How to Use a Drum Carder- What tools and Fibers you need to get Started
So you just bought a drum carder new you have no clue what you need? It’s ok we’re here to help. I think I can speak for almost anyone I know in the fiber world when I say we all need a helping hand sometimes.
I myself only started playing with blending and spinning a few years ago. And I truly had no clue what I was getting into, or how much I would love it. I bought a spinning wheel and almost immediately started saving up for that drum carder I just had to have. If you’re anything like me, you may see what you want in your head but have difficulty finding it in shops.
First thing you need to know, you must have the accessories to go with your drum carder.
You need a stabby metal stick(that’s what I call it) aka a Doffer to break the batt for easy removal. You also need Flicker brushes. You can buy these from your drum carder supplier or you can use dog brushes. Brother Drum Carder sells kits on their website.
What fiber do you need though?
I recently had someone local reach out to me about buying some batts. I found out she had recently bought her own drum carder. She was so new to it she thought you needed batts to blend into batts. I kindly told her she can use much more than just batts and that she should check out another local fiber shop for these specifics.
You really want easy to blend fibers that aren't too dense when you’re just getting started.
Corriedale wool is a great starter as it’s far more open and easy to blend than something like merino, which is super dense. You’ll want it in roving or top form. You can add different things to your blend too! Bamboo, mint, silks, noils, locks, alpaca, yak, sparkles, etc…etc…etc…
The options are truly endless.
It’s what you do with these fibers that counts.
You can find all of these things on sites like Hearthside Fibers or Paradise Fibers…or you can do my favorite thing and purchase hand dyed braids from CHY and use those to blend with additives from the other two sites. Your end result will be magical.
You’ll need a scale.
I use a cheap digital kitchen scale, weighing out my fibers to 2oz. before I begin blending because that’s my carder's capacity. Make sure you don’t add too much fiber at once because it will be difficult to feed it into the carder. If the handle is hard to turn, you’ve put too much fiber in. If the fiber is getting stuck on the small drum, use the flicker brush to push the fiber onto the larger drum while you slowly turn the handle. Once you’ve got all of your fiber on the carder, you now need to decide whether you should run it through again or not. If you want everything blended together more, break the batt in half, creating two short pieces, then each half breaks into 3 long pieces. Open each of those six pieces up almost as wide as the drum and feed them in one at a time. Voila!
Happy Blending! XO Heidi
We are so lucky that one of our talented Fiber Artist and Batt Blending Queen Heidi Stone Black ( also of Cocoon Homespun Goods) has decided to turn her advice to some of our fiber friends into a helpful blog post
P.s. want to learn more? Check out some blending videos on youtube.
Our Crafty Housewife Yarns Channel is always a good place to start!
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How to use a drum carder and wool batts resources
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Spinning wool batts from a drum carder
how to use a drum carder video
