Felt is a textile material that is produced
by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of
natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as
petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood pulp-based rayon. Blended
fibers are also common.
The material that commonly composes it is
the carded wool of sheep, but you can use any other type of hair like that of
hare, rabbit, beaver, otter, goat and camel.It is also characterized by being
warm, light and waterproof.
The fibers are soaked in hot water, soaked
in soap and manipulated (beaten, rubbed, pressed) to obtain, with mechanical
and chemical processes, felting. Their ligation is given by the
interpenetration of the microscopic cortical scales that cover the surface of
the hairs. The process is progressive and irreversible.
The traditional felt is the color of the
hairs used, but you can produce using colored wool dyed staple.
History
Felt from wool is considered to be the
oldest known textile. Many cultures have legends as to the origins of felt
making. Sumerian legend claims that the secret of feltmaking was discovered by
Urnamman of Lagash. The story of Saint Clement and Saint Christopher relates
that the men packed their sandals with wool to prevent blisters while fleeing
from persecution. At the end of their journey, the movement and sweat had
turned the wool into felt socks.
The oldest traces of felt date back to the
third millennium BC, was used by the Greeks and Romans for the packaging of
clothes, hats and cloaks. The oldest finds are found in Siberia, equally there
are important traces of prehistoric felts in Turkey
It is often thought to be the first fabric
produced by man, without taking into account the fact that the interweaving of
vegetable fibers (found in nature in a filamentary form) is probably much older
than the processing of wool. In fact the sheep, a tame animal already in
prehistoric times, has a fleece made up of both wool and giarre, or robust and
bristly hairs that serve the animal to protect itself. The wool (down to near
skin contact) in many animals is one of the components of the fleece, not the
main. In the camel or in the Cashmere goat, for example, wool is present in a
very small percentage. The same happened in sheep. Animals that produced large
quantities of wool and scarce jars already existed at the time of Mesopotamian
civilizations, who classified the flocks in relation to the different uses. In
the most ancient times it is believed that the sheep had a brownish fleece and
many bristly hairs to protect them from rain and weeds, like goats. The wool
production is a character induced and stimulated by the selection and breeding
work. This is why it is unlikely that the felt precedes the interweaving of
vegetable fibers.
Each people adapted it to its needs, the
Russians to make the Valenki, the typical boots; the nomadic peoples of Central Asia , who were skilled producers, as well as for
the clothing used it to protect themselves from the elements. The tents of the
Mongols, the yurts, are built with a framework of poles covered with felt
sheets.
The lenci cloth is a type of felt very
soft, thin and cheerfully colored patented by the firm Lenci (acronym of
"Ludus Est Nobis Costanter Industria") of Turin Italy
It should not be confused with the cloth (Casentino
cloth, orbace, loden) which is a fabric made of loom that is shoved to close
the interstices between the threads, the felt is a non-woven fabric.
Today, felt objects are handcrafted, not
just hats but also bags, jewels, finishes for dresses on silk, shoes, which
become fashion items with the use of modern colors and designs.
Feltmaking is still practised by nomadic
peoples (Altaic people: Mongols; Turkic people) in Central
Asia , where rugs, tents and clothing are regularly made. Some of
these are traditional items, such as the classic yurt (Gers), while others are
designed for the tourist market, such as decorated slippers. In the Western
world, felt is widely used as a medium for expression in both textile art and
contemporary art and design, where it has significance as an ecologically
responsible textile and building material.
Properties of felt
Elasticity: Felt is stretchy,
pressure-elastic and resistant, so that hardly any wrinkles occur.
Isolation: On the one hand, felt is
soundproof, on the other hand it insulates against heat and cold. The material
has a moisture-repellent component, but also a high absorbency, which allows
the substance to absorb liquids and release them again. In addition, the given
padding provides protection against mechanical stress.
Heavy flammability: Felt is usually not
flammable. Even with direct fire, the fabric will only char from about 320
degrees.
