When a customer’s fiber first comes in, it gets weighed, then spread out on the skirting table to see what I have. At this point, I skirt it (if not already done), check for burrs, excessive VM (weeds), dung tags, poo, excessive dirt, overall appearance and scan for metal. Yes, I have a metal detector and I’m not afraid to use it.
This is when I pull apart the fleece into wash lots. I wash up to 2 lbs. per sink. Most fiber will come clean with 2 washes and 2 rinses, using very hot water. The finer wools often require 3, and sometimes 4 washes to degrease them.
Once dry, the fiber is reweighed to determine processing weight. Next stop is the picker where the locks/clumps will be separated and then sprayed with a water soluble conditioner to aid in processing and static control.
Contrary to popular belief, the picker does not remove any VM, although it is likely to knock more dirt loose. When you pick by hand, you do separate the locks and pick out the VM, which is where the confusion comes from.
After sitting at least 4 hours, preferably overnight (and it can sit longer), to absorb the conditioner, the fiber is ready for the carder. My carder (and picker) is made in Canada by MK Machines; it is 24″ wide and can process fiber to a web (as it comes off the carder), roving or batts (24″ x 42″, thickness varies). All those rollers and the main drum are covered with wire that is much like razor wire (and hurts when you knock against it the wrong way). This is a different material than the pin cloth that is seen on drum carders and hand carders.
The carder aligns the fiber and sends it out in a nice, open web, roving or batt (depending on what the customer wants). The rollers and main drum operate at such high speeds that a lot of dirt, VM, 2nd cuts, weathered tips and shorter fibers are thrown right out (and drop below the carder).
Some VM gets caught on the rollers/main drum and I need to clean them off periodically. Once VM is impaled on those teeth, it’s not coming off without a fair amount of help!