> For those of you who own an Ashford drum carder with fine cloth (72 ppi),
> can you tell me how well it works on really fine wool?
Ummmmm, not well.
I had an Ashford for years, and I don't know why they called it "fine". It
was a medium cloth,good for medium wools like Corrie, Romney, Coopworth,
etc. But it couldn't deal with fine wools without significant danger of
nepping. I did manage to card Merino with it, but I worked very, very, very
slowly with films of pre-flicked fibers.
I now have a Fricke's finest and can card fine wools without much effort. I
think reclothing the drum with the fine cloth is the most important upgrade
you could make to your carder. I use mine for everything from coarse rug
wools to Cormo.
The slicker-licker cloth is also very nice -- I get very little waste on the
small drum, unlike when I worked on the Ashford -- but it's not as critical.
The brush is a nice touch, but not essential. It's very useful when working
with fly-away fibers -- like mohair, angora, silk, etc -- by keeping the
fibers condensed on the drum as you're card. It helps process more fiber per
batch, too. But if you're planning to work with fine wools that's not really
critical. I've found it's better to do several thin batts of Merino rather
than one fat one, because the teeth can keep the fibers better aligned in
thinner layers. And if you're planning to pull the batt into roving, you'll
run much less risk of nepping and retangling the fibers if you work with
smaller amounts of fiber.
Good luck with your new toy. Sounds wonderful. I dream of getting a
motorized carder someday myself...
Elaine
--
Elaine Benfatto, Cambridge MA
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http://www.urbanspinner.com/
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