Flax ring spinning frame

About the sound

The Flax ring spinning frame of the brand Mackie and Sons Ltd., constructed in 1955, was originally in use in the Bielefelder Textile Vocational School. With this machine apprentices were taught the craft of bast fiber spinning. Now it is an exhibit of the Bielefeld Historical Museum and is activated for visitor presentations.
The machine uses a wet spinning process to spin long fibers into yarn. In the process flax bands are stretched into fine, homogeneous threads, wound onto cops and simultaneously treated in a warm water bath. At a temperature of 70°C the unwanted material dissolves, allowing the fibers to lie together more smoothly when wound. After the yarn is wound onto bobbins it is dried at 80°C.
The sounds of the machine are made by the electric motor and the rotation of the bobbins.

Sound recordist: Konrad Gutkowski / Jonathan Nicolai / Anna Pietzuch
Photographer: Konrad Gutkowski / Jonathan Nicolai / Anna Pietzuch
Video recordist: Konrad Gutkowski / Jonathan Nicolai / Anna Pietzuch