76. Hand-Reeling Wheel

Hand-reeling wheel appeared after the Qin-Han Period, and was in common use in the Tang Dynasty. It was operated in the way to boil the cocoons and to spin at the same time with a cauldron. While reeling, as the workwoman sat at the boiler boiling the cocoons and finding the filament-end with her left hand, she swang the handle with her right hand to revolve the spinning utensil on the wheel. Let the filaments wind onto the utensil and get dry in the course of winding.

While using the hand-reeling wheel, the technique of boiling cocoons should be grasped well. The water temperature was sensed by the hand of the workwoman, the amount of the silk thread to be made required, and attention should be also paid to the degree of well-boiled cocoons. The water for reeling is rain water, water from the spring, from the river, from the lake or from the well in proper order according to its quality. Clear water will make the silk whiter, and pure water will make the silk lustrous.