Flax

1.) History:

/ Flax was probably the first textile fiber to be used. Historical records show that linen clothes were produced and used far back in antiquity. There is evidence that flax was used as a textile in 6000 B.C. in Egypt. These findings were in a good condition, proving the amazing durability of the fiber. The seed of the flax plant is valuable as the source of linseed oil, which is used in the manufacture of paints, varnishes, linoleum, patent leather and oiled silk.



2.) Qualities and grades:



The countries that produce flax of various grades are Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia and Scotland. Flax is also grown in Canada and the USA, but chiefly for its seed.

Courtrai flax: Comes from Belgium, produces the finest and strongest yarns.

Irish linen: Noted for the best workmanship and also priced for its fine white color and strength.

Scottish linen: Lighter in color than the Irish. It is used extensively in making heavy-grade fabrics, such as twine and canvases for tarpaulins.

French linen: Ranks high and is characterized by fine designs and the use of round yarns, as the cloth is not put through the beetling process.

Russian flax: Used for medium and coarse yarns, which are dark gray in color.

German, Austrian and Polish linen: Generally of medium grade.



3.) From field to mill:



Cultivating:

The flax plant requires deep, rich, well-plowed soil and a cool, damp climate. A prematurely warm weather affects the growth and the quality of the fiber. Level land with a plentiful supply of soft, fresh water is essential. The flaxseeds are sown by hand in April or May. When the plants are a few inches high, the weeds must be pulled by hand with extreme care to avoid injury to the delicate sprouts. In three months, the plant gets straight, slender stalks from 60 to 120 cm in height, with tapering leaves and small blue, purple or white flowers.



Harvesting:

By the end of August, the flax turns a brownish color, which indicates that the plant is about to mature. There must be no delay at this stage; otherwise, the fiber will lose its prized luster and soft texture. The plants are pulled out of the ground either by hand or efficiently by machine. If the stalk is cut, the sap is lost; this loss affects the quality of the fiber. The stalks are tied in bundles, called beets in preparation for extracting of the fiber.



Preparation of the fiber:

The seeds and the leaves are removed from the stems of the flax plant by passing the stalks through coarse combs. This process is called rippling. The bundles of plants are then steeped in water so that the tissue or woody bark surrounding the hair-like flax fiber will decompose. This decomposing is called retting.

Retting only loosens the woody bark. If flax is not retted enough, the removal of the stalk without injury to the delicate fiber is difficult. If flax is over-retted, the fiber is weakened.

Dew Retting: Used in Belgium and Russia. The flax straw is spread on the grass and is exposed to the atmosphere for three to four weeks. ā Strong flax, dark gray in color.
Pool or Dam Retting: Used in Ireland and also in Belgium. It requires less time than dew retting, from ten to fifteen days. As stagnant pools of water are used, this method sometimes causes over-retting, which is responsible for brittle and weak flax fibers. Pool retting darkens the flax, giving it a bluish gray color.
Vat or Mechanical Retting: Shortens the retting process and is used primarily in Belgium, France, USA and Northern Ireland. The flax is immersed in wooden vats of warm water at temperatures ranging from 25-30°C, which hastens the decomposing of the woody bark. The flax is removed from the vats and passed between rollers to crush the decomposed bark as clean water flushes away the pectin, or gum and other impurities. Linen produced by this method is more susceptible to mildew.
Chemical Retting: Chemical retting can shorten the retting process, but chemicals will affect the strength and color of the flax fiber.


4.) Manufacturing Processes:



Breaking:

The stalk becomes partially separated from the fiber when the wet plants are placed in the fields to dry. When the decomposed woody tissue is dry, it is crushed by being passed through fluted iron rollers.



Scutching:

The scotching machine removes the broken shives by means of rotating wooden paddles, thus finally releasing the flax fiber from the stalk. This operation can be done by hand as well by machinery.



Hackling (Combing):

The simple combing process known as hackling straightens the flax fibers, separates the short from the long staple, and leaves the longer fibers in parallel formation. For very fine linen, hackling is done by hand. For faster and more efficient combing, hackling is done by machine.



Spinning:

The short-staple flax fibers, called tow, are used for the spinning of irregular linen yarns. Tow is put through a carding operation, similar to the of cotton staple, which straightens the fibers and forms them into a sliver ready for spinning into yarn. The long-staple fibers are used for fine linens. These are called line, sometimes dressed flax. Line fibers are from 30-50 cm in length. They are put through machines, called spreaders, which continue fibers of the same length, laying them parallel so that the ends overlap. ā Cut

Dry Spinning: Produces rough, uneven yarns, which are not especially strong. These yarns are used for making coarse, heavy and inexpensive linen fabrics.
Wet Spinning: Requires a temperature of 50°C, which is conductive to the production of soft, fine and even yarns.
Although flax is one of the strongest fibers, it is inelastic and requires a careful control.



Vocabulary:

seed

Samen


yarn

Garn



twine

Schnur


canvase

Segeltuch


tarpaulin

Plane


beetling

stampfen



well-plowed soil

Gut gepflegter Boden


delicate sprout

empfindlicher Sprößling


weed

Unkraut


stalk

Stiel



luster

Glanz


stem

Stamm


rippling

Plätschern


retting

Rösten



scutching

Schwingen


hackling
Hecheln