FELTING AND FELTING PROCESS

FELT:
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing
fibers and the process is called as Felting. While some types of felt are very soft, some
are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any color, and made into
any shape or size.
Felt is the oldest form of fabric known to humankind. It predates weaving and
knitting.

MATERIAL TYPES USED FOR FELTING:

The hair, wool, fur of living animals may be felted together to form a fabric.
While, Synthetic fibers are also used depending on the need such as polyester etc.

WET FELTING:
Felt is made by a process called wet felting, where the natural wool fiber is
stimulated by friction and lubricated by moisture (usually soapy water), and the fibers
move at a 90 degree angle towards the friction source and then away again, in effect
making little "tacking" stitches. Only 5% of the fibers are active at any one moment, but
the process is continual, and so different 'sets' of fibers become activated and then
deactivated in the continual process.
This "wet" process utilizes the inherent nature of wool and other animal hairs,
because the hairs have scales on them which are directional. The hairs also have kinks in
them, and this combination of scales (like the structure of a pine cone) is what reacts to
the stimulation of friction and causes the phenomenon of felting. It tends to work well
only with woolen fibers as their scales, when aggravated, bond together to form a cloth.

NEEDLE FELTING:
It is also done with special felting needles, which grab individual fibers and drag
them against their neighbors, thereby binding them. Needle felting is a popular fiber arts
craft conducted without the use of water. Special barbed felting needles that are used in
industrial felting machines are used by the artist as a sculpting tool. Using a single needle
or a small group of needles (2-5) in a hand held tool, these needles are used to sculpt the
wool fiber. The barbs catch the scales on the fiber and push them through the layers of
wool tangling them and binding them together much like the wet felting process. Fine
details can be achieved using this technique and it is popular for 3D felted work. Needle
(or punch) felting is a process originally developed for making industrial felt. Large beds
of steel needles are moved in and out of the loose fiber to create large sheets of felt. The
felt needle has rough, notched edges that force the fiber down causing it to entangle with
other fibers and create felt.
 Felting may also be done in a domestic washing machine on a hot cycle and in the
industry some chemical process is also used.

CARROTING:
From the mid-17th to the mid-20th centuries, a process called "carroting" was
used in the manufacture of good quality felt for making men's hats. Rabbit or hare skins
were treated with a dilute solution of the mercury compound mercuric nitrate. The skins
were dried in an oven when the thin fur at the sides went orange - carrot color. Pelts were
stretched over a bar in a cutting machine and the skin sliced off in thin shreds, the fleece
coming away entirely. The fur was blown onto a cone-shaped colander, treated with hot
water to consolidate it, the cone peeled off and passed through wet rollers to cause the fur
to felt. These 'hoods' were then dyed and blocked to make hats. This toxic solution and
the vapors it produced resulted in widespread cases of mercury poisoning among hatters.

FULLING:
Knitted woolen garments which shrink in a hot machine wash can be said to have
felted, but have actually been "fulled". Felting differs from fulling in the sense that
fulling is done to fabric whereas felting is done to fibers that are not in fabric form.
Modern fulling is an example of how the fibers bond together when combined with the
movement of the washing machine, the heat of the water, and the addition of soap.

Cheaper felt is usually artificial. Artificial felt, if made using the wet method, has
a minimum of 30% of wool fibers combined with other artificial fibers. This is the
minimum required to hold a fabric together with the fibers alone. It would be difficult to
achieve a stable fabric by hand at this ratio. All other wholly artificial felts are actually
needle-felts.

USES:
Felt parts are an essential element in the production of print/graphic elements in presses
and other printing machines.

Print/graphic elements

Felt is the material of choice for a wide range of "spacing" situations such as seals for
bearings, spacers in automotive applications, and any other situation where a cushioning effect is
desired between two rigid structures. Washers and gaskets are also ideal for sealing out dust
and similar contaminants as well as retaining lubricants.
 Seals for bearings, spacers

Roll coverings and stripping come in many different styles of felt in plain and pressure
sensitive adhesive backed (PSAB).

Roll coverings and stripping

The following are some of the many uses of felts regardless of the process involved in its
manufacture.

