Title
Fabric testing notebook of Bill Fisher
Reference
2020-458
Production date
1952 - 1954
Creator
- Fisher, WilliamBiographyBiography
William Fisher, known as Bill, was born in Grantham in 1930. He was educated at the Kings School, Grantham, before carrying out his National Service from 1948 for 14 months at Melton Mowbray in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
He entered the textile industry after National Service and from 1950 undertook a three year course in cotton textile manufacturing at Nottingham Technical College, on an educational release scheme.
On qualifying, he joined the Shirley Institute British Cotton Industry Research Association in Didsbury, Manchester. From 1953 to 1954, he was part of the Technical Department, working on the special cases team. While working at the BCIRA, he became an Associate of the Technical Institute.
In 1955, Bill joined the Technical Department at Kirklees Ltd Rayon Manufacturing, in Bury, Lancashire, where he responded to customer complaints.
Bill moved to Bradford, Yorkshire, in 1962 where he worked for a company specialising in weaving and yarn processing. He dealt with technical issues. He remained with this company for five year, before setting up his own business as a textile agent in 1967. He retired from his company in 2009.
Scope and Content
Notebook compiled by William (Bill) Fisher during the course of his employment at the Shirley Institute in the Technical Department special cases team. The notebook is indexed by case number with individual company names recorded and each entry dated. The entries provide a description of the sample, the nature of the fault identified by the client, the testing carried out and the conclusion drawn. Most entries include a sample of the fabric tested, a few have diagrams for pick spacing and weave patterns. The faults identified by clients include: faulty yarns, faulty construction, weft bars, warp stripes, streaking, irregular patterns, faulty selvedges, faulty dyeing, faulty printing, and shade variations.
Loose items, including cases written up on loose sheets, fabric samples, and ephemera not associated with the subject of the notebook, have been removed and stored separately in envelopes marked up with their item number and original page location.
Extent
1 volume
Physical description
Good condition.
Language
English
Archival history
Created by the donor in the course of his work, for personal information. Retained by the donor since its creation. Acquired by the museum in 2020.
Level of description
ITEM
Repository name
Science and Industry Museum
Associated people and organisations
- Shirley InstituteBiographyBiography
The Shirley Institute was established in 1920 as the British Cotton Industry Research Association as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies. The Institute invented Ventile and developed the tog measure of thermal resistance.
In 1961 the association merged with the British Rayon Research Association to form the Cotton, Silk and Man-Made Fibres Research Association. In 1989 it merged with the Wool Industries Research Association to form the British Textile Technology Group.
Conditions governing access
Open access.
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied in accordance with current copyright legislation and Science Museum Group terms and conditions.
