Silk

See also: Silk (homonymy)

The silk is a fiber Textile of animal origin. It is resulting from the Cocon produces by the caterpillar Bombyx of the mulberry tree (Silkworm). The technique making it possible to produce silk goes back to 2500 av. J. - C. and comes from China by the Silk route. It was a secrecy until in 560. The production started in Europe at the 6th century. In France, the production began at the 13th century. The breeding of the worms with silk is called Sériciculture .

History

See also: History of silk

The Histoire of silk begins according to the Chinese tradition with and continues with three millenia of exclusiveness during which the China trade this invaluable fabric without never transmitting the secrecy of it. Art to manufacture silk then gradually transmitted to the others Civilization S thanks to spies of all kinds (monks, princesses…) with the plunderers and the merchants. In Europe, the Soie was a long time a monopoly of the Roman Empire of the East. Arrived in Western Europe at the end of the the Middle Ages, the production of Soie arrives at the stage of the Industrialization as from the 19th century but knows a serious decline related on the rise of certain countries of Asia and to the epidemics which at that time touch it in France. It thus is finally become again a production primarily asiatique.le cocoon is thus the base of the development of this invaluable fabric

Techniques

The décoconnage

Eight to 10 days after the manufacture of the cocoon, take place the décoconnage. The cocoons are removed from their support and are sorted. Then one removes flock or “blaze”, which was used for fixing of the cocoon.

The étouffage

The cocoons are then choked in drying oven S of 70 with 80°C, then soaked in ebullient water so that the sandstone softened. The Chrysalide must be killed without damaging the cocoon.

The spinning mill

To find the end of each wire, one constantly stirs up the cocoons with a small brush of Bruyère (in the the Cevennes and everywhere in France) or of rice straw (in China). This one is used to hang the first wire of Dévidage. Each wire being too fine, one joins together some several (ten) during unwinding. Those are welded between them thanks to the sandstone, during its cooling.

The wire are rolled up on “reels”, silk is then known as “raw” silk. This one is then rolled up on hanks or “floats”. One kilo of raw silk is obtained with 8 to 10 kg of cocoon.

Preparation of the wire

Grinding

The raw silk is not sufficiently resistant. One makes him undergo various torsions according to the quality of the wire which one wishes to obtain (crepe of China, Georgette pancake…). It is the operation of grinding.

Discharging

Then one makes it boil in soapy water to eliminate the sandstone it is “discharging”. This operation perhaps carried out on silk in fleet or already woven. It then takes “the cooked” silk name.

Dyeing

The dyeing of silk is always practiced on boiled silk.

Weaving

Silk for weaving is appeared as fleet.
  1. It is rolled up on a drum “the warping frame”. That will make it possible to assemble wire of chain on the trade.
  2. It is reeled on a “pirn” which will be placed in the “shuttle”. This one is used to weave the screen.

Artificial silk

The count Hilaire de Chardonnet is the inventor of artificial silk.

The term of artificial silk is legally interdict since several tens of years; one must speak now about viscose or rayon.

Symbolic system

The Noces of silk symbolize the 12 years of Mariage in the French Folklore.

External bonds

  • Site on the history of silk

  • silk in the Cevennes

Simple: Silk

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