How it was then… and is now
When we look back at the history of our
industry we can remember the labor, the fabrics and all the
risky processes that were used where we had to wait to see what
kind of results we could expect. It was only 50 years ago!
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You crossed your fingers at some of the
risky stuff we had to process, but worse were the horrible
surprises we received when a set of plastic buttons disappeared
or melted on other garments. I'll never forget the time a
plastic zipper vanished in the load and the customer wanted to
know, “What happened to my zipper?”
I still remember an incident that caused
the loss of a good customer. After checking the pockets, my
brother decided to return some lost earrings to the wife, who
was picking up her husband’s suit.
“These are not mine!” she
exclaimed.
So it goes. Probably the hardest work was
having to “water brush” a few hundred pants! (We
didn't say “wash” and it was before the term
wetclean).
The style those days was that every
gentleman always got two pair of pants with his blue serge
suit. They were always wool, winter and summer, and the knees
were always stiff from perspiration, so the best solution was
to give them a dip, light extraction and hang inside-out in the
boiler room.
The problem came the next morning when
each presser had to press a few dozen pants (piece work) shape
up, stretch, press open the seams, etc. It called for skill to
make them look new again.
Production was first on the morning
agenda, and it required a bit of talent. Who said those were
“the good old days?”
But that was then, and now is now! With
our new tensioning pants toppers, the problem disappears,
including pressing pleats. I had the pleasure of witnessing a
new feature on a Hoffman legger press called Legger Press-Mate
UCAL-46 T. The operator simply pulls the press-mate material
across the first leg, then places the second leg on top.
The pressing cycle is the same as if the
traditional method were done. However, once the cycle is
complete, the press-mate material is automatically retracted,
allowing the operator to simply place the pants on a hanger.
It's a unique device that permits you to
do both legs with one close, steam, vacuum, release and ready
to hang up the pants and lay the next pair down.
In conjunction with the pants tensioning
unit, operators can boast of increases of 35 percent in
production, and that’s including wetcleaned and khaki
pants.
This has been a huge breakthrough, since
half our production involves pants, and with the advent of
those miracle fibers such as polyester, Dacron, and wool
combinations thereof and even permanent press and creases that
appear to be indestructible. We can indeed be pleased with the
research chemist for many of the new fibers that repel water,
and indeed may be feather light, offering warmth and comfort
and even repelling sunlight in summer.
The prospect of these newer fabrics,
which seem to lend to safer wetcleaning and lesser adsorption
of perc, is heartening.
Thanks to the latest technology where
units today will not release the load until the last ounce of
perc has been extracted and clothes can not be removed if there
is the faintest trace of solvent remaining, I can recall where
4,000 or 5,000 lbs. of clothes cleaned per drum of perc was
considered a good average. Today’s units deliver 50,000
and 60,000 pounds, offering continuous distillation, clean
rinse, with sizing, water repellency even automatically adding
flame proofing. Now that' s progress!
I think we have turned the corner as for
having the government or the powers that be accusing our
industry of polluting the air or the water. Now they can
concentrate on carbon monoxide and the horrendous waste of
gasoline due to poor mileage. Maybe I'm optimistic, but will
there be cars driven by air, batteries or sun light?
They can take a page out of our book!
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