It takes a Village…It also takes a City.
On my first trip to Malatya, my bespoke rug and I traveled by car from the village, and I watched the next phase of the rug’s journey to being under my toes. In a large facility, all the nitty gritty of beautification is done. To initialize the final stages of the rug, it is first burned. This may seem like an odd thing to do, but it makes sense when you see it. Seeing the flames hit the back of the rug made me nervous. I have seen many, many finished rugs, but seeing the flames on my rug made me want to hold my breath.
This was not the case. The handheld torch was expertly handled. This process tinges the ends of loose yarns and has no effect on the color or weave of the rug. What it serves to do is make the knots of the rug more visible and cleaning easier. When the flame is turned off, the rug back is smooth and ready for step two.
Next, it is put through an industrial duster to remove as much debris and dust as possible. This makes the washing and rinsing much more efficient. In the duster, the months of dust collected from being on the loom is removed in a few hours. This huge duster is designed specifically for rugs and is kept in a room. “Look at the corners of this room,” the operator said to me. I did as he asked and noticed a very clean space. He locked the duster and let out a laugh. As we walked out of the room and he closed the door, he said “Look again after an hour!” The push of a button to the right of the door engaged the duster and the sound was tremendous.
Left: Inside the wooden duster Right: Dust removed from my rug!
While the machine did its job, we all took a break. The seven of us gathered for a picnic style lunch. The casserole was brought by what you could call the foreman, and it was delicious. As we tore at the bread and filled our bellies, we exchanged light-hearted conversation and laughs. We sipped ayran between bites and enjoyed every moment of this down time. It was during this time that I learned about the men in this shop. There are six, each an expert in their individual trade with a minimum of fifteen years experience, while the most senior has more than thirty years under his belt.
The washing process consists of a commercial grade rotary agitator cleans the carpet and bubbly water. The rotary agitator reminded me of my part-time job in high school, where I would polish the aisles of the local 7-11. This washing and rinsing is a two-person job. While one man manages the agitator, the other pours soapy water. Every fiber of the rug is cleaned thoroughly in this and subsequent washings.
During the rinsing, one man pours water while his partner squeegees the water from the piles. It was surprising to see the natural dyes of the yarns coming to the surface and being pushed away. It had been explained to me before, but it is a wonder to see it happen right before your eyes. Once completely rinsed, the rug is placed into a water extractor (also called a centrifuge) to remove excess water. In the case of my rug, it was the only one in the extractor, and needed to be counterbalanced with blocks to prevent the machine from moving across the space, to keep the rotor from breaking, which can cause injury to those operating it. It spins incredibly fast which whips nearly every drop of water from the rug.
When the spin cycle was completed, the rug and counterbalance bricks were removed. My freshly washed rug was next draped across a large upright rack and wheeled outside. Under the warm rays of the Malatya sun, the rug swayed with the gentle breezes that passed through and dried naturally.
When I returned the next morning, the rug was completely dry and ready to be trimmed. The rug was draped across a large table by two men, the trimming operator and the foreman. The foreman held the rug in place as the shearing master prepared to begin. He asked me how plush I wanted the piles, which reminded me of a waiter how I want my steak cooked! Come to think of it, I did get a craving immediately after the question. I answered, “not too high but not too low,” if it were a steak, I suppose that would be medium. He smiled and adjusted the machine to the appropriate height. He began to make passes across the fibers of the rug and I watched as he did this. After a few initial passes, he stopped to examine his progress. Being satisfied with it, he continued. Each pass of the shearing machine removed the excess pile and was automatically vacuumed away by the tubing attached. Once all the larger area had been completed, a few workers gathered around to examine the progress. They all take great pride in the work they do, and offer words of “a job well done” to one another often. The shearing master accepted these kind thoughts and took out a small handled trimmer. He trimmed all that the larger machine could not reach, the perimeter. This machine looked similar to a barbers clippers, but this is an industry staple.
The entire process mentioned above, minus the dusting, would now be repeated. Another wash, rinse, squeegee, extraction, dry and shear would be done a second time. Feeling like a newly educated rug expert, I headed back home while the second cycle repeated, but I would return to observe the stretching process, and finish what I had started. I will be back!