Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management textile mills textile mills, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management, textile mills

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.SHEEP CATALOGUE (red marker) WOODEN BOX SHED PRESS (blue pen)wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management shearing, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management, shearing

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.WOODEN BOX SHED PRESS (Pen)wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.shearing sheep stations - management wool bales, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, shearing, sheep stations - management, wool bales

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing block with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.REAR VIEW/ SHEEP PRESS (blue pen)wool bales sheep stations - management, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, wool bales, sheep stations - management

Printing plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.Wooden block with metal plate with illustration of wool press manufactured by Humble and Sons.shearing sheep stations - management wool bales, humble and sons pty ltd, wool press, shearing, sheep stations - management, wool bales

Combing removes the short or broken fibres and draws out the long fibres into even strands suitable for spinning. The process is necessary to produce long and soft strands needed for worsted yarn. These machines remove the short fibres and blend the remaining long fibres together to form the top. The short fibres that are removed, known as the noil, are used in the woollen system. The long fibres are drawn together, ready for spinning. To retain as many of the valuable long fibres as possible, a skilled operator always needed to be on duty in the factory to precisely set the machine. A Nobel Comb separates short (Noils) fibres while also blending long (Tops) fibres together. The long fibres are used for worsted materials while the short fibres are used for woollen fabrics. Woollen materials are soft, bulky and fuzzy, such as a picnic blanket; whereas worsted materials are fine, smooth and crisp, such as a suit jacket. The Valley Worsted Mills in Geelong, now the Little Creatures Brewery, ran 12 noble combs up until 1981. Gold plaque on display with machine until 2018 read: G.H. Mitchell & Son, Adelaide have celebrated 125 Years of involvement with the Australian Wool Processing Industry by contributing the funds necessary to restore The Carding Machine, Noble Comb & The Gill Box.Noble Comb with plates - 'Prince Smith & Sons, Burlington Shed, Keishley' (One plate located on each gear box). 'Prince Smith & Sons, Burlington Shed, Keishley' (One plate located on each gear box).wool manufacturing, noble comb, textile industry, geelong, little creatures brewery, valley worsted mills, fibres, wool, factory

Collector says: "I can still recall one of my earliest childhood memories, of my nana's bright aqua shoes against the checks of our family travel rug on summer picnics. Maybe that's when this collection planted its seed in me - 40 years later I start my first blanket collection after stumbling across old Onkaparinga travel rugs. I would go to a vintage market in Collingwood every month and almost always found a good one, amassing enough for the entire household. Everyone had their favourite, even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one just for him."Collector's note: "For more than 100 years blankets were made all over Australia in over 100 woollen mills. My aim, is to preserve 100 examples of these wonderful pieces of history. Ten years ago I started collecting the iconic Onkaparinga travel rugs, so that on movie nights at home there would be plenty to go around. Everyone had their favourite; even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one. Keeping an eye out for those travel rugs at op-shops and markets, collectable stores and bazaars, led to noticing vintage blankets. I'd never really thought about them before or paid much attention though of course I had grown up with them at my grandmother's. When I discovered my first Laconia cream blanket with blue stripes, my eyes just went gaga. Well that was it, I was hooked and since then over 500 blankets have passed through my hands. These common, everyday items, found in all households for so many decades, were traditional engagement gifts. Pairs were prized wedding presents turning into family heirlooms. They were fashionable dressers of beds, givers of warmth, bestowers of security and reliability. The comfort found in these objects resonates with almost all of us; we grew up with them ourselves or fondly recall them in a grandparent’s home. There is no modern replacement with the integrity of these old blankets, many of them now older than most of us. They are romantic, sensible, special, familiar, nostalgic and nothing else feels so appropriate in so many situations. No offense to the great Aussie doona, but from hippie to hipster, at a music festival, picnic, campsite or couch, a vintage blanket is something coveted by all. This industry that employed tens of thousands and must have been such a huge contributor to the economy is almost completely lost now. Blanket Fever is an ode to everything that came before: the land, the sheep, the shearers, the hands, the mills, the weavers, the designers, the distributors, the department stores. To the grandparents that gave them, the people that received them, the families that kept them; thank you. I’m passionate about my collection of Australian blankets manufactured in mostly Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The collection has blankets from each of these four decades representing the styles and fashions of their time and includes dated advertisements which help determine the eras the blankets are from."Plaid travel rug, double-sided , fringed , brown and orangeThe Seal of Quality/"Onkaparinga" /Pure Wool/Manufactured in Australia by Onkaparinga Woollen Co.Ltd/Owner___wool, blanket, blanket fever, travel rug, onkaparinga

