Fiber Scouring

• Fiber Washing/Scouring

  We wash the fleeces in a biologically friendly agent to remove dirt, grease and suint from the fleece. Animal environments have varying degrees of contamination from dust, sand and grit. It is imperative to remove this matter before further processing. We wash the fleece in a five bath system - two with soap solutions, and three rinses.  A weight loss of 20-50% can occur in washing.

  Our first bath of water is at 150 deg-f with ½ % soap addition, followed by a rinse. The second bath will be at 150 deg-f with ¼ % soap solution. The third and fourth are rinsing baths and contain no soap, with the temperature around 150 deg-f. We vary the temperatures depending on the breed, type of fleece and other factors.

  At each bath, gentle spins in one direction followed by a soaking rest and then a gentle spin in the opposite direction occur.

  On exit from the rinse bath, the wool has a "clean" citrus smell. A residual grease content of below 0.5% is ideal.

  We use agents that are ecologically friendly as well as recycling of rinse water in an effort to be good stewards of the environment.

• Drying

  We dry wool on large open mesh racks. The wool is opened by hand then spread in a thin layer over the mesh. We employ natural drying techniques from the open air, with occasional assistance using dehumidifiers or fans.

  It is important that the wool is dried evenly and not over-dried. Residual moisture content of over 25% will result in the development of fungal growth. Residual moisture content below 7.5% will result in processing difficulties and fiber breakage.

  

  Here's our washer and recycling unit where we do our fiber scouring.