DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.71795#0060
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s7
NEW PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES
Weavers’ Delight
When Ahrens & Violette Looms, Inc., of Chico, Calif.,
brought out its latest hand-weaving unit a few years ago,
the company was aiming at a small, domestic market of
custom textile designers and hobbyists. But the pattern-weav-
ing Dobby Loom (photo) turned out to be fast, versatile
and simple to operate. As a result, it has now attracted the
interest of professional weavers around the world, especially
those in the cottage industries of developing nations.
This hand-built loom controls the placement of each strand
of thread to produce elaborate patterns in the finished cloth.
On large textile-factory machinery, electric controls do this
job. On the Ahrens & Violette loom, the so-called dobby
head is a scaled-down manual device that mimics the auto-
mated equipment. It consists of a chain of pegged, wooden
bars that are linked to a pair of treadles. The cloth’s pattern
is automatically programed by
rearranging the small metal pegs
that fit into holes extending
across the width of the wooden
bars. Once the pattern is set up,
the weaver operates the treadles
and two hand controls until a
new pattern is desired. Accord-
ing to the manufacturer, an ex-
perienced weaver can turn out
even the most intricate patterns
on the Ahrens & Violette loom
at a rate of 114 to 2 yards per
hour. Some users have said they
produced pieces in a day that
would take a week or longer
on conventional looms. Price:
about $3,000.
s7
NEW PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES
Weavers’ Delight
When Ahrens & Violette Looms, Inc., of Chico, Calif.,
brought out its latest hand-weaving unit a few years ago,
the company was aiming at a small, domestic market of
custom textile designers and hobbyists. But the pattern-weav-
ing Dobby Loom (photo) turned out to be fast, versatile
and simple to operate. As a result, it has now attracted the
interest of professional weavers around the world, especially
those in the cottage industries of developing nations.
This hand-built loom controls the placement of each strand
of thread to produce elaborate patterns in the finished cloth.
On large textile-factory machinery, electric controls do this
job. On the Ahrens & Violette loom, the so-called dobby
head is a scaled-down manual device that mimics the auto-
mated equipment. It consists of a chain of pegged, wooden
bars that are linked to a pair of treadles. The cloth’s pattern
is automatically programed by
rearranging the small metal pegs
that fit into holes extending
across the width of the wooden
bars. Once the pattern is set up,
the weaver operates the treadles
and two hand controls until a
new pattern is desired. Accord-
ing to the manufacturer, an ex-
perienced weaver can turn out
even the most intricate patterns
on the Ahrens & Violette loom
at a rate of 114 to 2 yards per
hour. Some users have said they
produced pieces in a day that
would take a week or longer
on conventional looms. Price:
about $3,000.