Silk throwing

[1] Silk had to be thrown to make it strong enough to be used as organzine for the warp in a loom, or tram for weft.

Bologna became the most technological advanced silk-throwing town, with filatoio driven by overhead shafts that were powered by water.

[3] Silk throwing was originally a hand process relying on a turning a wheel (the gate) that twisted four threads while a helper who would be a child, ran the length of a shade, hooked the threads on stationary pins (the cross)and ran back to start the process again.

[4][5] The process was described in detail to Lord Shaftesbury's Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Employment of Children in 1841: For twisting it is necessary to have what are designated shades which are buildings of at least 30 or 35 yards in length, of two or more rooms, rented separately by one, two or four men having one gate and a boy called a helper... the upper storey is generally occupied by children, young persons or grown women as 'piecers', 'winders' and 'doublers' attending to their reels and bobbins, driven by the exertions of one man...

Supposing the master to make twelve rolls a day, the boy necessarily runs fourteen miles, and this is barefooted.

[6] In 1700, the Italians were the most technologically advanced throwsters in Europe and had developed two machines capable of winding the silk onto bobbins while putting a twist in the thread.

[1] Filatorios and torcitoios contained parallel circular frames that revolved round each other on a central axis.

[4] By 1820, throwing was done using rectangular frames, manufactured from cast iron, and powered by belts from line shafts.