'Kissing' shuttle
- Made:
- 1937








Loom shuttle, made in around 1930 by Pikington Ltd in Preston, has hand written label 'James Dewhurst June 1937', likely used in the mill of James Dewhurst in Clitheroe.
The shuttle carried the 'weft', the yarn that moved back and forwards between the 'warp' threads on a loom to create cloth. Shuttles travelled across looms at great speed. A stray shuttle could smash a window, or even knock out a tooth. This shuttle is a type known as a 'kissing' shuttle. It has has a small hole, through which the weaver sucked the thread of a newly loaded pirn of yarn to make it ready for weaving on the loom. Sharing germs and inhaling cotton fibres made this an unhealthy practice. it was eventually banned and new types of self threading shuttles that didn't require the user to suck up the thread were developed.
On display
Science and Industry Museum: Textiles Gallery
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Details
- Category:
- Textile Industry
- Object Number:
- E2018.0329.1
- Materials:
- cotton (fibre), metal (unknown) and wood (unidentified)
- type:
- shuttle
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