Absorbers Gaskets Pool Table Felt

Acid Resistant Packing Glass Polishing Felt Precision Seals
Acoustical Materials Glass Protectors Pressure Sensitive Felt
Adhesive "Dots" Grain Mill Seals Printers' Felt
Air Compressor Lubricators Granite Polishers Protective Pads
Air Fresheners Grease Retention Quake Absorbers
Alphabet Letters Grinding Felt Quilting Felts
Anti-squeak Strips and Pads Griptape Ring Buffs
Apparel Gun Butt Pads Rings
Appliance Parts Gun Cleaners Roll Felt
Applicators Handicraft Felt Roller Bearing Seals
Athletic Letters Hangers Roller Felt
Athletic Pads Helmet Liners Rubbing Blocks
Automobile Parts
Ball Bearing Strips Horse Collars Saddle Felts
Banners Horse Leg Wraps SAE Felts
Base Padding Impregnated Felt Sander Platens
Bass Drum Beaters Industrial Wipes Satin Finish Bobs
Bearing Pads Ink Feed Felts Satin Finish Wheels
Beater Balls Insoles for Shoes School Supplies
Beveled Laps Insulation Scratch Removers
Billiard Cloth Ironing Felts Seals
Blankets Isolators Seamless Felt Belts
Bobs Jeweler's Felt Shaped Felt
Brushes Sheet Felt
Buffing Felt Kiln Insulators Shims
Bumpers Knee Pads Shock Absorbers
Burnishers Knife Edge Felts Silversmith Buffs
Cabinet Bumpers Laminated Felt Sleeves
Capillary Mats Lamp Bases Smoke Generators
Card Table Pads Lapidary Felt Spacers
Carpet Pads Lapping Felt Spill Absorption
Carrier Heads Laps Spilt Laps
Chalkboard Erasers Leveling Pads Stain Applicators
Chamois Buffs Letters (Die-cut) Stainless Steel Polishers
Channel Felt Light Seals Stamp Pads
Chassis Strips Liners Steel Mill Wipers
Chisel Honing Felt Lithographer's Felt Strainers
Clamp Cushioning Locomotive Lubricators Table Top Pads
Cones for Polishing Lubricating Felt Tannery Felt
Construction Felt Machine Oilers Tape
Covers Mallets Technical Felts
Crafts Marble Polishing Felt Toys
Cushions Marker Tips Traction Rollers
Cutlery Box Liners Mechanical Felt Transmission Felts
Cylinder Felt Medical Felt Trophy Bases
Dash Liners Metal Felt Tube Felt
Deburring Felt Military Spec. Felt Tumbling Media
Dental Felt Miniature Split Laps Tympari Beaters
Deodorizer Wicks Mirror Polishing Typewriter Pad Felt
Die Maker's Felt Mold Polishing Felt Unmounted Felt Bobs
Discs Motor Mounts Unmounted Felt Buffs
Door Seals Musical Instrument Felt Unmounted Buffs
Dots Muslin Buffs Upholstery Felt
Drum Beaters Nibs Vacuum Felt
Dryer Seals Noise Barriers Vibration Pads
Dust Filters Oil Filters Vibratory Finishing Media
Dust Seals Oil Seals Wall Panels
Elbow Pads Oil Skimmers Washers
Electrical Felt Oil Wicks Weather Stripping
Embossing Felt Oilers Welding Pads
Engineered Parts Orthopedic Felt Wet Process Felt
Engraver's Felt Oven Insulators Wheels
Equestrian Felt Packing Felt Wicks
Erasers Padding Wiping Strips
Etching Felt Pads Wood Hub Brushes
Feet Pen Nibs Wood Rubbing Pads
Filters Pennants Wood Stain Applicators
Flags Percussionists' Pads Woodworking Tool Polishers
Flame Resistant Parts Piano Felt Xerography Light Seals
Flexible Parts Pipe Covering Xylophone Bed Felts
Fluid Transfer Pipe Hanger Felt
Fuel Oil Filters Plastic Polishers Yard Goods
Furnace Insulators Plugs Yoke Pads
Furniture Pads Plush Yuletide Decorations
Pneumatic Tube Seals Zillions More Applications
Polishing Felt