All about Cotton Sampler Knives

[Rookie82]

I read a story once about the process of sampling cotton, back in the old days.

Cotton was picked in the field, bundled into bales, and sent to the ginning factory. Ginning was the process where they removed all the unnecessary plant material from the cotton balls. Since the seeds of cotton are tiny and sticky, they have to be removed before cotton can be spun or woven. Then the de-seeded clean cotton would be baled again, and sent to a spinning factory. There the cotton is cleaned, carded (aligning the fibers), spun, and woven into fabric.

Cotton bales were usually graded, and sold at cotton exchanges, where buyers would buy bulk amounts to take to spinning factories. "Fair to Middling" was a term to mean average quality, or better. Middling would be fairly white in color, and contain minimal amounts of debris, which would be used usually for denim.

Buyers at the cotton exchange would approach a cotton bale, and using a cotton sampler knife, push the sharp tip into a bale and pry side to side with it to check for cotton consistency. They also would pull out a small tuft and use their finger to pull it thin over the blade of the knife, checking the fibers.

 

[Honest_Thomas]

I read a story once about the process of sampling cotton, back in the old days.

Cotton was picked in the field, bundled into bales, and sent to the ginning factory. Ginning was the process where they removed all the unnecessary plant material from the cotton balls. Since the seeds of cotton are tiny and sticky, they have to be removed before cotton can be spun or woven. Then the de-seeded clean cotton would be baled again, and sent to a spinning factory. There the cotton is cleaned, carded (aligning the fibers), spun, and woven into fabric.

Cotton bales were usually graded, and sold at cotton exchanges, where buyers would buy bulk amounts to take to spinning factories. "Fair to Middling" was a term to mean average quality, or better. Middling would be fairly white in color, and contain minimal amounts of debris, which would be used usually for denim.

Buyers at the cotton exchange would approach a cotton bale, and using a cotton sampler knife, push the sharp tip into a bale and pry side to side with it to check for cotton consistency. They also would pull out a small tuft and use their finger to pull it thin over the blade of the knife, checking the fibers.

I picked up a GEC C-S pattern last year and fondled it for many weeks after, trying to mentally add some meat to the bones of this tale/explanation. I just couldn’t do it, to use in the manner explained above could be undertaken by many better suited blade profiles. Many descriptions come to mind looking at a C-S blade, sharp tip ain’t one of them.

It’s all about that pronounced belly, it must of had a very specific function in order for it to be so exaggerated like that?

 

[Rookie82]

I picked up a GEC C-S pattern last year and fondled it for many weeks after, trying to mentally add some meat to the bones of this tale/explanation. I just couldn’t do it, to use in the manner explained above could be undertaken by many better suited blade profiles. Many descriptions come to mind looking at a C-S blade, sharp tip ain’t one of them.

It’s all about that pronounced belly, it must of had a very specific function in order for it to be so exaggerated like that?

Yeah I think if we could just go back 130 years to the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, we could actually see what they were doing and how they did it. I'm sure some old-timer cotton farmers from the south could give some specifics, but not sure any of them frequent this forum.

 

[Old Hunter]

Yeah I think if we could just go back 130 years to the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, we could actually see what they were doing and how they did it. I'm sure some old-timer cotton farmers from the south could give some specifics, but not sure any of them frequent this forum.

The fields around where I live have many planted with cotton; the plants were full of cotton flowers back during the dove season opener on Labor Day, most flowers gone now and many plants in white bolls but the plant is still green). There are a few gins around but no cotton warehouses where this activity takes place. Like tobacco, the warehouse system seems to have disappeared, with farmers contracting directly with cloth producers and exporters nowadays. Not having relatives running family farms any longer I am out of touch with the modern sales trail. OH

 

[echoscout]

The fields around where I live have many planted with cotton; the plants were full of cotton flowers back during the dove season opener on Labor Day, most flowers gone now and many plants in white bolls but the plant is still green). There are a few gins around but no cotton warehouses where this activity takes place. Like tobacco, the warehouse system seems to have disappeared, with farmers contracting directly with cloth producers and exporters nowadays. Not having relatives running family farms any longer I am out of touch with the modern sales trail. OH

Thats the stage of the cotton around here also. When I was young no one raised cotton around here now it's everywhere. Guess that helped my interest in cotton knives.

 

[WinMag775]

Post NY Knife Co, Hibbard Spencer & Bartlett