Manufacturing methods
Wet felts of unbound fleece with warm water
(steam) and soap (alkaline felt aid) is the traditional artisanal processing of
wool or animal hair. In combination with warm water and soap, the scales in the
uppermost cuticle of the hair (cuticle) on. At the same time performed walking
causes a mutual penetration of the individual fibers. The erected scales are
wedged together so much that they can no longer be loosened. The workpiece
shrinks strongly and it results in a solid textile fabric. The final shape can
be worked out seamlessly from one piece. Since felted felts are made of animal
fibers, some of which are mixed with spun rayon, this is a natural product that
is biodegradable.
In dry felting, the dry wool is brought
into shape using special felting needles. This method is the precursor of
needling with a needle bar. Needle felt is made mechanically with numerous
barbed needles. Here, the barbs are the reverse of a harpoonarranged so that
the fibers are pressed into the felt and the needle easily goes out again.
Repeated grooving entangles the fibers with each other and may subsequently be
aftertreated chemically or with steam. Such needled nonwovens can be made not
only from wool, but from virtually all other fibers. Needle felt is today's
industrially produced felt. In addition, there is still the entanglement with a
pulsed water jet. Here also fibers without scale structure can be used, such as
polyamide and polyester.
The artisanal tradition of felting has
recently been rediscovered by many people and small businesses. The result is a
utility art, which includes especially robust and warming garments, for
example, scarves, jackets, vests, hats, slippers and slippers, but also
includes figurative work.
Wet felting
In the wet felting process, hot water is
applied to layers of animal hairs, while repeated agitation and compression
causes the fibers to hook together or weave together into a single piece of
fabric. Wrapping the properly arranged fiber in a sturdy, textured material,
such as a bamboo mat or burlap, will speed up the felting process. The felted
material may be finished by fulling.
Only certain types of fiber can be wet
felted successfully. Most types of fleece, such as those taken from the alpaca
or the Merino sheep, can be put through the wet felting process. One may also
use mohair (goat), angora (rabbit), or hair from rodents such as beavers and
muskrats. These types of fiber are covered in tiny scales, similar to the
scales found on a strand of human hair. Heat, motion, and moisture of the
fleece causes the scales to open, while agitating them causes them to latch
onto each other, creating felt. There is an alternative theory that the fibers
wind around each other during felting. Plant fibers and synthetic fibers will
not wet felt.
Needle felting
Needle felting is a method of creating
felted objects without using water. The special needles used to make 3D
sculpture, jewelry, adornments and 2D art have notches along the shaft of the
needle that catch fibers and tangle them with other fibers to produce felt.
These notches are sometimes erroneously called "barbs", but barbs are
protrusions (like barbed wire) and would be too difficult to thrust into the
wool and nearly impossible to pull out. There are many sizes and types of
notched needles for different uses while working. Needle felting is used in
industrial processes as well as in individual crafting.
Needles used for crafting are often very
thin needles, sometimes fitted in holders that allow the user to utilize 2 or
more needles at one time to sculpt wool objects and shapes. The single thin
needles are used for detail and the multiple needles that are paired together
are used for larger areas or to form the base of the project. At any point in
time a variety of fiber colors may be added for detail and individuality, using
needles to incorporate them into the project.
The kawaii style of needle felting was made
popular by the Japanese culture. Kawaii means cute in Japanese and to felt in
the kawaii style just means to make the object cute. Most kawaii needle felt
sculptures have small, minimal detail, faces and are brightly colored. They are
more cute and playful compared to the more traditional needle felt which is more
rustic and earthy. Ikuyo Fujita（藤田育代）is a Japanese artist who works primarily in needle felt painting and
mogol (pipe cleaner) art.
