Japan November 2013…...

[trail and arrow]

@twin:

Giles that blue denim dust must be bad for the workers lungs. do they wear masks on the job?

thought about that too, important question!
perhaps they didn't ware masks that day because of the visitors?

[Giles]

We were offered earplugs, but not masks…...

[JCar2666]

Do you have an updated ETA on the UHR's after this recent trip to the factory G?

[Giles]

I still have not decided when to release them….Spring/Summer though....

[Giles]

Ihoha, Tom, Sarina

[Giles]

After we had been to the "heavy ounce" mill we went to the "middle ounce" mill….

Here is the owner (and sole worker) marvelling at the weight of the UHR's

[Giles]

[adam_r]

@Giles:

After we had been to the "heavy ounce" mill we went to the "middle ounce" mill….

Here is the owner (and sole worker) marvelling at the weight of the UHR's

Never mind the weight, look at the size of them!

[Giles]

They were IIRC waist 34, so not that big…..

[Giles]

I will post more pics of the "Middle Ounce" weaving factory later, but in the mean time, here are a few taken at lunch.

We had lunch in an amazing place overlooking the Seto Ohashi Bridge which stretches 9.4 kilometers from Sakaide in Kagawa to Kojima in Okayama. It is made up of several different types of bridges, including suspension, truss, and cable-stayed. Its two separate levels serve as an expressway for cars (upper level), and tracks for a railway (lower level).

And the lunch was as pretty as the view….

[Giles]

Bobbin being filled with weft…

http://gifmaker.me/PlayFrameAnimation.php?folder=2013111809ADSZVmwBF5Wh7MWve8WQ8R

[Giles]

More from "middle ounce" weaver….

Weaving beams

Beams and denim

[Giles]

[mclaincausey]

Infectious smiles on those two…

[Simon]

The two girls are so effortlessly stylish 
Great shots of the Mill Giles, love that stuff too.

[Aetas]

What a smile.
Gil, can you explain the difference of this two selvedge sides. Right with a cut thread and the left side without?

[Giles]

It's not just those two either, it's a recurring theme.  One of the reasons I love it being in Japan so much…..

[Giles]

@Aetas:

Gil, can you explain the difference of this two selvedge sides. Right with a cut thread and the left side without?

The side where the weft pokes out is the side where bobbin changeovers occur,  i.e where a new length of weft starts.  The warps are effectively continuous, the wefts can only be as long as will fit on a bobbin.  If you have a look at the bobbin change side of our denim, the distance between those threads decreases the thicker the weft yarn (effectively, the heavier the denim)….

[Aetas]

That is the technical inside I ever waited for. More pictures please. Winchy, please film film film, Mrs G. has everything under control.

[ohighyo]

Ya, really awesome photos!!