Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Common flax, also known as linseed, is a member of the Linaceae family, which includes about 150 plant species widely distributed around the world. Some are grown in domestic flower beds, as flax is one of the few true blue flowers. Linum usitatissimum is grown both for seed and for fiber: the seeds produce linseed oil, one of the oldest commercial oils, used for centuries as a drying oil in painting and varnishing, and flax fibers are amongst the oldest fiber crops in the world. The use of flax for the production of linen goes back 5000 years.
Under the former Cronquist system of classifying the flowering plants, flax and related plants were placed in an order Linales. Modern classifications place them in the order Malpighiales.
L. usitatissimum is grown both for seed and for fiber. The seeds produce linseed oil which is one of the oldest commercial oils and which has been used for centuries as a drying oil in painting and varnishing. The use of flax seed and flax seed oil (high in omega-3 linolenic acid) as a nutritional supplement is increasing.
Flax fibers are amongst the oldest fiber crops in the world and the use of flax for the production of linen goes back 5000 years. Pictures on tombs and temple walls at Thebes depict flowering flax plants. The use of flax fiber in the manufacturing of cloth in Northern Europe dates back to pre-Roman times. In the USA flax was introduced by the Pilgrim fathers. Currently all flax produced in the USA and Canada are seed flax types for the production of linseed oil or flaxseeds for human nutrition.
Flax fiber is soft, lustrous and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fiber but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope. Flax fiber is also a raw material for the high quality paper industry for the use of printed currency notes and cigarette paper.
The major fiber flax producing countries are the former USSR, Poland, France, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
From the 1881 Household Cyclopedia
The soils most suitable for flax, besides the alluvial kind, are deep friable loams, and such as contain a large proportion of vegetable matter in their composition. Strong clays do not answer well, nor soils of a gravelly or dry sandy nature. But whatever be the kind of soil, it ought neither to be in too poor nor too rich a condition, because in the latter case the flax is apt to grow too luxuriant and produce a coarse sort, and in the former case, the plant, from growing weakly, affords only a small produce.
When a crop of seed is intended to be taken, thin sowing is preferable, in order that the plants may have room to fork or spread out their leaves and to obtain air for the blossoming and filling seasons. But it is a mistake to sow thin when flax is intended to be taken, for the crop then becomes coarse, and often unproductive. From eight to ten pecks per acre [125 to 160 kg/ha] is a proper quantity in the last case; but when seed is the object, six pecks [95 kg/ha] will do very well.
Flax should be pulled when the lower part of the plant begins to turn yellow, and when, on opening the pods, the most forward of the seeds are found in a soft state, and the middle of the seeds is green; while the seed is quite soft, the flax should be spread on the ground in bundles of about as much as a woman can grasp with both hands, and it should remain so till the upper part is dry; in fine weather it will be dry in twenty-four or forty-eight hours; the bundles should be then made up, with the dry part inside, and set up in stocks of ten bundles each, to stand on the ground till the whole is dry, pods and all; the seed will then be ripe and the flax in the best state, and may be stacked, housed or worked; great care should be taken to keep the root ends even.
When flax is pulled it ought to be immediately put into the water, so that it may part with the rind and be fit for the manufacturer. Standing pools, for many reasons, are most proper for the purpose, occasioning the flax to have a better color, to be sooner ready for the grass, and even to be of superior quality in every respect. When put into the water it is tied up in beets, or small sheaves, the smaller the better, because it is then most equally watered. These sheaves ought to he built in the pool, in a reclining upright posture, so that the weight placed above may keep the whole firmly down. In warm weather, ten days of the watering process are sufficient; but it is proper to examine the pools regularly after the seventh day, lest the flax should putrefy or rot, which sometimes happens in very warm weather. Twelve days will answer in any sort of weather; though it may be remarked, that it is better to give rather too little of the water than too much, as any deficiency may be easily made up by suffering it to lie longer on the grass, whereas an excess of water admits of no remedy. After lying on the grass for a due time, till any defect of the watering process is rectified, the flax is taken up, tied when dry in large sheaves, and carried to the mill to be switched and prepared for the hackle.
The process is divided into two parts: the first part is intended for the farmer, or flax-grower, to bring the flax into a fit state for general or common purposes. This is performed by three machines: one for threshing out the seed, one for breaking and separating the wood from the fiber, and one for further separating the broken wood and matter from the fiber. In some cases the farmers will perhaps thrash out the seed in their own mill and therefore, in such cases, the first machine will be, of course, unnecessary.
