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WOOL and
SHEEPSKIN
Wool really is a special fibre. It is one of the oldest and most
functional textile fibres
known to man, having survived the test of time. On this
page you will learn about:
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Wool: Its properties and the
benefits of using it for medical conditions
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Combed Wool ( Footcare Lambswool)
and Wool Pile ( Nursing Fleece)
-
Sheepskin production ( Australian
Medical Sheepskin)
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Wool and Sheepskin Care with
Woolskin
Wool surely is the "wonder fibre!" Today,
there are many fibres, but as yet, science has been
unable to produce another fibre having all of the
properties of wool.
Wool, for
medical use, is either shorn from the sheep to produce
Wool-Pile and
Footcare Lambswool or left attached to the
hide to create the
Australian Medical Sheepskin.
Wool is special because it is :
-
an excellent insulator
-
absorbs moisture without feeling wet
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Resilient - reducing Pressure
-
Reduces Friction or Shear
-
Flame resistant
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Non-allergenic
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Wicks moisture
Wool is a natural insulator,
trapping air within and between its fibres. Wool
insulation is
enhanced by the crimp or waviness of the wool fibre.
Crimp ensures the fibres stand apart from each other,
ensuring still air is trapped between them. This layer
of trapped air is an excellent insulator- still air being one of
the best insulators found in Nature. Wool used in
footwear will keep feet warm when it is cold and near
body temperature when it is hot. Trapped still air is most pronounced in sheepskin and
wool-pile, making them excellent insulators against heat
loss or heat gain. Sitting or lying on sheepskin or
wool-pile insulates the user from the underlying
surface. This means that the body is kept at an even
temperature and the user feels more comfortable.
Wool absorbs moisture, keeping
your skin dry. In cold weather, even a little moisture
on the skin will chill the skin; quickly reducing body
temperature. In fact, the fibers can absorb up to
34% of its weight in moisture vapour without feeling wet — ten times as much
as any synthetic fiber.
The porous structure also explains why wool is such a
good thermal insulator, not to mention the mesh of the
fibers, which creates millions of air pockets that
further help to regulate temperature and humidity.
Wool is resilient, spreading body
pressure and reducing pressure points. Each fibre
acts like a small spring. Wool is also a naturally
strong fiber. It can bend back on itself 20,000 times
without breaking. Compare this to cotton at 3,200 times,
silk at 1,800, and rayon at only 75 times. Maximum
pressure reduction has been found when the pile is
clipped to 30mm, is homogeneous and of uniform length
and density. Australian Medical Sheepskins have these
properties together with a well defined staple and
crimp. It is also has a straight to light curl
appearance, is free of pilling, vegetable matter and
felted wool.
These criteria that must be met before a
sheepskin can be classified as an Australian Medical
Sheepskin (AS4480-1 1998). All
of our
HiTemp UR Medical Sheepskins exceed the above
standard and are dyed a rich emerald green colour- for
identification purposes..
The secret of wool lies in the structure
of its fibres, which absorb moisture, insulate against
heat and cold, resist flame, and maintain their
resilience. Unlike cotton, linen, silk or polyester,
wool fibres are composed of a central protein core that
is covered with tiny scales, making them look like pine
cones..see below.
Although the scaly surface tends to
repel liquids, the fibre core is highly absorbent,
taking in as much as 30% of its weight in moisture
without feeling wet. Synthetics, in contrast, hold as
little as 2%. By drawing moisture away from the skin,
wool prevents clamminess in summer and helps to hold in
heat during winter.
These overlapping scale edges all
point in the same direction. Scales of
adjacent fibres
may interlock, causing felting and
shrinkage. Such interlocking is irreversible. This means
that wool that
has shrunk or felted cannot be retrieved. When wool is
washed, the scales act like a ratchet, causing fibres to
move against one another. The scales also act as minute
barbs, locking adjacent oppositely orientated fibres
together. Fibre movement causes this locking action
and the wool shrinks.
 
However, shrinkage
and
felting can be prevented by treating the wool with the
Canadian Kroy process- also known as the Chlorine- Hercosett
Process. Wool fibres are subjected to a mild treatment
with chlorine and then a soft resin is applied. On
heating, the resin forms a film over the scales and
prevents fibre interlocking- see right. Wool
treated by the Chlorine- Hercosett process is also know as
SuperWool.
Wool is fire resistant. Wool is
naturally safe and does not have to be treated to become
inflammable. While it can catch alight, it will not
flare up nor support a flame. Once a flame is removed, a cold ash is left. This can
be brushed away immediately. Wool does not melt when
burned, and so cannot stick to the skin and cause
serious burns. Because of these properties, wool fire
blankets are effective in smothering a flame.
Wool fibres contain about 15%
moisture in every fiber allowing them to resist
flame without any additional chemical treatment. The
wool will just char and self extinguish; giving off
little heat.
Wool is non-allergenic. There is
no scientific evidence that people have an allergy to
wool. What is often perceived as an allergy is the
prickling caused by coarse wool. Any suspected allergic
reaction to wool may be caused by dust mites in the
wool. Research has shown that many people are in fact
allergic to dust mite urine and feces, rather than the
mites themselves. Woolskin- the Lambskin Shampoo and
Woolwash has been tested by
WRONZ and
shown to kill and remove mites from wool and sheepskin.
