 Manmade fibers history younger brother of natural fabrics one
Added: 10/11/2005 |
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Man has used natural fibers since ancient times, and comparing to that the manmade fibers history is not that long. But even during that short period of time with the use of different chemical processes many chemical recipes for new fibers were conjured up. Today synthetic fibers for any kind of activities are developed. And some of their properties are unequalled if compared with natural fibers.
Since long ago people made clothes of different sorts of natural fibers. The very first methods of fabrics weaving were primitive. It was more like knitting than weaving as we know it today. But technology of weaving was forging ahead and new materials came into being.
Most of the weaving centers were situated in the Asian region. Many archeological findings confirm that the original weaving technique (that is pretty like the modern way of fabric weaving) was widely spread in Persia and Mongolia. The art of fabrics weaving was brought to Europe only several centuries later. But it is in Europe that the fabrics weaving has spread its wings.
New ways of fabrics making were introduced. After the industrial revolution in Europe people began to make fabrics with machines. That was a great step forward because it allowed producing a great amount of fabrics very fast and on the cheap.
The 19th century witnessed new chemicals and new chemical processes. That was the beginning of synthetic fibers era and of manmade fibers history. These first synthetic fibers were made from cellulose using special solvents. New material was called silk because fibers made from it were as thin as natural silk fibers. And after discovery of manmade fibers, history of fabric weaving has got a new impulse of development.
With these new fibers different sorts of textile became even cheaper and its production became faster. Although manmade fibers history is pretty short it gave a great number of new opportunities to clothing industry. Different chemical recipes, that are now available, allow having almost any quality that fiber needs to have. So, clothes with wonderful qualities can be easily manufactured.
But despite great achievements in the manmade fibers history, many people still prefer natural fabrics. That is probably caused by inability to achieve some qualities of natural fibers in synthetic fibers. Different combinations of natural fibers and synthetic fibers are also often used to overcome these disadvantages. The labels of clothes made of such material contain the indication of the percentage of each material in fabrics.
Not all combinations are possible because different natural and synthetic materials have to be treated differently. For example, you cannot use similar detergents for different sorts of fibers. And as long as manmade fibers contain other chemical substances instead of natural fiber, regular dye coloring technique doesn't work for them. To dye synthetic materials a special sort of dyes has to be used. You need to remember that if you are going to dye you clothes single-handedly, all dyes should be chosen accordingly.
And no matter if fibers are natural or manmade, fabrics weaving is a great hobby, so, you can try simple methods of weaving right now at your home. There are simple kits available that include all needed instruments and materials to start with. And after you have made some fabrics, you can also try coloring them by yourself. "Batik", a dyeing technique, is also a very popular hobby these days.
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