Comments on: Shear tragedy… http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/ occasional scrapbook of a labor geek Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:02:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: admin http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-86 admin Wed, 27 May 2009 22:26:56 +0000 http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-86 Hi Geoff. Many thanks for that - it had genuinely puzzled me, so am glad to be put straight. I've tried carding by hand paddle as you say, whilst trying my hand at making felt (very, very slowly in my case), but hadn't put the two and two together that this might be that kind of 'card'. That was tricky enough to do I can see how machines to scale that up would need a lot of keen maintenance. Cheers, John. Hi Geoff. Many thanks for that – it had genuinely puzzled me, so am glad to be put straight. I’ve tried carding by hand paddle as you say, whilst trying my hand at making felt (very, very slowly in my case), but hadn’t put the two and two together that this might be that kind of ‘card’. That was tricky enough to do I can see how machines to scale that up would need a lot of keen maintenance. Cheers, John.

]]> By: Geoff Storrs http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-85 Geoff Storrs Wed, 20 May 2009 19:32:23 +0000 http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-85 My father was a member of the The Card Setting Machine Tenters' Society (CSMTS). Carding is the act of combing raw wool using 'cards' originally. The cards were two square brushes with steel wire faces embedded through leather. The bats were drawn by hand across the wool to comb the wool into workable material. Later, machines were introduced to carry-out this process. The machines were called 'carding machines' and were quite complex affairs requiring very careful setting-up and maintenance. So, a Card Clothing Machine Tenter was one who attended to (tentered) these machines - after a 6 year apprenticeship! The industry is now largely in India. My father was a member of the The Card Setting Machine Tenters’ Society (CSMTS). Carding is the act of combing raw wool using ‘cards’ originally. The cards were two square brushes with steel wire faces embedded through leather. The bats were drawn by hand across the wool to comb the wool into workable material. Later, machines were introduced to carry-out this process. The machines were called ‘carding machines’ and were quite complex affairs requiring very careful setting-up and maintenance. So, a Card Clothing Machine Tenter was one who attended to (tentered) these machines – after a 6 year apprenticeship! The industry is now largely in India.

]]> By: admin http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-84 admin Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:13:25 +0000 http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-84 Don't know John, sorry. Here's their site: http://www.21stcenturyaircrew.co.uk . Nothing to do with BA I guess, as their members/officers are from BMI and others. There's lots of unusual stories in the part of the Certification Officer's list that comes in under the TUC's radar. Each to their own I suppose - maybe they just enjoy running it (with such a long constitution for 6 members I guess they do!) Don’t know John, sorry. Here’s their site: http://www.21stcenturyaircrew.co.uk . Nothing to do with BA I guess, as their members/officers are from BMI and others. There’s lots of unusual stories in the part of the Certification Officer’s list that comes in under the TUC’s radar. Each to their own I suppose – maybe they just enjoy running it (with such a long constitution for 6 members I guess they do!)

]]> By: John Robertson http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-83 John Robertson Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:58:50 +0000 http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-83 Sorry to bother you with two posts, but you might be interested in answering this of blogging about it - What is the Twenty First Century Aircrew Association of five pilots? Something to do with BA's attempts to prevent the T&G organising? Good thing? Bad thing? I donno. Annyway sorry to have bothered you with two posts. j Sorry to bother you with two posts, but you might be interested in answering this of blogging about it -
What is the Twenty First Century Aircrew Association of five pilots? Something to do with BA’s attempts to prevent the T&G organising? Good thing? Bad thing? I donno. Annyway sorry to have bothered you with two posts.
j

]]> By: John Robertson http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-82 John Robertson Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:16:24 +0000 http://www.johninnit.co.uk/2007/07/02/shear-tragedy/#comment-82 I have just written to them asking if they'll let me use the name: registration as a union costs £150 with a full certificate of independence costing £4,066 (I don't know what the £66 is for). I reckon there's a need for no-frills legal insurance as a backup to organised shop-floor union membership. Some unions are good at both, but if you're in a union that's good on the ground but feckless at the regional office, this is where another kind of union can help. Interesting about the tent setters, and I didn't know the facts about shears: I thought the organisation was for people who sheared sheep. Scottish Carpet Weavers wrote on their last return that they were likely winding-up, while United Independent Union, a break away couple of staff from T&G in Scotland who have just had their appeal refused at the employment tribunal, remains afloat with an overdraft. Lacking a base of organised labour, they have had to go touting for trade and concentrated on students. Cheers John I have just written to them asking if they’ll let me use the name: registration as a union costs £150 with a full certificate of independence costing £4,066 (I don’t know what the £66 is for). I reckon there’s a need for no-frills legal insurance as a backup to organised shop-floor union membership. Some unions are good at both, but if you’re in a union that’s good on the ground but feckless at the regional office, this is where another kind of union can help.

Interesting about the tent setters, and I didn’t know the facts about shears: I thought the organisation was for people who sheared sheep.

Scottish Carpet Weavers wrote on their last return that they were likely winding-up, while United Independent Union, a break away couple of staff from T&G in Scotland who have just had their appeal refused at the employment tribunal, remains afloat with an overdraft. Lacking a base of organised labour, they have had to go touting for trade and concentrated on students.
Cheers
John

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