> cali silk and cotton? how do you mix it? where would one get silk fiber?
>
Alden -
We get silk at weaving supplies, specifically at the Weaving Works in Seattle,
though we've gotten it at other weaving supply places. The silk that works
best is bombyx mori silk, which comes in long hanks. Look for material that
doesn't have little slubs (rounded nubs or loose knots).
Silk fibers are very long, too long to be used for wrapping hurdy-gurdy
strings. The solution is to cut short lengths off of the hank, perhaps 2-3 cm
(about 1 inch).
Silk can be used by itself, but the sound can be harsher than cotton. It also
gets very tightly wound onto the string, so it's hard to remove. The solution
is to blend it with cotton. We use a short staple cotton, Fox Fiber.
We've experimented with various mixes, but we typically use about 2/3 cotton
to 1/3 silk. (If I'm making it, I weigh it out, but it's OK to just eyeball
it.)
To mix them together, the fibers need to be carded. Hand carders are fairly
expensive, but there's a cheaper alternative: a pair of dog brushes, the
"slicker" kind with short wire bristles. Use them to comb the fibers together
until they're fully blended.
The blend still winds tighter and is still harder to remove than 100% cotton,
but also wears longer.
Cali and Alden Hackmann
Olympic Musical Instruments - hurdy-gurdies
A & C Embroidery - boutique embroidery
Bois de Mallorne - audio production
stained glass, laser art
"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else."
- Winston Churchill
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