Textile Applications
Uses & Applications
We are Hewitt & Booth, market leaders in the bespoke manufacturing of pipe cleaners since 1922. Our expertise and flexibility makes us the first choice for companies wanting to develop disposable solutions for hard to reach places. Perhaps because we ourselves are in the textile business, we have quite a few customers in textiles that have approached us to develop a pipe cleaner to do a specific job:
Case Study: Jamiesons of Shetland Ltd.
Jamiesons use Hewitt & Booth cotton pipe cleaners for passing thread down through the false twist tubes in the spinning machine, the suppleness of the stem allows the thread to be pushed through easily and safely without needing to place hands in the machine which would be a danger to the engineers working the machinery.
The family business was established in the early 1890’s by founder Robert Jamieson and are especially known for their quality and feel of yarns and tweeds. Five generations later the company, now run by Peter and his son Garry Jamieson still make exclusive Shetland knitwear, yarns and fabrics to premium stores and boutiques worldwide.
In 1978, after initial doubts over whether Shetland yarn alone could be machine spun, 3rd generation Bertie accomplished a 100% Shetland yarn capable of machine spinning. This extensive development of the yarn was the springboard for the company’s success over the last 40 years.
Case Study: Abraham Moons & Co. Ltd.
H&B pipe cleaners are used in the spinning department where the wool yarn is prepared for cloth weaving, the pipe cleaners are used as a tool to re-thread a broken end back through false twist tubes, reconnecting the thread back onto the spool of yarn.
Known now as ‘Moon’ the company from Guiseley near Leeds has a rich heritage having been established in 1837, the height of the Industrial Revolution and coincidentally the same year as Queen Victoria ascended to the throne. The business flourished during the Victorian Era and by 1890 was exporting goods to Western Europe and Japan, with the newly built railway to Leeds that ran behind the mill. This ensured the firm could take the pressure of the added demand. Nowadays Abraham Moons are focused on luxury in the clothing market, making high quality garments for Burberry, Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren among others.
Case Study: INDX, Christchurch, New Zealand
We have been working with INDX (Industrial Experience. Flexible Solutions) for a few years now – they are our farthest flung customer! They are service suppliers to the textile industry and use our pipe cleaners for carpet manufacture machinery to thread through the false twist tube on spinning frames.
We have developed a stem that is 22cm long in unbleached cotton. They use our pipe cleaners because they say the soft nature of them means that they don’t scratch any parts on the way through the machine.
