This document discusses denim washing techniques. It begins with an introduction to denim fabric and its history. It then describes various types of denim and finishes that can be applied, such as stone washing, acid washing, sandblasting, and laser finishing. Specific techniques like stone washing, microsanding, and whiskering are explained in detail. The document provides information on the process, materials used, and effects of different denim washing methods. It concludes with a reference section citing additional sources.

1. DENIM WASHING
Pravat Kumar Sahoo
Lect. (F&AT)
CET,Bhubaneswar.

2. INTRODUCTION OF DENIM…
• Denim is a rugged cotton
twill textile, in which the
weft passes under two or
more warp threads.
• It produces a diagonal
ribbing effect.
• The most common is
Indigo Denim, in which
the warp is dyed and weft
is left white.

3. HISTORY OF DENIM…
• “Denim” comes from fabric
"serge de Nimes" made in
France city of Nimes from
where it originates.
• It has been used in America
since the late 18th century.
• Denim was first used for
clothes worn by workers
because of its high durability.
• It became widely popular in
the 1930s when Hollywood
started using.

4. Types of Denim
1. BUBBLE GUM DENIM (Lycra
containing denim that has between 35 to
50% stretch)
2. COLOURED DENIM (Fabric is
woven with dyed yarn either warp or
weft, It can also be obtained by Piece
dyeing process.)
3. CRUSHED DENIM (Textured effect
achieved through a special fabric
construction coupled with wet processing,
Fabric is woven with an over twist weft
yarn, The effect can also be improved by
bleach and stone )
4. DENIM FROM FOX FIBRE (Denim
fabric manufactured by coloured cotton
fibre that grows naturally developed and
patented by California cotton breeder
Sally Fox. NITRA, India has also done work
on this line.)

5. 5. MARBEL DENIM (It is an another
name for acid wash, Some crushed
denims, if strongly bleached, are also
called marble.)
6. ECRU DENIM (The denim, which is
not having dyed yarn i.e. only grey yarn in
warp & weft.)
7. REVERSE DENIM (Where the face
side and reverse side look alike.)
8. VINTAGE DENIM (A denim
treatment that applies heavy stone
washing or a cellulose enzyme wash with
or without bleach for an old and worn
outlook.)
Types of Denim

6. •Denim washing is the aesthetic
finish given to the denim fabric
to enhance the appeal and to
provide strength.
•It is one of the finishing
treatment creating special
appearance and updating
clothes.
•Several wash effects can be
produced such as- color fading
with or without patchiness, seam
puckering, de-pilling, crinkles,
hairiness etc.
Denim Washing

7. • The concept of washing the
Denim jeans was started by
Jack Spencer for the brand
Lee in 1963.
• Stone-wash was first started
by Francois Girbaud.
• The concept of sandblasting
was started in 1988 by a
number of branded
companies in Italy.
When Started..

8. 1. Mechanical washes
• Stone wash
• Micro sanding
2. Chemical washes
• Denim bleaching
• Enzyme wash
• Acid wash
Types of Denim Washes

9. • LASER TECHNOLOGY
• SUPER STONEWASH
• SCRUBBING
• GRINDINGS
Other Mechanical Washes

10. • RINSE WASH
• OZONE FADING
• OVER DYE- TINTING
• SUN WASHING
• WATER JET FADING
• VINTAGE
Other Chemical Washes

11. • This method is most
common and is used to
give denim an 'OLD-LOOK'.
• Pumice stone is one of the
most important
components used to
abrade the surface of the
fabric to obtain a surface
pattern effect with color
contrast and soft - handle.
Stone Washing

12. • In this process, the fibres
on the surface of the
fabric are broken and
removed and the inner
white fibres of the warp
yarn are gradually
exposed.
• Natural patterns can be
formed as the degree of
abrasions varies in various
parts of the garment.
Stone Washing

13. Selection of Stone
•According to the end
product & effect required.
•Large, hard stones last
longer and may be suited for
heavy weight fabrics only.
•Smaller, softer stones would
be used for light weight
fabrics and more delicate
items.
•Stone wt. /fabric wt. = 0.5 to
3 /1

14. Specifications of Stone
• Moisture content-less than
5%
• Surface properties-less
than 5% fines
• Apparent Density-0.5-
0.75gm/cm3
• Abrasion loss-35%
• Impurities –
when exceed 10% they
increase apparent density
1 gm/cm3, the stone will
not float in water during
process.

15. Stonewash Cycle
1.Loading of denim garment
and stones.
2.Desizing for about 15
minutes- Detergent plus
enzymes.
3.Rinsing
4.Stone wash- 30 to 60 min
5.Rinsing
6.Softening
7.Extraction
8.Unloading and removal of
stones from garment
9.Tumble drying

16. Limitations
•Outcome of a load of jeans
is never uniform.
•Damage to wash
machineries and garment
due to stone to machine
abrasion.
•Increase in labor to remove
stone particles from finished
garments.
•Water pollution during
disposal of used liquor.

17. Microsanding
There are 3 ways for this
technique:-
Sandblasting
Machine sanding
Hand sanding or hand
brushing

18. • To achieve an abrasion
effect, sand is fired at a
great speed onto the fabric
through a nozzle.
• It is purely mechanical
process.
• Varieties of abraded look
or used look are possible in
sand blasting’s technique.
Sand Blasting

19. • In this fabric treatment
process, a series of
cylindrical rolls in a
horizontal arrangement,
either wrapped with an
abrasive paper or
chemically coated with an
abrasive.
Machine Sanding

20. • In this process sand paper
is used to abrade surface
of the denim fabric.
Hand Sanding

21. • Uses a beam of light that
burns away the indigo dye
to produce a worn look.
• Design can be placed
anywhere on the jean
• Different degrees of
degradation
• Less air contamination
• Less wear & tear
• Much faster
Laser Technology

22. • The fading of creases in blue
jeans, especially around the
crotch.
• Often added artificially in
order to simulate a "worn"
look.
• Usually found on the front
pocket area of jeans.
• The worker to just scrape
normally on the jeans by
using Moduls and the
whiskers appear uniformly
Whiskering

23. • When we look at old jeans we
find it destroyed from the edges
of pockets, fly area, belt and
bottom. This used effect can be
created on jeans by grinding.
• It is done on pocket edges &
bottom hems edges by running
against abrasion surface or stone
to achieve worn out effect.
• Many different make of machines
& pen grinding tools are available
in the market which runs with
pneumatic system.
Grinding

24. • 1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denim#cite_note-autogenerated1-1
• 2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_duck
• 3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigo_dye
• 4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%AEmes
• 5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denim#cite_note-autogenerated1-1
• 6.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer%27s_blue
• 7."How jeans conquered the world". BBC News. 2012-02-28.
• 8.In 1789 George Washington toured a Beverly, Massachusetts factory producing
machine-woven cotton denim. (Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities: Mass
Moments
• 9.Coe, Nick. "The Essential Raw Denim Breakdown – Our 100th Article!".
RawrDenim.com. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: RawrDenim.com. Retrieved 2012-03-28. "I
had read somewhere that a pair of raw denim is like an individualized canvass. Indeed
the fade results and any other visible marks, rips, or tears are specific you and your body.
For a dramatic illustration of what we mean, hop over to Takayuki Akashi's documentary
on the “Traveling Denim“."
• 10.Slater, Sean. "When Should I Wash My Raw Jeans? – A Rough Guide".
RawrDenim.com. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: RawrDenim.com. Retrieved 2012-03-28. "If
you’re able to wear your jeans all day, every day then 6 months may be long enough (or
perhaps even too long).
Reference