We recommend that all of our products be cleaned with
Woolskin.
Wool wicks moisture: The
porosity of the cells in the outer layers of wool fiber
allows them to quickly and efficiently wick and
evaporate moisture. Moisture
wicked away from the skin keeps the skin dry and comfortable
and helps to prevent skin breakdown in people
susceptible to pressure sores.
Combed Wool and
Wool-Pile Production:
Shearing – Sheep are sheared once per
year, usually in the spring. After a sheep is shorn,
a shed-hand picks the fleece up off
the floor and throws it on to the wool
classing table. Here, another shed-hand removes seeds
and short or
inferior pieces of wool from the edges of the fleece.
The wool classer then classifies the fleece based on the
wool properties of crimp, staple, fibre diameter and
elasticity.
Scouring –
Select fleeces are washed to remove
impurities, such as dirt, grease, grass seeds,
burrs, and dried sweat.
Impurities may account for 30 - 70 percent of
the fleece weight. At this point, the wool is
considered cleaned wool or scoured wool. The grease,
mainly lanolin,
that is removed is considered a valuable by-product.
Lanolin, in its purified state, is used in creams,
soaps, lotions, cosmetics and ointments.
Carding – The wool is combed to
straighten and untangle the fibers.
Knitting: Carded wool in the form of a rope is used to produce
Footcare
Lambswool. Loose carded wool is also
used to produce Wool-Pile; using the Sliverknit
process. In this process, fibers are sent through a
series of special carding machines that comb the
fibers, aligning them parallel to one another. They
are then gathered into a soft rope called ‘roving’
or ‘sliver’ - hence the term sliver knitting. The
slivers are then fed into electronic knitting
machines. The machine’s fine gauge needles, rotating
in a circular motion, pick up fibers from each
sliver in a predetermined sequence, locking them
directly into a soft but strong polyester knit
backing. Secured at one end, the
fibers remain upright and perpendicular to the
backing, allowing them to maintain their resilience,
softness, breathability, comfort and light weight.
After knitting, the wool-pile fabric is clipped to
30 mm for final use.
MiniJumbuk Underlays and Hospital Nursing Fleece
products are produced this way.
Australian Medical Sheepskin Production:
Raw Skins
Our raw sheep hides are obtained by the tannery from
meat packing houses. Only those skins that meet the
Australian Standard AS4480-1 1998 are selected for
HiTemp UR tanning. The hides are selected for size and
wool fibre properties. The leather must be free from excessive natural
fat and grease, clean and free from faults such as large
holes. Seed scar is permissible but seed is not.
Washing
The raw hides are washed
several times to clean and prepare them for
tanning.
Tanning
The skins are tanned so that the wool and the leather
are preserved. This makes them usable in Institutions and for
personal home use. Chromium tanning ensures good
durability of both the wool fiber and leather backing.
The degree of tannage is measured by the shrink
temperature. HiTemp sheepskins are tanned to the highest
level and have a minimum shrinkage
temperature of 110oC. This
means that the skin will not shrink more than 5% when
placed in water at this temperature for one hour.
Glutaraldehyde is used in conjunction with the main
tanning agents to add increased resistance to urine and
perspiration.
Degreasing
Lambskins and sheepskins contain natural grease within
their structure. The grease is removed by solvent
degreasing; since it is has an offensive odour and would
constitute a health hazard in a medical sheepskin. The
solvents are removed from the skin during further
processing. This is an important step in the tanning
process and insures that a skin will remain soft and
silky.
Dying
Next the skins are dyed a rich green emerald colour;
according to the Australian Standard AS8840.1 1998. This
dye is very colourfast. It may however, cause staining
of bed clothing in certain cases of prolonged exposure to
heavy perspiration. This should not be a problem when
100% cotton or cotton/polyester fabrics are used. Nylon
should be avoided.
Finishing
Lastly the skin side is buffed smooth and the wool side
is trimmed, brushed and ironed to a silky finish using
the latest technology.
AirTech
Some of our HiTemp UR products are made
from skins that have been perforated by an array of
small holes. These assist air circulation through the
sheepskin.
Washing Wool-Pile and Sheepskin:
Wool, whether it is combed, part of a
sheepskin or knitted to form Wool-Pile; will shrink and
felt if mistreated. The major causes of shrinkage and/or
felting are agitation and high temperatures. Rubbing wool
fibres against one another will cause felting. Placing
untreated wool in the dryer will also cause shrinkage.
Careful washing and drying will
maintain the hand or feel of wool and give articles
an extended useful life. Click on
washing instructions
for the best way to wash sheepskins and Wool-Pile.
Use
Woolskin-
the Sheepskin Shampoo & Woolwash with conditioners.
Woolskin contains: Tea Tree Oil; a
natural
anti-bacterial and anti-fungal that kills
house dust mites- a major cause of house dust asthma.
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Down-Under Wool has been a benchmark for quality and service since 1986. We
want to make sure that you receive the product best suited to your
need. If you have any questions about our products or their use for
medical conditions, please contact us. We are here to help
you!
Phone:
1- 800 - 463 - 1985
FAX : 905
-
295 - 3816
Send
mail to:
sales (at) medicalsheepskins.com |
