Reed (weaving)
Encyclopedia
A reed is part of a loom
, and resembles a comb
. It is used to push the weft
yarn securely into place as it is woven
, separates the threads and keeps them in their positions, keeping them untangled, and guides the shuttle
as it moves across the loom. It consists of a frame with lots of vertical slits. The reed is located inside the beater
. Floor looms and mechanized looms both use a beater with a reed, whereas Inkle weaving
and tablet weaving
do not use reeds.
or cane
, however modern reeds are made of metal wires. John Kay
in 1738 first used flattened iron or brass wire, and the change was quickly adopted. Previously the cane was split by pressing it against a spindle that had knives radiating out of it at the appropriate distance apart. The split cane was then bound between the ribs of wood in the same manner as the wire is now.
The wire is flattened by passing it through rollers, and then straightened. Next it is cut to a uniform width, given rounded edges and smoothed. The final step is to cut the long wire to the correct length and insert it into position. The tarred cord that binds the reed together is wrapped around each set of wooden ribs and between the dents to hold the ribs together.
The length of the metal wire varies depending on the type of fabric and the type of loom being used. For a machine powered cotton loom, the metal wires are commonly 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long. For hand powered floor looms, around 4 inches is common.
s and before becoming woven cloth. The number of dents per inch determines the fineness of the cloth. One or more warp threads go through each dent. The number of warp threads that go through each dent depends on the warp, and it is possible that the number of threads in each dent is not constant for a whole warp. The number of threads per dent might not be constant if the weaver alternates 2 and three threads per dent, in order to get a number of ends per inch that is 2.5 times the number of dents per inch, or if the thickness of the warp threads were to change at that point, and the fabric to have a thicker or thinner section.
One thread per dent is most common for coarse work, for finer work (20 or more ends per inch) two or more threads are put through each dent. Threads can be doubled in every other space, so that a reed with 10 dents per inch could give 15 ends per inch, or 20 if the threads were simply doubled. Also, threads can be put in every other dent so as to make a cloth with 6 ends per inch from a reed with 12 dents per inch. Putting more than one thread through each dent reduces friction and the number of reeds that one weaver needs, and is used in weaving mills. If too many threads are put through one dent there may be reed marks left in the fabric, especially in linen
and cotton
.
For cotton fabrics reeds typically have between 6 and 90 dents per inch. When the reed has a very high number of dents per inch, sometimes there are actually two rows of wires which are offset. This is to keep loose fibers from twisting and blocking the shed
.
Reeds also come in different widths. The width of the reed determines the maximum width of the warp.
on the loom). Sleying is done by inserting a reed hook through the reed, hooking the warp threads and then pulling them through the dent. The warp threads are taken in the order they come from the heddle
s, so as to avoid crossing threads. If the threads cross, the shed
will not open correctly when the weaving is begun.
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
, and resembles a comb
Comb
A comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...
. It is used to push the weft
Weft
In weaving, weft or woof is the yarn which is drawn through the warp yarns to create cloth. In North America, it is sometimes referred to as the "fill" or the "filling yarn"....
yarn securely into place as it is woven
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
, separates the threads and keeps them in their positions, keeping them untangled, and guides the shuttle
Shuttle (weaving)
A shuttle is a tool designed to neatly and compactly store weft yarn while weaving. Shuttles are thrown or passed back and forth through the shed, between the yarn threads of the warp in order to weave in the weft....
as it moves across the loom. It consists of a frame with lots of vertical slits. The reed is located inside the beater
Beater (weaving)
A beater is a weaving tool designed to push the weft yarn securely into place. In small hand weaving such as Inkle weaving and tablet weaving the beater may be combined with the shuttle into a single tool. In rigid heddle looms the beater is combined with the heddles...
. Floor looms and mechanized looms both use a beater with a reed, whereas Inkle weaving
Inkle weaving
Inkle weaving is a type of warp-faced weaving where the shed is created by manually raising or lowering the warp yarns, some of which are held in place by fixed heddles on a loom known as an inkle loom. Inkle weaving was referred to in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. It was brought to the...
and tablet weaving
Tablet weaving
Tablet Weaving is a weaving technique where tablets or cards are used to create the shed through which the weft is passed. The technique is limited to narrow work such as belts, straps, or garment trim....
do not use reeds.
History
Modern reeds are made by placing flattened strips of wire (made of carbon or stainless steel) between two half round ribs of wood, and binding the whole together with tarred string. Historically reeds were made of reedReed (plant)
Reed is a generic polyphyletic botanical term used to describe numerous tall, grass-like plants of wet places, which are the namesake vegetation of reed beds...
or cane
Arundo
Arundo is a genus of two or three species of cane: stout, perennial grasses from the family Poaceae, native to the Mediterranean region east to India, China and Japan. They grow to 3–6 m tall, occasionally to 10 m, with leaves 30-60 cm long and 3-6 cm broad.- Species :* Arundo...
