Woll Drum Carders
Preparing wool for spinning is a multi-step process that takes time and attention to detail before usable fibers are ready for spinning. A drum carder is a tool used to turn sheared wool into batts. You always have the option to use hand cards, however when processing larger amounts of wool, a drum carder will make the process a lot quicker! A wool carder is a great way to blend and card fibers for spinning or felting. The carded fibers are ready to be torn into pieces for spinning your custom yarns or felting in a multitude of projects.
A typical wool carder will be a fine wool carder.The fine carder is used most often and works best with fine fleece types. A course drum carder generally has fewer points and is used to card coarse fleece or used for novelty or specialty blending. Drum carders come in various sizes and may be double or triple drum. While most carders are manually operated, there are electrical drum carders that make it easier to process larger amounts of fleece because you are able to use both hands to feed fiber into the machine. Whether you choose a manual or electrical model, drum carders are a great advantage in processing fleece for your specific project applications.
At Paradise Fibers, we have drum carders in stock from Ashford, Louet, and others. We also carry triple drum carders. The triple drums are faster and more efficient at processing large amounts of fleece in shorter periods of time than double drum carders. You may be surprised at the amount of dust, dirt, and fine debris that triple drum carders remove that you may have missed in earlier processing. The triple carder produces an 8” x 20” batt ready for any of your fiber projects.
At Paradise fibers, we love discussing the latest products and techniques. Give us a call if you are unsure which carder is best for the fibers you process or applications you have in mind for your fiber batts. We can also recommend other resources, videos, or classes if you are in the Spokane area. We offer in-store classes on a rotating basis and are always willing to answer any questions if you are in the area and just want to stop by and check out our store in person!
While most drum carders include a doffer brush and a doffer pin, check to be sure that they are included in any carder you are considering, if not they should be purchased separately. You may also want to purchase a drum card cleaning brush, or a short awl for doffing a carder brush. Both are sold separately if not included in the carder you select. If you cannot locate the products, or equipment you are searching for online, please give us a call at 1-888-320-7746. It is possible we have what you are looking for in-store. If not we are always ready to help you find specialized equipment that is right for your project!
