Article about DOWN

DOWN

There are areas of human activity where he can not do without very warm clothes. This problem is particularly critical while climbing to the mountains 8000 meters high, where alpinists sometimes find themselves in the hurricane wind at the temperature over -40°C. The firms which manufacture clothes for such extreme conditions, use different insulators: organic (white and grey goose down, duck down and very rarely eiderdown), inorganic (“Thinsulate”, ”Fuhren Hot”, ”Thermoloft” “Slimtech”) , different kinds of “Fleece”: MTR Fleece, Alpen plus Fleece, Zap Fleece”, “Zap Mesh Fleece” etc. Thought there is a large number of new synthetic insulators, downy clothes is unsurpassed at present in the complex of requirements: little weight, high heat-insulating characteristics, small transportation volume, and long service life. Those properties can be explained by the structure of down which consists of separate pluffs. The pluffs are pushed on the one hand, but on the other hand under pressure they go into each other.

At competent usage of the downy clothes goose down can serve for 20 years, duck down - for 5 years. The aim of this article is to describe the kinds of down raw materials (further “down”) used in the production of warm clothes. The following components of the down raw mixture are distinguished during the analyses which officially can be made in Russia only in the Scientific and Production Association of Poultry Processing “Complex” (Zelenograd ): Down is a plume, which consists of thin column and a large fan almost of indistinguishable from the column thin flexible tuft forming chaotic elastic accumulation, and of short length (about 1 mm) shank. (Down clusters); Small feather - feather with a length of shank (column) about 35 mm. Average feather - feather with a length of shank about 35-95 mm. Green feather - feather with a half-developed large fan and with a shank with unhorned shank Dockage-admixture organic and inorganic descent: horny scales, flat dust, and sand, etc. An analysis at the international level can be made in the American firm Dockage-admixture organic and inorganic descent: horny scales, flat dust, and sand, etc. An analysis at the international level can be made in the American firm “International Down and feather testing laboratory” which, in the international controversy, is the last instance. BASK made such an analisis, which proved good quality of produced by us down. By international standards “Doown clusters” and “Down fibre” are allocated into special categories, and elastic characteristics are numbered by the special parameter “Fill power”. The quality of down is measured by the quality of primary products. Such special breeds of geese with white coat as Italian, Rhone, Lind, Vishtines, North German, Hungarian (Magyar) are considered the best to gather down of. The quality of feather is influenced greatly by the natural conditions of breeding of the birds. The raw materials gathered in the cold Russia are appreciated greatly in the West – the down is bigger and its content in primary products is bigger.

For the same reason the down from China is not valued. The best raw material is considered that which was hand picked from live adult birds, as there is no practically any nap (fleece), which says on the elastic qualities of down. (We use down of such raw materials for manufacturing clothes for the expeditions to the mountains of 8000 meters and other important orders). However such raw materials are rare and expensive. It is much more real to find raw materials by machine pluck. The down of after slaughter gather is often strongly spoilt. Eiderdown is gathered from nests right after the period of nidification. It is possible to gather from one nest not more than 30 grams. It is difficult to bring it to industrial use. That is why eiderdown exists in very limited quantity (about 20 kg a year) and is extremely expensive. However aesthetes can order clothes of this unique by its characteristics natural material: it is light, does not at all absorb moisture, it does not crumple and according to shamans it heals. After the raw material is gathered it needs to be washed, it is necessary to separate down from feather and make a necessary mixture. Full technological process consists of 19 operations and is possible only at large plants with special equipment. We process raw materials with the help of German equipment and produce 3 kinds of mixtures with different quantity of down: that of 75, 83 and 97%. Then the down can be washed with special soaps such as liquid soap “Down Proof” or “Down Wash” of the German firm “Nikwax”. They contain special additives which improve the flexible characteristics of down and give to it additional water repellent features. The main characteristic by which down is evaluated is its flexible attributes. There is a method in the West: take one ounce of down, then clip it, then you must take it away and gage the volume in cubic inches in 5 minutes. This parameter is called-“ Fill Power” (F.P). It is the best mark amounts till 650 units. As usual serious firms such as “Nord Face”, “Columbia” uses down with mark F.P not worse than 550. Evidences of American firm “Columbia Sportswear Company” reach such unit by a quality good grey goose down of such composition: Down-70 % Fleece-10 % Small feather-17 % Dockage-3 % Actually Russian (industry) trading of down differs its instability and continuous of development of charge.

The firm BASK is in this trade for three years. Actually we work together with foreign economic association of gooses trade, that allows us despoil row materials and manufacture it well. AS to it we are the exporters of raw materials to Polish or in Germany “Saleva, Vaude, Big Pak) you are in all likelihood buy goods with Russian down. You need to be very careful when you are going to buy down from small firms and from private individual, who has simple distillers. The better part down is not very clean. Fairly often it is a mixture of goose and ducks down. Once we were offered “something” with 0% of down in its composition. We use exceptionally goose down (white and grey) of inter vivos pluch. Each installment of down has vet certificate confermative out of bacterium and radiactive groundwork. (It is very important (nowadays) actually). We can give you some practical advisers, which will ease a problem of chousing down equipment. (Leave constitutive characteristics and issue of fabrics. Fabrics must not balk down, but must breath, light and durable) Strongly boil down a sleeping bag or a powder-puff (They are all extruding as a rule), shake it 2-3 times. Down must redintegrate 50-70% of its working volume. At a hole volume must redintegrate in 20 minutes. If it is more than 20 minutes than it is not ideal by characteristics. If down has a displeasing smell the best is not to buy it or wash it at a blow with a special soap. Not clearly washed down will go bad quickly. If there are thick or long barbs of a feather, so that is a down of a wrong separation. In a standard mixture there can be only small feather (there are special machines) and there are not too much down. Green feather has an exquisite end, which pinks any fabrics. According to the standard its number in down must not preponderate over 2-3%. Gather (in) a (handful) fistful of down and clench it strongly. If you feel some pricks, so there is too much green feather. In a care for downy clothes you need to know:

Try to keep them in their expand form- it will long down life.

Do not keep it in a damp and clench for some days.

Dirty things you’d better check to the special cleaner or you can do it by yourself. Buy fluent soap for downy wash, dilute it in water (60 C) and wash it carefully. Then rinse it out in several waters and crush it quickly. You can use radiator (but not very warm) or a blower. Also you can wash them in a washmacine. Desirables after each season wash all downy clothes as down absorb adipose accentuation and loses its volume. It’s often seen on the collar or on the cowl (hood).

Director general Vladimir Bogdanov.