i've heard that water will make wool shrink. How does this affect uniforms when it rains? does it make them shrink?

Not if you wear it until it's dry or, hang it in an out of the sun place to dry. I hang mine in the basement. The nice thing about wool(100% wool) is it's warm when it's wet. Trust me on this one. I don't own a piece of equippage that hasn't been soaked several times and, when dried properly everything is just fine.

My understanding is that the way it is dried is what causes it to shrink. Drying with heat causes the fibers to rearrange themselves which causes the shrinkage.

Think about it, if wool shrank every time it simply got wet, there'd be some mighty small sheep in the world. [

alright, thanks guys

Just remember that if you get your wool wet remain calm,  agitating your wool can cause it to shrink. Okay, so there was your humor for the day!  Sorry, I couldn't resist, no matter how hard I tried.  

Seriously though, rain water shouldn't damage wool, but putting it into a washing machine (agitation), or drier (heat), or hanging it in the hot sun to dry can cause shrinkage.

My understanding is that wool is water repellent, at least to a point, and then it absorbs water.  There are a lot of excellent sites on the internet concerning the care of wool fabrics and clothes.  A good Google search for "wool shrink" (without the quotes) will get you several pages of hits, if you're interested.

Hope this helps,

Linda.  

--Last edited by Linda Trent on 2007-10-22 20:12:23 --

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toptimlrd wrote : Think about it, if wool shrank every time it simply got wet, there'd be some mighty small sheep in the world.

Yep, just check out "Re: Why doesn't sheep's wool shrink?" http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-10/970761460.Bc.r.html
Yep, there's an answer to everything on the web.  

Everybody thinks they're a comedian.

Linda.  

--Last edited by Linda Trent on 2007-10-22 20:25:02 --

I'm glad we all have day jobs.

I learned the hard way:  Sack coat got dirty, threw it in the washer on "wool cycle", then dried it on low in the dryer.

I'm 5'10" and about 225 lbs.  The sack coat was then handed to my 12 year old son, which fit him perfectly.

Usually, all you need to do is air it out (sack coat, frock, trowsers, whatever), then brush off the heavier dirt.  If all there is is wetness, press out any excess water by pressing it with a towel (do not twist/wring it to get the water out, like you would a dishrag) and hang it out of the sun or wear it til dry.

As mentioned, heat and agitation will cause shrinkage, and wet wool is still warm wool, unlike cotton.

Mostly when wet I just stink.

Anyone else notice that when your kit gets soaked, the funk factor is multiplied by 10?

Pards,

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Anders wrote : Mostly when wet I just stink. Anyone else notice that when your kit gets soaked, the funk factor is multiplied by 10? Pards,

Only for about an hour.  After that, the aroma of funky folks kinda just settles into the surroundings for me.

I'm fairly certain other folks disagree, as I am usually  allotted a wide berth when stopping at the Breezewood or Bedford Starbucks for my on-the-way-home mega caffeine fix.

Funny thing, though. All these years coming home funky, my dogs don't mind, they'll give me a good sniff and still want petted up like I've been gone for weeks........but my wife insists that the shower is first stop after unloading and no period clothing is permitted further than the basement

A reenactment jacket worn as you leisurely trek across a rainy grocery store parking lot goes a long way toward getting your choice of cashiers come check out time.

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MStuart wrote :   but my wife insists that the shower is first stop after unloading and no period clothing is permitted further than the basement

Your wife and my wife must have talked before.  

lol.. its opposite here... hubby insists i get in the shower first. something about me wearing way too many layers and he can survive lol. i have yet to be bothered by it... i wont say more as it just may end up being TMI lol.

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chatrbug wrote : lol.. .. i wont say more as it just may end up being TMI lol.

Well,

You wild and crazy kids!  

Sir:

Virtually all fabric shrinks to one degree or another, once it is taken off of the loom, but wool and denim have perhaps the most extreme reaction. How man times have you purchased a pair of "rigid" unwashed blue jeans and washed them, and found a tremendous difference in the fit. Moreover, modern shirts most often fit right out of the box, but shrink a full size after the first wash.

The finishing process in fabrics is designed to stablize the fabric to reduce shrinkage or "fabric reaction". This will never fully take out the shrinkage, and in fact, the finisher can create differnt effects and manipulate not only the weight of the fabric, but the width by continuing to mechanically shrink the fabric.

Fabric will also generally (90% of the time) shrink more in the length than the width, and if a maker knows this, can adjust is patterns for the shrinkage in both length and width.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find out if a fabric has been fully stablized, so I would recommend erring on the side of caution.

  Like my previous post, i Haven't had any problem using woolite and cold water in the washing machine, I did however forget to mention the gentle cycle, As long as you let it air dry properly you will have no problems. As i said before, think about all the times you have been out he cold rain and your uniform didn't shrink. Air drying is thee key!!

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Anders wrote : Anyone else notice that when your kit gets soaked, the funk factor is multiplied by 10? Pards,

Chris, we all noticed you when you got soaked. Carrots.

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Rick35ovcwa wrote :   Like my previous post, i Haven't had any problem using woolite and cold water in the washing machine, I did however forget to mention the gentle cycle, As long as you let it air dry properly you will have no problems. As i said before, think about all the times you have been out he cold rain and your uniform didn't shrink. Air drying is thee key!!

I have washed many a 100% wool item in cold water and woolite, by hand and in the machine and never had any issues either. BUT, the first time I washed a jean cloth item this way, by hand, it shrunk 3 sizes.

Somebody told me once (I know -- this single phrase is the source of 99% of the misinformation in the world) that the classic English bespoke suit should never be sent to the cleaners, only brushed and aired.  I don't have an English suit, but I generally treat my woolens that way.  Often after a reenactment I will "air" my blanket and uniform by throwing the items in the dryer for twenty minutes, which also helps to shake loose the ticks.  The only item I've ever actually washed was a sack coat, which I did by hand in luke warm water.  When I hung it up to dry in the basement I clipped weights to the bottom hem to combat my fear of shrinkage.  It survived.  

I don't know about the rest of you but the predominant smell of my garments is wood smoke, though that sack coat had a bad case of eau de homeless.  Whatever it is, the dogs are always happy when I come home.

How did camp washerwomen do it? I seem to recall descrïptions of huge kettles over fires, filled with hot water and lye soap, stirred/jabbed/churned with very large sticks. Is this accurate and if so, why didn't that harm the fabric?