Needled Felt (Synthetic)

Our needled felting is made from synthetic fibres. Because it is made completely from recycled material the colour can vary quite a bit. Our grey version can fluctuate from a brown-grey to a green-grey or even an anthracite grey.

Needle felt is different from milling or pressed felt, which utilizes the inherent nature of wool and other animal hair (because the hairs have scales on them which are directional) in a process that includes first the milling (US, fulling) and finally crushing, pounding and compressing in a wet heat environment. In contrast, needle felt is produced through a mechanical process using fibres that do not lend themselves to felting.

A bulky flbrous web is stuck through with a large number of barbed needles attached to an arbor that are then withdrawn and inserted repetitively until the material is completely “needled” (the needles grab individual fibres and drag them against their neighbors, thereby binding them). The duration of this process determines the thickness and sturdiness of the fibre´s structure which is, in general, lightweight, permeable to air and elastic. Once this felt is made, it can subsequently be treated in a number of ways in order to modify its attributes: stiffened needled felt, for example, is glaze reinforced.

The rolls of felt come on tubes with a diameter of around 70 mm and have a total diameter of about 40 cm.

If soft felt is glued to a flexible backing, it can be made to form practically any shape. The "Landscape" pictured was made by gluing needled felt to both sides of ALUMINIUM FORMETAL VARIUS and shaping it as required.