0626a69b58157dc9d780f4a490ca69563f9fea00a6dd62bc69e58b0502d18d2d6f66d3269bb8bb57350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c X-Originating-IP: 4.244.186.37 X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative by demime 1.01d X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Precedence: bulk Reply-To: [email protected] X-List: <fibernet> List-Help: <http://www.rbparker.com/fninfo.html> List-URL: <http://www.rbparker.com/index.html> List-Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List-Post: <mailto:[email protected]> List-Owner: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]:%20FN> List-Id: "FiberNet Mailing List" <fibernet.39156106.0499.x>
Holly is right, wool doesn't like alkali, however, it's the alkali in the soaps that breaks down the grease and mixed with the alkali, washes down the drain. With out the alkali, your're not going to get the grease out. Too much alkali will cause the fiber to become brittle. Also, the amount of time you soak the fleece and how hot your water is. We wash most fibers at 140 degrees, wools included. The greasier fleeces, merino, etc we do at 160. Mohair has a wax secretion on the fiber and sometimes you have to take it to 180. However, we find 160 gets most of it. You shouldn't let any fiber sit in the liquor over 30 minutes. The longer it soaks in the liquor the more damage can be done to the fiber. A ph of 9 or less is ok for washing. The ph is the key. That is what the wool really doesn't like. It prefers a more acid ph of around 5 to 6. That's why we use vinegar in our dye baths. I've run ph tests on Tide, Wisk, Dawn and ERA they are all about 6.5. All, Windfresh from Sam'! s, Costco's powdered soap run about 9 in 20 gal. of water. The other point made is the quality of your water. If it's hard, lots of minerals, you won't get the grease out easily. When we moved from WA to MO. The first 3 mos I was going crazy trying to figure why my wool wasn't giving up the grease. We insalled a water softner and no more problems. Having a tiny bit of grease residue in the fiber for home processing is ok. The speed at which you process the fibers on your drum carders, even motorized ones, doesn't come close to the speeds of the larger cottage or commercial carding machines. If you don't have the grease out and recondition the fibers so they are dampish, not wet, you're going to get breakage, because the fibers won't slide by each other during the processing on the drums. This creates neps, noils, and breakage of fiber. We check washed fibers very carefully in the mill and re-wash 95% of them because of grease residue. Gail White [EMAIL PROTECTED] Why Wait? Move to EarthLink. To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
