Wool felt
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Description
A non-woven fabric made from a pressed mat of Wool. The oldest known fabric samples, excavated in Turkey, are made of wool felt and date to at least 6500 BCE. In the wet-process, a matt of moist wool fiber is alternately stroked or pulled in varying directions, then pressed flat usually with heat. The scales on the woolen fibers create the bond to form the cloth.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Filz (Deut.); feutre (Fr.); vilt (Ned.); fieltro de lana (Esp.)
Risks
- Damaged by alkalis and most bleach solutions.
- Decomposes in boiling water.
- Susceptible to moth larvae and other protein-feeding insects.
- May release harmful by-products
- Can cause allergic reactions
Resources and Citations
- Olympus Microscopy Resource Center at http://www.olympusmicro.com/galleries/polarizedlight/pages/sheepwoolfeltsmall.html - Wool felt samples have been excavated from a 5th c. BCE tomb in Siberia.
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felt (Accessed Nov. 29, 2005)