After scouring, the wool fibres are still tangled together. Carding untangles the fibres by brushing and straightening. The wool moves through a series of wire brush rollers that revolve at different speeds and in different directions to tease apart the wool. The fibres emerge from the machine as a continuous filmy web - called a sliver. The sliver must be thinned and divided into strands before the next process. Carding machines constantly require tuning. A highly skilled technician maintained and adjusted the speed of the rollers on the machine. This machine was developed by the CSIRO in the 1960s as a small-scale experimental machine. Industrial carding machines were four times the size of this one. Gold plaque on display with machine until 2018 read: G.H. Mitchell & Son, Adelaide have celebrated 125 Years of involvement with the Australian Wool Processing Industry by contributing the funds necessary to restore The Carding Machine, Noble Comb & The Gill Box. Also another gold plaque read: Experimental Carding Machine donated to The National Wool Museum by C.S.I.R.O Ryde has been rebuilt by Nick Sokolov of Comb Research & Development with the help of Bernard Tolan.Carder with small roller missing at coiling end. Driven by three horse power motor. Wooden slated feed table synchronised to overall gearing.carding machine, machines, wool industry, manufacturing, wool processing

Wool picking machine designed to separate locks of wool before it is carded and spun. The picker opens the wool’s locks which makes it easier to send the fleece through a carding machine. It does this by teasing the fibres (which can also be done by hand just by pulling the lock structure apart), but a picker does this in bulk and much quicker than what can be done by hand. It is possible to spin fibres directly after the picking stage; however, it is usually more desirable to card and blend them with other fibres. Typically, at a textile mill, a picking machine can separate enough lengths of fibre for a full day’s work after just a single hour. It will also help to remove any vegetation matter or other any unwanted elements that may be present in the wool. The quality of the casting on this machine suggest that it was made locally, either in Australia or New Zealand. Mike Leggett, the donor of the machine, acquired it from New Zealand where the seller said it had been used by his father to pick wool to make hand stuffed horse saddles. Mike attempted to used it a couple of times to pick alpaca hair, but the speed of the attached motor caused damage to the fibres. The motor is thought to be an added attachment, sometime around the 1960s judging by its age, while the machine itself is thought to be dated around the 1920s. The machine works by inserting wool through the rollers. Initially there was a conveyor belt feeder system which was powered by the handle on the side. This conveyor belt has been removed however, most likely due to age and deterioration. Wool is now fed through the initial teeth and is met by a spiked rotating drum which works to separate the fibres. The separated fibres would then complete a loop of the drum before being dispatched somewhere below, around where the motor presently sits, at a rapid rate of speed. Typically this wool will be collected in a closet or large catchment area, as can be seen from the 8:47 minute marker in the linked video (link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMjx-t3tH3A). It is not apparent how the wool is collected with this machine. Red and green machine with four green legs currently attached to a wooden pallet with wheels for easy movement. The green legs lead up to a red central circular barrel from which many attachments are present. Also present on the wooden pallet is a small black motor which is attached by a rubber belt to the central drum inside the red barrel. The belt spins the wooden drum via a dark red circular plate attached to the side of the drum. On the other side of the red barrel, a green handle extends for turning the picker’s conveyor belt feeder system. Two green walls extend forward from the central red barrel, guarding either side of where the conveyor belt would have been. At the start of these walls is a wooden cylinder, which the conveyor belt would have wrapped around, followed by two interlocking gears which rotate and accept the fed wool. The red roof extends over the central cylinder from here, securing the wool inside and protecting hands from the heavily spiked internal wooden cylinder which rotates and separates (picks) the wool. Extending over the top of this red roof is a green handle which reaches to the back of the machine (not pictured). Here it accepts a weight to ensure pressure is always present for the initial feeder interlocked gear teeth. There are two large gear cogs on the rubber belt side of the machine and 3 small gear cogs on the handle side of the machine, all coloured green. A green handle is also present at the rear of the machine, below the location from which the weight is hanging. A power cable extends from the motor and there are two adjustable metal rods on the top of the machine, the purpose of these rods is presently unknown. Black texter. On top of drum. Wording: HG3707 Wording. Imprint: BRACEWIND BLYN On motor. Wording AEIwool picking, textile manufacturing, wool processing

