[Cob] Coblist Digest, Vol 5, Issue 31

[DL]

YIKES!! Folks,
 I'm a spinner and I belong to a local spinning guild here in Seattle. I can
assure you, that in the grease wool is courting trouble. Critters love the
dirty wool. You don't have to take my word for it, check with the
NWRSA=Northwest Regional Spinner Association or any spinning association or
the Woolmark folks. Might I suggest that you at least check out this link
http://www.goodshepherdwool.com/  You will find that the wool is treated
with boron,and you can get a FREE sample. 
Other than that this site http://www.borax.com/ gives a lot of information
about borates and it's uses. Take a look at this site: or here
http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie/ (Ireland I believe)
Dial Corporation is the maker of 20 Mule Team Borax. My boatload of wool, is
scoured, bagged, then stored in barrels with 20 Mule Team Borax. If you
scour the wool with borax don't let it soak in the water with borax more
than 10 minutes, then after make sure you use VINEGAR to adjust the ph in
the final rinse, borax saponifies with lanolin, which means it's on it's way
to being soap! Type in wool on the Rio Tinto site. 

Dee
>
>Hi,
>
>I wrote about this earlier this year. I'm in Western WA. My 
>son-in-law is a sheep herder. He has sheep out doing 
>environmental work in sensitive areas.
>
>He also has a pretty good accumulation of sheep wool. He just 
>has it packaged in gunny sacks, which most aren't burlap these days.
>
>If anyone is interested in aquiring sheep's wool for roof 
>insultation, please let me know. I've heard that you don't 
>want to wash it too much, because the lanolin helps keep 
>critters out of it.
>
>Dulane
>
>If man makes it, don't eat it.
>Jack La Lanne 
>