Description:
Hatchels, also known as hetchels, were used to comb flax fibers in preparation for spinning and weaving. The name comes from a late 15th-century English word (hackle) meaning to prick or pierce. These textile processing tools are constructed using a block of wood which holds rigid metal nails. The fibres are combed through these spikes, separating the shorter (tow) fibers from the longer ones desired for spinning into yarns for weaving linen. This example features square, hand-forged nails that were inserted into round holes pre-made (drilled or burned) into the hardwood base, an inconsistency which would help anchor the metal. The density of the metal nail arrangement suggests a medium level of combing. As many as five hatchels of increasingly finely spaced teeth could be used to refine the flax before spinning. Unsigned/unmarked.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1411.1 |
