Touwslagerij in Soest

Smit, W. P. A. (1920).Touwslagerij in Soest. [photograph]. Collectie Gelderland, (AA 91254). Nederlands Openluchtmuseum

Boy spinning yarn at Ruger's rope mill in Soest, 1920. The material to be spun, unspun hemp, is held together in a jute bag tied around his waist. On the left in the foreground is a so-called flapper, a twine tool. On the flapping is a ’spindle'. This conical tapered wooden object has grooves. With the spindle, the ropes to be twisted are kept apart until they are twisted directly behind the spindle. On the right-hand side of the ground are a pair of boulders that serve as reinforcement for the sledge. Photograph by W.P.A. Smit.