Posted by IsDihara on Monday, 9 May 2005, at 1:02 p.m.:
Just purchased 8 pounds of Rambouillet wool from a terrific vendor at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and thought to experiment with a few hanks by scouring them in a crock pot using a tiny bit of Kookaburra woolscour. Here is a link to a web page that describes the process (though they use dish washing liquid): http://mypeoplepc.com/members/tvsmussel/fiberewetopia/id45.html
Sadly, I've no head for chemistry and don't entirely understand the chemical detergent - alkali dangers. I try to stay away from alkali altogether (never used a detergent before; scoured previous batches of raw wool using water only...at 110 - 120 degrees F).
I realize 8 pounds is too large a quantity to scour in such a small vessel. I will use two bath tubs and a large rinse tub for the bulk of the scouring, separating my wool into eight, one-pound batches. Just wanted to try this crock pot method for fun.
Does anyone have any tips or recommendations, for or against, the crock pot method?
Another question: is it possible to get the crock pot clean afterwards to use again for food cooking, or should I retire the crock pot from food use after the experiment?