RTR Knitting

RTR Knitting at Holt Hosiery Bolton
Last production before closure

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Holt Hosiery
• RTR knitting
• Wildt knitting machines
• Deane Road Mills
• Damartex
• Damart
• Knitting Machine
• Bolton
• Bolton Mill

[polyhexamethylene]

Really nice video, thanks for posting. I'm not in the industry, but it's gratifying to see equipment that's so well designed and made that it can be kept running for 50 years and is still going strong. Not like so much of the junk that's manufactured these days. Too bad about the factory closing down.  It's great that you made this video before it did.

[ghough12]

@polyhexamethylene Thanks for watching and commenting

[superadio1]

Thanks for great video. This is both nice and sad at the same time. I worked with wildt Mellor Bromley, Stibbe, Blackburn. But now mostly on flats. Do you know what happened to the machines? Too bad this trade gone to china. Textile has been one of the BEST places to work.

[ghough12]

@superadio1 Hi, thanks for the comments. The machines were bought as a job lot by a Leicester company that refurbs and sells the machines on, mostly to India and Pakistan I believe. The majority of them were still fully functional and knitting superb quality cloth. When the parent company (Damartex) decided to move all production to Tunisia it was a real blow to us, and with the current economic/labour problems I bet they wish they hadn't. Our wages were minimum pay for most of the workers.

[ghough12]

vikkiknit, sadly Holt Hosiery closed on 30th April this year so this video was the last I had the fortune to be able to shoot as a lasting heritage of the craftsmanship of these Wildt machines. Sadly there are fewer and fewer of this kind of circular knitted fabric machines that are not "electronic" like the Santoni machines. Glad you liked it, thanks for your appreciation.

[Geraldtoo]

Great video!!! I was also a victim of outsourcing. In the U.S. Hoisery ind. I fixed almost all of the sock machines from the Banners,K&N's,Conti's, Matec Ultra Sport's, Ange's, and Lonatis. Sad. I hope these employee's have found something better!!!

[jesskundi]

Great video and RTRS. A well ran factory, loooking for RTR modle A spear parts. Can any one help me.

[JorgeARey]

I've been working on this machines in my family mill, circa 1976.

nowadays I'm still in the same industry, and have great memories.

Love from Argentina.

[vikkiknit]

I love it, lets have more UK textile industry videos put up so in the future we can SEE it, not have to read about making things as industrail archaelogy. I work on flats to, but used to use RTR and SPJ machines.

[adecritten]

Rivitting!!