For many years - late 1880's until retirement in 1904, my chap [a great-grand uncle] worked at a Paper Mill. He described himself in the 1911 census as a Retired Felt Washer in a Paper Mill. Googling doesn't shed any light on such an occupation - so I'm asking here.
A total guess but rags were widely used in the manufacture of paper into the 1860's, when they were gradually replaced over a number of years by materials such as esparto grass. The rags were collected from the mill's surrounding neighbourhood and the first operation obviously was thorough washing. Possibly the rags were referred to as felt, although I have found nothing to support this speculation.
Thank you for your attempt. TREES now provide material for Paper Mills [at least in Canada] and I was trying to find a correlation to material other than timber that might have been in use in the early 1900's. In 1891 he was a Labourer in the Mill so this transition in employment took place some time between then and 1904.
A felt is apparently part of a paper-making machine. This glossary of paper-making terms calls it 'material woven from either cotton or wool with a raised surface which supports the wet sheet of paper during the stages of removal of water' : http://baph. org.uk/reference/glossary.html It needed washing, as explained in this 1884 patent for a new method of doing that: https:// docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US305615.pdf
Thank you - wonders will never cease!! Looks like he was still a Labourer when he retired and that was what he did - and decided to upgrade his occupation to confuse me. With 'friends and Family' who needs enemies??
When making paper the mush was drawn out on a continuous mesh conveyor. This mush was dripping wet. It was passed between rollers covered in Felt. The pressure of the rollers covered in felt would squeeze out the water leaving a continuous sheet of paper, which then went through the drying process before being wound on to big rolls. So in essence it was used as a press covering. After a while it would become blocked with bits of mush and would need cleaning.
I asked Hubby, a retired paper-worker (31 years). He was at the front end of the process, preparing the wood pulp for running through the paper machines. He pretty much repeated Terry's explanation. He added that he thought the felts would be cleaned off with brushes and washed with water or compressed air. After awhile they wear out and get replaced.
GrannyBarb, I was gong to put Pulp instead of mush but my memory was playing hide and seek with that particular word at the time.
Hi Colin Here is a definition I found online "FELT 1) Woven cloth used to carry and support the web of paper between press and dryer rolls on the paper machine. Synthetic felts are mainly used. Dryer felts of cotton or synthetic materials support the paper web through the dryer section. 2) A mark or imperfection in paper caused by a coarse or grainy character of the felt. A fabric used to carry the wet web of paper from the wire on the paper machine, through the wet presses and usually thru at least a portion or part of the dryer section." This is a current definition and I'd guess that at the time you're talking about the felts would not have been synthetic. High security paper made for use in banknotes is still made from cotton waste as its base material. This is mainly because banknote paper is required to last for as long as possible while being subject to the rough manual handling and machine counting etc. it is subject to in it fairly short life out in the big wide world. I'll bet that your relative stank when he got home each day. Even modern paper mills are smelly, noisy places that leave their aromatic mark on you after working there. Having said that, working at the leaf end of a tobacco factory is far worse!
Gentleman who owned our home in Victorian times also owned a large paper mill. I wondered what the funny smell was about the place...
If it is any help the book The Manufacture of Paper by Robert Walter Sindall has just been added to Gutenberg at http://www. gutenberg.org/ebooks/46449 (Live link removed as site asks for donations - Doug)
