The FAB Fiber Picker is the result of several years of design and experimentation. We have built a range of picking machines, which are in daily use at Fibre Arts Bootcamp, for opening matted wool, fleece and fibers of all types, for removing vegetation from wool, for preparing fiber for combing or carding and for blending different types of fiber together.
Build your own wool picker for a fraction of the cost of buying one. If you don't enjoy woodwork, then perhaps you can sweet-talk someone into building it for you!
These plans are comprehensive and highly detailed, ready for any do-it-yourselfers who get a kick out of making their own equipment. These downloadable plans are the result of a great deal of experimentation Over the years I have built and used many pickers, trying to find the perfect machine that would perform well with all types of fiber. Some pickers worked well with some fleece but not others. Now we need only the one machine for all tasks.
Picking is not always necessary, but if you have a fleece that is dense or matted, perhaps from the washing process or is full of vegetation, then picking is the perfect way to open it up and prepare it for carding or combing. The vegetation that falls out of the fibre into the bottom of the picker is amazing!
The plans have been created using CAD (computer aided design) and include more than forty 3-dimensional images, showing you precisely how to build this machine yourself and get the most from it. The detailed documentation contains clear instructions for building the picker, together with useful tips to ensure it serves you well.
The plans are available for immediate download and include additional photographs showing the picker in action. You can also watch me using the picker in an extraordinarily boring video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3IoOUG3uFQ
No special tools are required. A drill press is recommended for accurate drilling of the holes, but otherwise regular hand tools will get the job done.
The file contains many folders containing drawings and photographs as well as a PDF file with detailed instructions. This download arrives as a zipped file. Please note that some portable electronic devices such as iphones and tablets do not come preloaded with the app required to open a zipped folder. There are many free apps such as Winzip that you can install to open the file, but failure to unzip the file first means you may not be able to view all of the contents.
All of the proceeds from thsi digital download go directly to support the animals at The Llama Sanctuary - www.llamasanctuary.com