rebecca100
Almost Self-Reliant
Will the stiff dog wire brushes work for carding? What do you use for carding if you don't own actual carders?
calling wool people!!!
- Thread starter rebecca100
- Start date
Ohioann
Lovin' The Homestead
You can open up the locks with a wire dog brush by holding one end of the lock and gently brushing(teasing) out the tip (or outside) end of the lock then reversing the lock and teasing the other (body) end. The goal of carding is to open the wool, removing dirt and veggie matter and get the fibers running in the same direction. This make it much easier to spin. Locks can be carded washed or unwashed but most people wash first then card. If you can find a drum carder to use it goes faster. Edited to add: easiest way is to lay a piece of denim or canvas over your leg, lay the lock on the canvas and tease against your leg.rebecca100 said:
My hand carders are a bit stiffer than the wire dog brushes, but depending on the wool, I don't see why it wouldn't work. My carders are good for my dirty brown sheep fleece (I spin, then wash- I like the lanolin on my hands 
) but they are almost too aggressive for the alpaca fleece.
) but they are almost too aggressive for the alpaca fleece.
freemotion
Food Guru
If you can't afford new carders....they are in the $70 range!!!.....you can find old ones for about $10 and re-face them. I re-faced my grandmother's carders with new pins. It is so cool to use them. Not that I have, much! 
aggieterpkatie
Swiss Army Wife
For cleaning VM out of wool I really like my straight tooth cards. I would think dog ones would be too flimsy, but I guess it might work for small bits of yarn at a time.
tortoise
Wild Hare
Dog slickers work *somewhat* on clean/prime angora wool. Not gonna help for sheep wool.
I got my carders for $15 at an auction.
I got my carders for $15 at an auction.
- Thread starter
- #7
rebecca100
Almost Self-Reliant
Okay, Free, HOW do you reface them if you get an old pair? I am looking at two Jacob fleeces. Whether or not this will be a yearly thing I don't know yet, so I don't want to put a whole lot of money into something that I may never do again.
Niele da Kine
Power Conserver
There are a few companies who sell "carding cloth" but so far I haven't found one which will sell the replacement cloth for that much less than the cost of new carders. If anyone knows of a place to get inexpensive carding cloth, I'd be really interested to hear about it.
I've been using dog slicker brushes to card angora wool and that works okay, but the cotton carders we found at a yard sale awhile back work much better. Unfortunately, I used the cotton cards to card some raw sheep's wool so they are full of lanolin at the moment so I can't card angora until I clean them.
I've been using dog slicker brushes to card angora wool and that works okay, but the cotton carders we found at a yard sale awhile back work much better. Unfortunately, I used the cotton cards to card some raw sheep's wool so they are full of lanolin at the moment so I can't card angora until I clean them.
freemotion
Food Guru
Sorry, missed this. It did cost me $24 to get the cloth to re-face mine. I think new ones of similar size are around $70, and the ones I have were used by my grandmother and possibly even her mother, so they are rather sentimental. They started falling apart when I tried to use them. I sent away for the pieces with the bent pins and tacked them onto my handles with upholstery tacks. Do you want me to look up the contact info? I bet Niele de Kine has better info, though!rebecca100 said:
kitchwitch
Power Conserver
Honestly rebecca, you might be better off buying the carders and if working with wool doesn't work out for you, sell them for $40-50 bucks. People will buy them at that price because they buy them for $70. As a "wool enthusiast" I can tell you that the cheapest tool for processing wool are the handcarders. If I had realized that I probably wouldn't have gone as whole hog into processing as I did.
