Hello everyone; I have degummed coccoons. I use litmus paper to test the ph. It should be 9.5. You can get litmus paper at a science supply center or a swimming pool supply center.
You do need to keep a lid on or else they float up to the surface at first. I usually use a smaller lid than the pot requires and corral them underneath. You can also open them under water stretching them onto a frame, making Mawata, or silk handkerchiefs. This has to be done under water or else they won't stretch. I use a small paper making frame, about 6"x6", but anything will do. You can stack one open coccoon over another onto the frame. They dry quickly and are fun to spin. They also dye beautifully. The old Japanese way to degum involved using the ash from hardwood. Just make a fire using hardwood, save the ashes and stir into the water, testing the ph. I don't slit them open to remove the pupa and they only stain a few fibers near where the pupa sits inside. The Japanese eat the pupa. It's considered a delicacy. Yum!!! Randy Chelsey To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
