A felted fabric
consists of an entangled mass of animal hairs entwined and interlaced in an
irregular manner, without the intervention of spinning and weaving or knitting.
The ability to
form felts is limited to those fibres which possess three characteristics,
namely, a surface scale structure, ease of deformation, and the ability to
recover from deformation. During the felting process, the hairs travel by a
sequence of shrinkage and extension; hence the fibres become entangled with one
another and the mass is drawn together into a consolidated form.
Most types of
wool are easily felted, but some furs such as rabbit fur require a
pre-treatment known as carrotting (treated with mercuric nitrate thus softening
the fur).
For felt
manufacture carding is necessary. The carded webs are then formed with
requisite thickness. The application of heat, moisture and intermittent
pressure enables the fibres to felt together making a coherent whole. The areas
of material are very strong. After felting process, the area is considerably
less than before.
When the mass
has been sufficiently felted in the soap solution, the material is thoroughly
rinsed to remove the soap and then dried.
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