'Brother Drum Carder' Review, Electric carding machine

[@SpinGlitz]

Very nice review...I did want to point out that Brother no longer includes the burnishing brush with every carder as they now only manufacture the burnishing brush for their Supercarder.

[@horsenroundstudio]

This was fantastic. Thank you for pointing out the positive AND negative points. I just received mine and was looking up videos on using it (and suggestions for setup and placement, etc.)

[@highlandcolours7675]

Hi, sorry only just saw your message. I love the carder. Its a work horse in my studio. There are some small tweaks. Brother sent me a new grub-nut for the axle, and a tool to tighten it down, and since then I've had no problem with the axle slipping. Also they now do a really nice burnishing tool, you can buy separately, and it's worth buying. Hope this helps.

[@horsenroundstudio]

@@highlandcolours7675 That's great to know. Thank you!

[@teacat55]

I would like to ask you a question… I have a brother hand crank drum carder and I believe it is 90 dpi. I am finding that little nepps are accumulating along the bar. Do you think it’s because the licker is slightly too close to the drum? I am using BFL and silk… I wouldn’t expect nepps to be creating so thickly

[@highlandcolours7675]

Hi, I'm sorry I'm not sure! But it could be the shortness of your fibres/wool are too short for the distance that you have the licker set to the drum, if I am understanding what you are saying. But check with the manufacturer. Thanks! Sarah.

[@teacat55]

@@highlandcolours7675 I figured out that the rollers were too close and the teeth were clicking together. All adjusted and working as intended.. thank you!

[@emmatissing9095]

which machine is this? extra fine (190tpi), fine (120tpi), medium (90tpi), coarse (72tpi),and extra coarse (54tpi). best regards Emma

[@highlandcolours7675]

Hi Emma, I can't exactly remember which drum I got as I've mislaid the paper work, but I feel pretty sure it's the 72tpi. But take advice from the manufacturer (they are very helpful) when you order. Tell them what type of wool you would most often be carding. I think they recommend the finer drum for alpaca / angora etc. Having said that, my drum is for just about every type of wool I've thrown at it, but I also mix in silks and finer fibres too with no problem. Hope that helps a wee bit! Sarah.

[@SpinGlitz]

72 is considered medium...she is showing the 72 tpi

[@kristingoettlicher3503]

How do you choose the speeds for the two motors? Trial and error? I currently use a manual carder and my arm is getting tired!

[@highlandcolours7675]

Hi, do you mean the ratio of speeds between the smaller roller and the larger? There are manufacturers instructions on that, and yes actually I just have to eye-ball it. You can turn each one on separately if you want, and count the revolutions per 10 seconds or something like that to get an idea. I tried to be very specific about it when I first go the carder but I am now fairly sure what speed to go at with each one from just looking. I don't know if this helps! I did find info about this subject online so there's probably a lot more out there...

[@SpinGlitz]

Brother recommends that the large drum run at full speed. I believe you want the licker in to run slowly if carding fine fibers.

[@notafan1275]

Very interesting review, thank you! May I ask which drum that is - which tpi? It seems fairly fine...

[@highlandcolours7675]

Hi, Thanks for viewing! My drum is the 72tpi, standard middle of the road drum for carding most medium wool. I have carded BFL, Dorset, Merino, Shetland, Romney, Silk, and other short stapled additions to batts. But if I were carding just short stapled fibre on its own, this would not be the best drum as it tends to all end up on the licker drum. If you are planning to do a lot of varieties of fibre, it would be worth purchasing another roller for what you are specifically doing. If you are doing a lot of 100% Alpaca, a finer roller could be better although Alpaca will blend with wool on this roller with no problem. Brother will give you a lot of info on this, and are very helpful. Hope this helps.

[@notafan1275]

Thanks for the quick answer! Just from looking at it I thought it would be finer than 72 tpi - which is what I currently have on my Louet Junior. As I'm happy with it - and you are happy with it as well, I think I'll go with that (I process lots of different fibres, most of it not all that fine - though my animals are by now so old that the wool actually seems to get finer...)

[@merrickelsner5520]

Is it the large or extra wide size?

[@highlandcolours7675]

Hi Merrick, I believe this (at least it was when I bought it) the widest they do. You would need to check if they have a wider one now. I bought this about 4 or 5 years ago. Because I do a lot of production spinning, I wouldn't go smaller (for myself), but you have to take into account how much space you have, as it's quite wide. I find the additional (new) burnishing tool they do is essential. (not the one shown in my video) The nylon brush thats fixed to it is good, but not enough to burnish everything down. And the new tool has much more gentle metal tines, so it doesn't damage anything. This width of carder is also fantastic for creating a batt for other purposes such as the back of a vegetarian raw fleece rug. I can make huge wide batts (they spread out when you take them off), and lay them in different directions on the back of a fleece rug for felting. I think this could also be useful for quilting, but I haven't tried that.

[@highlandcolours7675]

Sorry...just to clarify, I think this must be the extra wide size (my point was, I don't know if they made an extra extra wide size since I bought this!!)

[@hafijurrahmankhansiraji7949]

How i get it? Contract details plz

[@highlandcolours7675]

check out their website