Product label in tones of cream, red and maroon showing printed text and a graphic of a woman, lion and shield. front: [printed] THE VICTORIA RUG / ALBION MILLS GEELONG / SUPER ALL WOOL / MANUFACTURED BY THE / ALBION WOOLLEN MILLS CO. / PTY. LTD. / GEELONG, VICTORIA / NO. / SIZE, 72 X 60 / WEIGHT LBS.albion mills, archives, wool industry, blankets, rugs, products, advertising, geelong, packaging, label, graphic design

Self-twist spinning machine prototype developed by CSIRO in the 1960's. Made by CSIRO Division of Wool Technology in conjunction with an Australian engineering company REPCO and the International Wool Secretariat. Prototype developed in 1960's and since 1970 over 3500 have been produced and sold.Self-twisting spinning machine (protoype).Label with machine: Prototype SELF-TWIST SPINNER / This prototype spinning machine was built / at Division of Wool Technology in the mid 1960's as / part of the program which developed the Self-Twist spinning / process. / Self-Twist was commercially released in / 1970 by The Division in conjunction with the Australian / engineering company Repco, and The International Wool / Secretariat. / Since 1970 more than 3500 Self-Twist / machines have been sold. / The process offers advantages in the / speed of spinning, machine size, maintenance and energy / consumption.engineering, manufacturing, wool processing, spinning, csiro, prototype, invention, wool technology, self-twist, repco, international wool secretariat

Type used in wool weaving at Castlemaine Woolen Mill.Six new wooden drive belts used in Woolen Mills. Comprising rectangular pierced wooden blocks held together by short lengths of chain.weaving, manufacturing, wool

Product label in tones of red, blue and grey showing printed text and a graphic of a woman, lion, shield and pitch fork. front: [printed] The Autolux / RUG / SUPER ALL WOOL / MANUFACTURED BY / ALBION WOOLLEN MILLS / CO. PTY. LTD. / GEELONG . . . VICTORIA / Size 72 x 60, Weight 4 lbs. / ALBION MILLS GEELONGalbion mills, archives, wool industry, blankets, rugs, products, advertising, geelong, packaging, label, graphic design

Product label in tones of red, green, yellow and white showing printed text and a graphic of a sheep. front: [printed] THE LARA / WOOL RUG / MANUFACTURED BY / THE ALBION WOOLLEN MILL CO. / GEELONG, VICTORIA. / No. / WEIGHT / SIZEalbion mills, archives, wool industry, blankets, rugs, products, advertising, geelong, packaging, label, graphic design

Product label in tones of red, green, yellow and gold showing printed text and a graphic of a sheep. Hand written blue text is shown on the back. front: [printed] THE WERRIBEE / PURE MERINO / WOOL RUG / MANUFACTURED BY / THE ALBION WOOLLEN MILL CO. / GEELONG, VICTORIA. / No. / WEIGHT / SIZEalbion mills, archives, wool industry, blankets, rugs, products, advertising, geelong, packaging, label, graphic design