A Carding Machine Fettler, aka Card Fettler, removed the accumulated waste, short threads, fly etc. from carding or other machines with a brush or with cleaning waste; sometimes did minor repairs to the machines
A Fettler, aka Machine Fettler (silk weaving) was responsible for the output of a section of looms, or was more concerned with the manual work of setting up and adjusting looms, putting in the beams and doing minor repairs.
A Loom Jobber, aka Fettler (cotton weaving), putter-up, repaired minor defects in the loom; assisted the tuner to put healds and reeds into the loom; placed and started new beams for weaving, and removed the beams when empty
Stan
Quite right Stan,
I was an indentured apprentice at 14 in a Cotton Weaving Shed which had over 200 Looms. and its own Spinning Mill.
The older weavers used the word Fettler, but later it was often referred to as Loom Overlookers, who were given a "set" of Looms to attend to. The term often used was the Loom was in good" fettle" when it was performing well. and the humidity in the "Shed" was damp enough to help stop the cotton ends breaking in the Warp(on the Beam) or Weft. in the Healds, or reeds, and in the shuttle.
Raphael
UK & Germany