The second part of the process is intended for the manufacturer to bring the flax into a state for the very finest purposes, such as lace, cambric, damask, and very fine linen. This second part is performed by the refining machine only.
Take the flax in small bundles, as it comes from the field or stack, and holding it in the left hand, put the seed end between the threshing machine and the bed or block against which the machine is to strike; then take the handle of the machine in the right hand, and move the machine backward and forward, to strike on the flax, until the seed is all threshed out.
Take the flax in small handfuls in the left hand, spread it flat between the third and little finger, with the seed end downwards, and the root-end above, as near the hand as possible; then put it between the beater of the breaking machine, and beat it gently till the three or four inches, which have been under the operation of the machine, appear to be soft; then remove the flax a little higher in the hand, so as to let the soft part of the flax rest upon the little finger, and continue to beat it till all is soft, and the wood is separated from the fiber, keeping the left hand close to the block and the flax as flat upon the block as possible. The other end of the flax is then to be turned, and the end which has been beaten is to be wrapped round the little finger, the root end flat, and beaten in the machine till the wood is separated, exactly in the same way as the other end was beaten.
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From Field to Fiber: Pulling, Retting and DressingFlax should be pulled when the lower part of the plant begins to turn yellow and the most forward seeds are soft with a green middle. The pulled plants are spread on the ground in bundles about as much as a woman can grasp with both hands until the upper part is dry, then made up with the dry part inside into stocks of ten bundles each to stand until the whole is dry. When pulled, flax is immediately put into water so it may part with the rind and be fit for the manufacturer; standing pools are most proper, giving the flax a better colour, a sooner readiness for the grass, and superior quality. The sheaves are built in the pool in a reclining upright posture, weighted down, and left for ten days in warm weather or twelve days in any weather, with regular examination after the seventh day lest the flax putrefy. After lying on the grass to correct any defect of the watering, the flax is tied when dry in large sheaves and carried to the mill to be switched and prepared for the hackle. Dressing is divided into two parts: the farmer's part, threshing out the seed, breaking and separating the wood from the fiber, and further separating the broken wood; and the manufacturer's part, refining the flax for the finest purposes such as lace, cambric, damask and very fine linen, performed by the refining machine only. Flax History and the Modern Fiber CropPictures on tombs and temple walls at Thebes depict flowering flax plants, and the use of flax fiber in cloth in Northern Europe dates back to pre-Roman times. In the USA flax was introduced by the Pilgrim fathers, but currently all flax produced in the USA and Canada is seed flax, for linseed oil or flaxseeds for human nutrition, not for fiber. The major fiber flax producing countries are the former USSR, Poland, France, Belgium and the Czech Republic. Under the former Cronquist system flax was placed in the order Linales; modern classifications place it in the order Malpighiales. Sowing rates illustrate the difference between a seed crop and a fiber crop: eight to ten pecks per acre, 125 to 160 kilograms per hectare, when fiber is the object, but six pecks, 95 kilograms per hectare, when seed is the object, because thin sowing lets plants fork and spread, while dense sowing gives fine, straight fiber plants. That single agronomic choice, how closely the seed is sown, decides whether the harvest becomes oil, food, or the linen that has clothed people for five thousand years. Common QuestionsWhat is flax grown for?Flax is grown both for seed and for fiber. The seeds produce linseed oil, one of the oldest commercial oils, used for centuries as a drying oil in painting and varnishing, and flax seed and flax seed oil, high in omega-3 linolenic acid, are increasingly used as a nutritional supplement. The fiber is the raw material of linen. How does flax fiber compare with cotton?Flax fiber is soft, lustrous and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fiber but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting, while coarser grades are used for twine and rope, and flax fiber is also a raw material for high quality paper, including printed currency notes and cigarette paper. What soils suit flax?Besides alluvial soils, the soils most suitable for flax are deep friable loams containing a large proportion of vegetable matter. Strong clays do not answer well, nor do gravelly or dry sandy soils, and the soil should be neither too poor nor too rich, since too rich soil makes the flax grow too luxuriantly and produce a coarse sort, while too poor soil gives only a small produce. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Fiber Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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