Carroting
Invented in the mid 17th century and used
until the mid-20th centuries, a process called "carroting" was used
in the manufacture of good quality felt for making men's hats. Beaver, rabbit
or hare skins were treated with a dilute solution of the mercury compound
mercuric nitrate. The skins were dried in an oven where the thin fur at the
sides turned orange, the color of carrots. Pelts were stretched over a bar in a
cutting machine, and the skin was sliced off in thin shreds, with the fleece
coming away entirely. The fur was blown onto a cone-shaped colander and then
treated with hot water to consolidate it. The cone then peeled off and passed
through wet rollers to cause the fur to felt. These 'hoods' were then dyed and
blocked to make hats. The toxic solutions from the carrot and the vapours it
produced resulted in widespread cases of mercury poisoning among hatters. This
may be the origin of the phrase "mad as a hatter" which was used to
humorous effect by Lewis Carroll in the chapter "A Mad Tea Party" of
the novel Alice
Uses
Felt is used in a wide range of industries
and manufacturing processes, from the automotive industry and casinos to
musical instruments and home construction, as well as in gun wads, either
inside cartridges or pushed down the barrel of a muzzleloader.
Felt in musical instruments
Many musical instruments use felt. It is
often used as a damper. On drum cymbal stands, it protects the cymbal from
cracking and ensures a clean sound. It is used to wrap bass drum strikers and
timpani mallets. Felt is used extensively in pianos; for example, piano hammers
are made of wool felt around a wooden core. The density and springiness of the
felt is a major part of what creates a piano's tone. As the felt becomes
grooved and "packed" with use and age, the tone suffers. Felt is
placed under the piano keys on accordions to control touch and key noise; it is
also used on the pallets to silence notes not sounded by preventing air flow.
Industrial uses
Felt is frequently used in industry as a
sound or vibration damper, and in machinery for cushioning and padding moving
parts.
Felt in arts and crafts
Felt is used for framing paintings. It is
laid between the slip mount and picture as a protective measure to avoid damage
from rubbing to the edge of the painting. This is commonly found as a
preventive measure on paintings which have already been restored or
professionally framed. It is widely used to protect paintings executed on
various surfaces including canvas, wood panel and copper plate.
A felt-covered board can be used in
storytelling to small children. Small felt cutouts or figures of animals,
people, or other objects will adhere to a felt board, and in the process of
telling the story, the storyteller also acts it out on the board with the
animals or people. Puppets can also be made with felt. Felt pressed dolls, such
as Lenci dolls, were very popular in the nineteenth century and just after the
first world war.
Felt in art and design
German artist Josef Beuys, among others,
used felt prominently in a number of works.
Felt in fashion
During the 18th and 19th centuries
gentlemen's top hats made from beaver felt were popular. In the early part of
the 20th century, cloth felt hats, such as fedoras, trilbies and homburgs, were
worn by many men in the western world. Felt is often used in footwear as boot
liners, with the Russian valenki being an example.
Application Areas
Dwellings
yurt
Clothes
Felt hat, Qeleshe
slipper
Filzstiefel
Janker (Austrian costume, similar to a
sports jacket)
Technology
Seals (eg: roller bearings, felt rings and
felt strips according to DIN5419)
Cleanable filter media for gas filtration
(usually surface-treated needle felt)
oiler
Scrapers for steel and aluminum cold
rolling
Pianos and musical instruments
sound insulation
Polishing felt for glass, ceramics, metal
Dry felts in papermaking
Overlay
Furniture glides (felt glides)
Contemporary art, such as Joseph Beuys and
Robert Morris
Dreadlocks
Home accessories
Placemats, table runners, curtains,
cushions, rugs
Natural fiber reinforced plastics (needle
felt made of natural and polypropylene fibers for compression molding)
Pests
The cause of holes in the felt can be
moths.
Cleaning
With superficial dirt, it is sufficient to
pick up a brush or to vacuum off the felt. A hand wash is also possible. For
this, the felt should first be wetted, then rubbed in with shampoo or heavy-duty
detergent and then rinsed out. After drying, the felt can be repainted, if that
does not work, an iron with light steaming can help.
Transferred meaning
The barely separable felt fibers provide
the linguistic image for the meaning felt in the figurative sense. By this it
is meant that a group of persons is connected by - above all financial -
dependencies in an inscrutable and manifold way. Similarly, the linguistic
image is used as an adjective and refers to a system as "matted".
Source from Wikipedia
没有评论:
发表评论