04-16-2007, 12:54 PM
Here in the wilderness of Texas, my wife and I have made a little felt from raw wool. (Well, not entirely raw, most of the lanolin had been removed), and it is considerably softer when finished than the wool felt that can be bought at fabric stores. My explanation for that is the commercial product is much better felted, being made by machines whose fingers don't get tired, and always apply the same pressure for as long as the makers desire, lay down rows of fiber in precisely measured overlapping rows, etc.
Having done a little felting, I can reasonably safely say the ancient wool was very likely less dense, and more open to ventillation than the modern. I have worn homemade felt liners in my sandals/carbatinae, etc., and have also worn sheep's wool leather. The felt lasts longer and resists change, but the woolly leather turns into felt pretty soon, and gets thinner and less soft.
For shoulder pads, the wooly sheepskin would be better and more resistant to pressure for a while, then it would begin to felt, lose vertical dimension, and become less useful for a pad as time went on. Moisture, heat, pressure, and motion will make a loose felt of sheep wool, which is why loose wool fiber stuffed into shoes will become matted together by the end of a couple of days of wear.
Having said all that, we just tossed an old mattress foundation out. I saved a couple of the tubular metal pieces, and a double bed sized layer of felt (about 1/2 cm thick) that covered the internal springs. Huge. Fairly loose felt, comparitively, and it will soon become internal padding on things like helmet liners, innersoles on shoes, arm pad for a manica, and yes, the inner layer for a subarmalis.
Now that's the kind of recycling that really makes sense: I get something for free that's useful for Roman reenacting! I'm pretending it's 100% wool, but there's really no telling what all kinds of fibers went into that mix. Many modern fibers will not felt at all, so most of the synthetics are not used in felted cloth, and it's bound to have some wool--the very best fiber for felting.
Having done a little felting, I can reasonably safely say the ancient wool was very likely less dense, and more open to ventillation than the modern. I have worn homemade felt liners in my sandals/carbatinae, etc., and have also worn sheep's wool leather. The felt lasts longer and resists change, but the woolly leather turns into felt pretty soon, and gets thinner and less soft.
For shoulder pads, the wooly sheepskin would be better and more resistant to pressure for a while, then it would begin to felt, lose vertical dimension, and become less useful for a pad as time went on. Moisture, heat, pressure, and motion will make a loose felt of sheep wool, which is why loose wool fiber stuffed into shoes will become matted together by the end of a couple of days of wear.
Having said all that, we just tossed an old mattress foundation out. I saved a couple of the tubular metal pieces, and a double bed sized layer of felt (about 1/2 cm thick) that covered the internal springs. Huge. Fairly loose felt, comparitively, and it will soon become internal padding on things like helmet liners, innersoles on shoes, arm pad for a manica, and yes, the inner layer for a subarmalis.
Now that's the kind of recycling that really makes sense: I get something for free that's useful for Roman reenacting! I'm pretending it's 100% wool, but there's really no telling what all kinds of fibers went into that mix. Many modern fibers will not felt at all, so most of the synthetics are not used in felted cloth, and it's bound to have some wool--the very best fiber for felting.
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
(David Wills)
Saepe veritas est dura.
