Horsehair spinning works
Our production philosophy:
We only use pure tail hair, i.e. only first-class hair from the tails of horses and cattle.
The tail hair we use is hot washed, completely cleaned and spun thin.
By sterilising and fixing the hair in a steam vacuum, the tail hair we use retains ts outstanding bounce.
The tail hair we use is characterised by an absolute lack of odour .
Production process
Origin
The hair from horses and long hair from cattle is bought from all around the world:
Australia
New Zealand
North and South America
Europe
1. Washing
Once it arrives in Marthalen, the hair is washed and thoroughly disinfected in hot, natural soapy water. It is then rinsed thoroughly in fresh cold water in rinsing machines.
This enables us to meet the tightest standards of quality and hygiene.
2. Drying
The hair is dried using hot air in a special system.
Continuous quality control is both a requirement and a duty as far as we are concerned!
3. Preparation
Once the still-straggly hair is dry, its prepared for use.
Depending on the specific order, we mix a variety of hair colours and types.
4. Mixing, opening and carding
The air is mixed in a machine.
5. Opening and carding
This is then opened and the hair prepared for spinning.
6. Spinning
In the spinning section, the hair is combed and drawn through the drafting device to the spinning head, where is it spun to form a regular strand.
7. Spinning and curling
The strand is curled in such a way that ringlets form upon ringlets, and every single hair becomes a spiral-shaped spring . This curly har is heated in hot steam, sterilised and re-dried in an autoclave. This fixes the spiral shapes permanently into the hair.
8. Further processing
The hair strands are pulled into a voluminous, springy and elastic stuffing for the mattresses and cushions that will be hand made by craftspeople
This is how the hair is used to provide the beneficial padding and insulation for the foam or sprung core, and thus to produce a natural, healthy environment in the bed.