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Cotton Wool: Lint Scoured, Bleached and Carded
Cotton wool is cotton fibre cleaned of seeds, scoured and bleached, so that it soaks up water. The natural wax and pectins on raw cotton, about a tenth of its weight, keep water out; scouring in caustic soda removes them. Bleach, rinse, dry and card the fibre into soft batts.
The picture: household cotton wool, not sterilised.
Beginner
Two days, mostly drying
Instructions
1
1
Pick it clean
Pick it clean
Spread the lint on the table and pick out seeds, leaf and other bits. Weigh it dry.
Materials for this step:
Cotton Lint500 gTools needed:
Sorting Table2
2
Scour
Scour
Dilute the caustic soda solution about one part to twenty of water in the pot, add the cotton and keep it just under the boil for about an hour, pressing it under now and then. Wear gloves.
Materials for this step:
Water10 litersTools needed:
Sodium Hydroxide - 10% solution
Cauldron
Thermometer
Wooden Stirring Paddle
Rubber Gloves3
3
Rinse
Rinse
Lift the cotton out and rinse it in fresh water several times until the water no longer feels slippery.
Materials for this step:
Water20 litersTools needed:
BucketRubber Gloves4
4
Bleach
Bleach
Soak it in cold water with a little hypochlorite solution until white, then rinse it well again.
Materials for this step:
Water20 litersTools needed:
Sodium Hypochlorite SolutionBucketRubber Gloves5
5
Dry
Dry
Squeeze out the water, open the cotton up and dry it on the rack.
Tools needed:
Drying Rack6
6
Card
Card
Card small handfuls between the hand carders and roll them off as light batts. Weigh the result.
Tools needed:
Hand Carders7
7
Weight lost
Weight lost
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Tools Required
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