FULLING MILL FENEŞ, 19th century, Alba county
Stated on the course of the mountain rivers, the pives are folk technical installations used to thicke and finish wool fabrics. They appeared and developed in favorable environments with a rich hydrographic network, with constant river flows, in hilly relief with abundant vegetation (beech and resin) and in which there were predominant specific occupations, such as animal husbandry. From such a recognized area for hydraulic installations, on the Ampoi Valley, it was transferred to the museum in 1965, Puua Feneș. The degree of specialization reached here is also reflected by the local toponymy, one of the tributaries of the Ampoi river bearing the name Valtori.
The mechanism is sheltered in a high construction on a base, with wooden beams carved in a straight section and river stone, and the roof, in four waters is provided with shingles (initially from manually harvested straw). The fabrics were inserted in a wooden trunk with hollows (pot) where they were beaten with the two pairs of hammers set by the hydraulic wheel through the camshaft. The cameras (feathers) raised the hammers (maia) that escaped from gear and relapsed to virtue of gravity, hitting with the bottom ends alternately watered fabric with cold and hot water. The lower ends of the shirts have notes in steps, which ensures equal hitting as intensity along the entire length and width of the fabric. Following the process of beating in the pike, the fabric thickens and is divided, becoming a tin. From this, the thick clothes (sums, crows, vests, etc.) were made.
