Louët card mills

Description

Carding and combing are pre-treatments in which the hairs or fibers come to lie in the same direction. This makes it easier to felt or spin the material. When combing, the hair is stretched more than when carding. This difference determines the character of a spun thread: worsted or ironed yarn.

46 or 72 tpi cardstock

The card fittings are made of galvanized steel wire for a long service life. Two types of carding batter are used for the carding mills.
Nice batter at 46 points per square inch (46 tpi) is suitable for carding wool and other coarse fibers.
Extra fine batter of 72 points per square inch (72 tpi) is better suited to carding finer fibers and mixing different colors or types of fine wool or other fibers.

Roll speed ratio

In card mills normally the acceleration between the rollers is given. This is for the Elite 6:1 or 9:1 and for the other card mills 3.8:1. However, for the effectiveness of the carding, the difference in surface speed between the large and the small roller is more important. To do this, multiply the acceleration by the ratio of the diameters of the two rollers. The speed ratio of 46 tpi carders is 9:1, that of the 72 tpi is 12:1. The Elite has two speed ratios, namely: 23:1 and 34:1.

The different models

Card Mill Junior

Entry-level models with a narrow roller of 10 cm wide, with fine 46 tpi batter or extra fine 72 tpi batter. For those who do not have a lot of carding, a Junior will suffice perfectly. A new Junior is often cheaper than a second-hand windmill from Marktplaats!

Card mill Standard/Classic

These models have a roller of 19 cm wide, fitted with fine 46 tpi batter or extra fine 72 tpi batter. The 46 tpi version was previously called Classic and in our opinion this is the most widely applicable model. It is suitable for carding rough pelts and carding and mixing other not too fine fibres.

Card mill XL

Extra wide carding mills with a roller of 30 cm, with extra fine 72 tpi fittings. For the rest they are equal to the ordinary narrower carding mills. These are large reels for those who want to make extra wide batts. Please note: due to the larger width of the XL reels, carding naturally takes a bit more power than with the narrower reels.