Also known as de-hairing, this machine is a modification of the carder, designed to remove heavier, coarser guard hairs and excess vegetation. The waste falls into a catch bin under the machine, while the quality fibers come out in a cloud at the end of the machine. It has a variable speed setting, which we monitor to remove just the amount of waste necessary without losing too much of the good fiber. Not every fleece requires this step. Fine, crimpy wool that is very clean of contaminants (such as has been coated or well picked through before sending to us) can sometimes go directly to the carder. Also, some customers want their dual haired fleeces processed with the longer coarse hairs left intact, depending on their end use.
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| Loading the fiber separator | Beautiful crimp | The "cloud" |