Fiber Processing – Jehovah Jireh Wool Mill

We no longer do custom processing so this page is somewhat out of date. Rather than taking it down however I’ve let it in place as I think it contains valuable information about preparing your fleece for processing.

In addition to creating our own high quality rovings and yarn we also do custom processing for those who already have their own fleece. Experience has taught us however to be very particular about the fleece we accept for processing. In order to save everyone from frustration and hurt feelings please consider the following guidelines to properly prepare your fleece for processing.

All fleece sent for processing must be washed first—no lanolin, no wool grease. We are not able to scour wool for customers. Instructions for washing your wool at home can be found at Washing Wool.
Running greasy fiber through the mill gums up the machinery badly so we must be strict on this. Also please remove as much foreign material as possible including manure tags burrs, straw, bits of twine and weed seed. As much as possible does not mean perfect—we understand that some will always remain. Just do the best you can, especially with the big stuff. Small bits of chaff & dust are not a problem as that will fall out naturally during processing.

Generally fiber from sheep, goats, alpaca, llama, camels and other large animals that have a large amount of natural grease will require washing. Dog hair, Angora rabbit and other fluffy, clean fiber need not be washed although it still must be cleaned of foreign material.

Expect a loss of 10-25% in total weight after processing. This is mostly due to chaff, second cuts, mats, etc. The cleaner the fiber sent to us, the less the loss.

Wool has to have a staple length of at least 1.5″ and no longer than 6″.

Minimum mill runs are 2 lb./batch for straight run and 3 lb./batch for blends. Short runs will be charged at the minimum weight price.

There are several variables that add up to the total cost of processing your fiber including any extra scouring, skirting and de-burring we may have to do. We charge actual shipping only, no handling fee. If you call or e-mail us before sending your wool we can usually give you a fairly good estimate of the total cost of your order. We will also call or e-mail you if we run into any unexpected expenses.

A deposit of estimated charges is required before processing begins.Phone estimates are estimates only and are not binding contracts. We will do our best to give you a good faith estimate but that of course is based on your accurate description of the wool condition. If your wool arrives dirty when you described it as clean, any estimate is null and void.