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Cliff Cox is the Plant Manager at Chargeurs, a multi-national company with a plant in South Carolina that produces superwash and non-superwash wool sliver (combed and carded top). In this two-part series we will use the conversation with Cliff to dive into the deep mysteries of Superwash Wool and the ways it is made.
Interview Notes:
Review…..- The structure of wool and wool scales up close
- Why and how wool felts/shrinks (DFE)
- Wool before and after the chlorine/Hercosett process
- Wool before and after the Chlorination portion
- Chargeurs, where Cliff work
- Wool Pools! I just imagine a swimming pool full of wool that I can dive into and swim in like Scrooge McDuck with his vault of coins
- Wool Mercerization using Silicone Softeners
- Not Cotton Mercerization
- Coated Fleeces can keep Vegetable Matter (VM) down
- Carbonizing of VM for wool
- The enzyme based process study abstract
- UV/Sericin Process for finished fabric
- Life Fiber Eco Friendly Treatment not durable, since it doesn’t bond to the wool surface
- Bio-based polymers for non-shrink wool treatment include Collagen, Chitosan, and Feather Keratin
- Plasma Process, using Ozone, an “organic” process.
- Modified Drum Carder Descaling
- EcoWash Wool available from Spirit Trail Fiberworks
- Comparative Shrink Resistance of different methods
- This slide show was super helpful
- Breeds of wool less likely to felt:
Doreset Down Sheep *squee* Dorset Down Hampshire Down Oxford Down Shropshire Southdown Suffolk Dorset Ham Dorset Poll Clun Forest Cheviot Portland
I want to thank Cliff Cox and Chargeurs for talking to me in such candid detail about how they run their plant.
You can follow me in all my making at Miriam Felton Knit Designs on Facebook, and on Twitter or Instagram. Thank you so much to the patrons who keep this podcast paid for. You can join the Patreon at patreon.com/miriamfelton
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This podcast was produced in Salt Lake City UT, with production help from Sid Fallon. Music is by the ever illusive Breakmaster Cylinder.
I’ll see you again in 2 weeks when we have a chat with designer, author, and publisher, Hunter Hammersen.
