Kemp or Medullated Fibre

Kemp or medullated fibre content affects the spinning potential, can influence the prickle factor and dyeing ability of the processed products.

A certain percentage of kemp fibre is removed during the various processing stages, although if kemp fibre is present in significant percentages in the raw fibre, some kemp will still be present in the finished top, yarn or fabric.

As uniformity of micron and length is important, uniformity in regards to kemp content of fleeces is no exception. Levels or degrees of kemp/medullation should not vary significantly among fleeces of the same line/description. Breeders / Producers must remain ever vigilant in relation to kemp, and always select for kemp free animals and cull those with unacceptable kemp levels.

BLENDING KEMPY FLEECES THROUGH RELATIVELY KEMP FREE LINES ONLY REDUCES THE VALUE OF THE ENTIRE LINE.

Style and Character of the Fleece

Style and character does influence the processing performance of mohair fibre. Good/Super style fleeces perform better and more predictably during processing than the average and poorer style fleeces.

Style is the twist of the staple and character is the crimp. The ideal combination is an equal degree of twist and even character within a soft but firm staple structure. Too much character results in spongy/webby styled fleece, which is undesirable.

Lustre of the fibre

Mohair should have a bright Lustre and not be dull in appearance. Lustre is a very important characteristic in relation to processing as it accentuates the colour the manufacturers are looking for and produces a natural sheen, quality mohair is renowned for.

Condition of the fleece

Grease as such, is not an undesirable characteristic as long as its presence within fleeces is light to moderate and not an excessive percentage as a proportion of the overall fleece weight.

Our traditional mohair fleece types in the past did not have sufficient condition (grease) to adequately protect the fibre from the effects of our harsh environment.

The majority of fleece types currently being produced would have combing yields between 80 - 90% with the average for * F.N.F. fleece types being about 83%.
Combing yields account for the percentage of useable fibre (clean fibre base) after the impurities such as grease, dirt, and vegetable matter have been removed.

Note: * F.N.F i.e. free or nearly free of vegetable matter, under 1%.

Vegetable Matter Fault

Vegetable fault affects both the processing potential and the type of processing system that needs to be used.

Mohair containing heavy vegetable fault (i.e. 6% and above) needs to be carbonised and fibre in the medium fault range (i.e. 3% - 6% fault) may also need carbonising (depending on the type of fault).

The carbonising process employs harsh treatments such as acid baths, baking, crushing and shaking of the fibre to remove the vegetable matter. This procedure can be a costly and time-consuming process, which results in damage to the fibre by reducing lustre and affecting the handle. Subsequently the higher the percentage of vegetable matter the less valuable the fibre is.

In relation to vegetable matter, mohair is sorted into 3 categories :-

1. LIGHT FAULT - V (i.e. .1% - 3%)
2. MEDIUM FAULT - VV (i.e. 3% - 6%)
3. HEAVY, CARBONISING - CBO (i.e. 6% and greater) ( NCV – No Commercial Value )

 

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Mohair Classing...

Mohair needs to be classed (or sorted), as various types of mohair perform differently during processing and due to certain determining fleece characteristics, may require different processing systems.
Uniformity of classing is achieved when mohair is prepared for sale in accordance with industry standards and requirements.

This is achieved by ensuring optimum uniformity exists within each classed lot in relation to the physical characteristics of mohair, that each lot is correctly described, and all bales are correctly branded regarding their contents, thereby ensuring the necessary degree of confidence.

Fibre should be assesed for Finesness (Micron), Length, Kemp Levels, Style and Character, Lustre, Condition and Vegetable Matter content.
For more detailed information on mohair classing please contact our office.

 

General Guide to Micron Ranges

Fineness is the most important characteristic to be evaluated when appraising the physical characteristics of mohair. Experienced trained classers with the necessary technical knowledge and experience can achieve accurate assessment of fibre fineness via subjective appraisal.

Subjective appraisal of relative fineness of mohair is best achieved by evaluating both softness of handle and definition of crimp/wave within the staple. The softer the handle, and the finer the crimp, the finer the fibre. Kids produce the finest fibre at their first shearing (i.e. six months of age). The fibre diameter of mohair increases as the Angora ages.

Super Fine Kid Lines are generally under 23 micron
Kid lines are from 23 -27 micron
Strong Kid lines are from 27 -29.5 micron

Young Goat Types range from 29.5 - 32 micron

Adult lines are32-36 micron

Assessing Length

Accurate appraisal of staple length is essential. When evaluating staple length, it is the average length of all staples within a fleece that is important to be determined, not the maximum length of some staples.

In fleece types that have obviously weak tips (due to poor nutrition, harsh environmental factors, poor breeding etc. at least the top 1cm – 2cm should be disregarded when evaluating length as this weak fibre will break off during processing. Uniformity of length is as important as uniformity of micron. The more uniform the staple length is, the better the result will be regarding the performance during processing.

The length requirements for A, B and C length prefixes are described as follows:-

YOUNG GOAT & ADULT TYPES

A Length 13cm to 16cm
B Length 11cm to 13cm
C Length 6cm to 11cm

KID TYPES

A Length 12cm to 16cm
B Length 10cm to 12cm
C Length 6cm to 10cm

To evaluate the average staple length of a fleece and achieve an accurate result, representative staples from the britch, flanks, neck and back areas of the fleece should be examined.