Wrap reel
A wrap reel or skein winder is a device for measuring yarn and making it into hanks of a standard size. The reel is of a standard size and its revolutions are counted as the yarn is wrapped around it. Typically, a set number of revolutions will be used so that the hank is of a standard size—skein or lea. For example, a skein of cotton would be 80 turns on a reel of 54 inches (140 cm) circumference, making 120 yards (110 m), while the standard length for wool worsted would be 80 yards (73 m).
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The tension of the yarn as it was wound onto the reel was important because it would be elastic and so a standard tension was required to ensure uniformity. For a given reel, this would be determined by the friction of the setup and so the test hanks would be made and measured in other ways to calibrate the device.[1]
The Science Museum in London has an 18th-century wrap reel in its collection which was made for Richard Arkwright's first cotton mill in Derbyshire. It is kept in their storage archive at Blythe House.[2]
See also
References
- B P Saville (1999), Physical Testing of Textiles, p. 81, ISBN 978-1845690151
- Arkwright's Wrap-reel Winding Wheel, English, 1769-1775, Science Museum, London, retrieved 2020-05-11