weft
and individually as picks. The warp threads are
set up under tension on a loom and sometimes
the warps are sized (e.g. with cornstarch or
vegetable gum) to hold down loose fibres to
aid in the weaving process (size is usually
washed out after weaving). The weft thread is
passed back and forth under and over one or
more ends across part or all of the set of
warps. The main types of woven structures are
plain, twill, pattern, and pile.
Plain or tabby weave is the simplest structure.
Each pick passes under alternate ends.
Tapestry weave is a plain weft faced weave having
weft threads of different colours worked
over portions of the warp to form the design.
The weft of the twill weave is passed over
two or more ends, the binding point being
shifted sideways on each successive warp to
form a diagonal effect. Variations on this theme
include a herringbone pattern. Satin weave is
similar to twill except that the weft is passed
over five or more picks creating a smooth surface
of floats. The binding point is spaced randomly
to avoid a distinctive pattern forming, as
is the case with twill. The floats on the face
side reflect light while the reverse side does
not. Damask combines the effects of twill and
satin weaving to form a pattern in which the
background is a form of twill and the pattern
a form of satin weave. Another form of pattern
weaving is when supplementary threads are
introduced to create a pattern. When a supplementary
weft is introduced into a ground
weave for decorative effect, this is known as a
brocade weave. When supplementary warp
and weft threads are introduced into a ground
weave for decorative effect, this is known as a
lampas weave.
Pile woven fabrics are formed by a supplementary
weft or warp whose ends or picks
form a pile above the ground weave. The pile
may be cut or uncut. The ground weave may
be of any one of the three basic weaves.
Examples of warp pile include velvets.
Examples of weft piles include velveteen and
velour.
Different effects are possible with the above
weaves when yarns of different weights,
colours and fibres, including metals, are used
in combination.
Non-woven The term non-woven is reserved
for textile cloths, such as felt, which are formed
by the matting together of loose fibres under
pressure or heat or with the aid of adhesives.
Knit Knitted structures consist of successive
rows of continuous open loops worked by
hand on two or more needles or on machines
with one or more continuous threads. The two
main structures, knit and purl, may be used in
different combinations for different effects.
Knitted structures have great elasticity.
Surface decoration and finishing
Textiles may be embroidered (e.g. canvas
work, or crewel work), decorated by painting
or printing with coloured pigments or inks
(e.g. chintz), stamped or embossed (e.g.
watered and pressed pile fabrics), or calendared
(e.g. polished cottons).