, however modern reeds are made of metal wires. John Kay
John Kay (flying shuttle)
John Kay was the inventor of the flying shuttle, which was a key contribution to the Industrial Revolution. He is often confused with his namesake: fellow Lancastrian textile machinery inventor, the unrelated John Kay who built the first "spinning frame".-Life in England:John Kay was born...
in 1738 first used flattened iron or brass wire, and the change was quickly adopted. Previously the cane was split by pressing it against a spindle that had knives radiating out of it at the appropriate distance apart. The split cane was then bound between the ribs of wood in the same manner as the wire is now.
The wire is flattened by passing it through rollers, and then straightened. Next it is cut to a uniform width, given rounded edges and smoothed. The final step is to cut the long wire to the correct length and insert it into position. The tarred cord that binds the reed together is wrapped around each set of wooden ribs and between the dents to hold the ribs together.
The length of the metal wire varies depending on the type of fabric and the type of loom being used. For a machine powered cotton loom, the metal wires are commonly 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long. For hand powered floor looms, around 4 inches is common.
Dents
Both the wires and the slots in the reed are known as dents (namely, teeth). The warp threads pass through the dents after going through the heddleHeddle
A heddle is an integral part of a loom. Each thread in the warp passes through a heddle, which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the weft. The typical heddle is made of cord or wire, and is suspended on a shaft of a loom. Each heddle has an eye in the center where the warp is...
s and before becoming woven cloth. The number of dents per inch determines the fineness of the cloth. One or more warp threads go through each dent. The number of warp threads that go through each dent depends on the warp, and it is possible that the number of threads in each dent is not constant for a whole warp. The number of threads per dent might not be constant if the weaver alternates 2 and three threads per dent, in order to get a number of ends per inch that is 2.5 times the number of dents per inch, or if the thickness of the warp threads were to change at that point, and the fabric to have a thicker or thinner section.
One thread per dent is most common for coarse work, for finer work (20 or more ends per inch) two or more threads are put through each dent. Threads can be doubled in every other space, so that a reed with 10 dents per inch could give 15 ends per inch, or 20 if the threads were simply doubled. Also, threads can be put in every other dent so as to make a cloth with 6 ends per inch from a reed with 12 dents per inch. Putting more than one thread through each dent reduces friction and the number of reeds that one weaver needs, and is used in weaving mills. If too many threads are put through one dent there may be reed marks left in the fabric, especially in linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
.
For cotton fabrics reeds typically have between 6 and 90 dents per inch. When the reed has a very high number of dents per inch, sometimes there are actually two rows of wires which are offset. This is to keep loose fibers from twisting and blocking the shed
Shed (weaving)
In weaving, the shed is the temporary separation between upper and lower warp yarns through which the weft is woven. The shed is created to make it easy to interlace the weft into the warp and thus create woven fabric. Most types of looms have some sort of device which separates some of the warp...
.
Interchangeability
In order to weave many different patterns on the same loom different reeds are useful. Modern floor looms and several other types of loom use interchangeable reeds, with a different number of dents per inch. The most common sizes available for the hand-weaver are 6, 8, 10, 12, or 15, though more are made, and sizes between 5 and 24 are not uncommon. The finer the reed, the more dents per inch, and, in general, the more ends per inch in the final woven fabric. This is because by beating the weft into place the reed determines the distance between threads, or groups of threads. Having interchangeable reeds allows a weaver to do many different types of weaving on the same loom. By changing the reed the weaver can move from weaving fine fabric to coarse fabric without needing a different loom.Reeds also come in different widths. The width of the reed determines the maximum width of the warp.
Sleying the reed
Sleying is the term used for pulling the warp threads through the loom, which happens in the warping process (the process of putting a warpWarp (weaving)
In weaving cloth, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom. The yarn that is inserted over-and-under the warp threads is called the weft, woof, or filler. Each individual warp thread in a fabric is called a warp end or end. Warp means "that which is thrown...
on the loom). Sleying is done by inserting a reed hook through the reed, hooking the warp threads and then pulling them through the dent. The warp threads are taken in the order they come from the heddle
Heddle
A heddle is an integral part of a loom. Each thread in the warp passes through a heddle, which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the weft. The typical heddle is made of cord or wire, and is suspended on a shaft of a loom. Each heddle has an eye in the center where the warp is...
s, so as to avoid crossing threads. If the threads cross, the shed
Shed (weaving)
In weaving, the shed is the temporary separation between upper and lower warp yarns through which the weft is woven. The shed is created to make it easy to interlace the weft into the warp and thus create woven fabric. Most types of looms have some sort of device which separates some of the warp...
will not open correctly when the weaving is begun.