# advice on purchasing a drum carder...please



## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

I WILL be buying a drum carder next Thursday...

I want one that will hold up to lots of use, be easy to use and of course work well.

This year only have 11 adult fleeces to process 8 lambs if we shear this fall , next year will be more ect hoping to build into large herd and plan to process majority myself for sale, and pick up local processing possibly. 

what brand and size should I be looking at

fine teeth or not?


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I have a Patrick Green Deb's Deluxe with the 'fur' or fine cloth.

There hasn't been anything that I haven't been able to card, from alpaca & angora to dorsetXhampshire.

As I understand it, you want the fine or 'fur' cloth if you'll be doing merino & hair, also if you want to do blending. The courser cloth works well for mohair & other long wools.

Some models of drum carders have interchangeable drums so if you want to do both, get a carder with the drum that you would use the most now and save for the other drum.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I have the Straunch (sp) Standard (I always thought it was the finest but it isn't) It has a chain drive which makes if really durable. I too card fine fibers, angora rabbit, fine wools, dog hair etc... I recently had to have my handle replaced, it broke when I stuffed too much fiber in at once. Otto Straunch is absolutely fantastic to deal with. He responds promptly if you email him and he even called me to tell me I paid him too much.


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

I have an old Patrick Green carder with the fur drum on it that is still going strong after 18 years. The plastic drive belt has it's pros and cons. I, too, think you want the finest carding cloth on the drum you can get. The one thing I like about it is if I accidentally put in too much fiber the belt allows me to roll back the intake drum and get the fiber out. 

Recently, I called Paula Simmons about getting a new drive belt for it, and I was less than happy with her customer service. She also wanted $35 for the belt, which I ended up getting from McMaster-Carr for $5 plus minimal cost of CA Overnight shipping. Big price difference and speed of delivery!


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

It sounds like you intend to do a lot of processing, local as well as your own. I'd definitely consider a motorized drum carder and a wide one as well. I don't know much about those except that they're pricey, but if you want to sell your product, time is money , and they'll sure save you time.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

LezlieinCA said:


> She also wanted $35 for the belt, which I ended up getting from McMaster-Carr for $5 plus minimal cost of CA Overnight shipping. Big price difference and speed of delivery!


Lezlie,
I tried to find the belt I need from McMaster-Carr and was unsuccessful. I ended up getting a replacement from Susan McFarland (susansfibershop.com). The cost was $25-$30, I think.

Do you have the information I need to order the same belt from McMaster?? My first belt only lasted 4 years and I sure would like to have a backup in stock

Thanks!

Cyndi


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## Susan n' Emily in TN (May 10, 2002)

I went to my local car parts place, you should have seen their faces when I walked in. But after answering all their questions about what in the world that thing was and what does it do, they came up with an 18 dollar belt that is working wonderfully, and I don't think it will ever wear out! Susan


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## homebirtha (Feb 19, 2004)

I have a Strauch Finest and it's very nice. Motorized would be nice, but you can always add that later if budget is an issue. 

Keep in mind on the double-wide, it doesn't greatly increase the amount of fleece you can process, it just makes wider batts. You still have to pick as much fleece and you still have to load as much. The reason I mention this is that I was thinking a double-wide would be better for speed. But after talking to Otto Strauch, I realized that really wasn't the case. The only advantage of the double-wide is that it will give you wider batts for felting or other large products. But if you're carding for spinning, there really isn't an advantage for the double-wides that make up for the extra price. Also, I would highly recommend calling Strauchs directly. He was very helpful and gave great advice. 

You may also want to consider your need for a picker in thinking about how much to budget for the carder (if you don't have one already.)


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

MullersLaneFarm said:


> Lezlie,
> I tried to find the belt I need from McMaster-Carr and was unsuccessful. I ended up getting a replacement from Susan McFarland (susansfibershop.com). The cost was $25-$30, I think.
> 
> Do you have the information I need to order the same belt from McMaster?? My first belt only lasted 4 years and I sure would like to have a backup in stock
> ...


Cyndi, and Anybody Else needing a plastic drive belt, 

The correct diameter belts for Patrick Green carders are on page 1019 of the McMaster-Carr catalogue, and the belt diameter category to choose is 1/4 inch, or measure your old belt. Then choose the part from the correct belt-length-range column. I didn't have the old belt to look at, but we got the right belt on the first try.

If you measure your old belt, be aware it's prolly stretched some and the new belt will need to be a bit shorter. MY PG carder is an older one that is no longer made, and the Deb's Deluxe has a larger-sized drive wheel, so my belt won't fit that model, or I'd give you the part number. We measured a piece of leather lace I strung around the belt rollers and drive wheel to get a measurement, then DH subtracted a fraction, I think, for stretching. But the McMaster-Carr catalogue goes by outside length, not inside length. I don't know how Stan got it right the first time with no old belt for reference.


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