Sunday 19 December 2010

Polypropylene fibre


Now, what is this polypropylene fibre, I keep rattling on about?
Well this stuff is made for industrial use, in this case to make carpets.

 

It comes in a thread (on a bobbin), which is welded every few centimetre. So you still have a bit of work to do before you can use it.




 

I use this handy tool, which is a piece of wood with three nails in it (thanks for the tip Renzo).
Wrap the fibre around the nails about 15 times (more will make it difficult to comb out). Then put a little strap around the fibre on one end, and cut it an the other end.


This is the result.

 



Then take a wooden plank (but your oak table will work fine as well, if you don’t mind the scratches), and a comb like this.



 




Then comb everything out until you get your end result. Which is a fantastic fibre!

 







In various colours (I will have more colours soon).
 










And if you run out… just take a bobbin, and make some more.







2 comments:

dave lindsay said...

that is a fantastic idea where do you buy the bobbins

the lonsome piker said...

Well Dave, that is the problem of course. You can check a weaving mill and ask for remains (there is often still a couple of hundred meters on a bobbin left), or the companies that sell it to the weaving mills, but then you will often have to buy a whole bobbin, which is 5 kg.
Either way, make sure you ask for PP BCF (Bulk Continuous Filament), so without twist or interruption in the thread.