How to manage down?

[anthory]

I plan on taking a down blanket that my parents have and turing it into a underquilt or a sack. I'm not really sure what the weight or fill quality but they say it is always way to warm for them and they will not be using it anymore. I have talked to my mom about this, who has tried to work with down before and says that is it is going to get everywhere!! So my question is, what is the best way to handle down when transfering it from on to the other? i have tried to read up a little but havent found much. I was thinking maybe we could get it wet and it would be much easier to handle. Or even using a shop vac (cleaned out extreamly well) to suck it out?

[NCPatrick]

Yes, I use the shop vac method and it works great for me. You can learn more about it here. I maybe get one or two runaways, which quickly get vacuumed back up. If you move slowly and carefully, it goes easier.

[JohnSawyer]

First: I have limited experience with down, but I have taken apart a down comforter, and re-worked a sleeping bag into a TQ.

I did the shop vac trick, ended up overloading the vac. when I opened it up, it went everywhere...

Though I did this with low-quality down, it still got everywhere. Wear a dust mask... Down clusters in your sinuses = potential infection.

I'd recommend getting some no-see-um, rubber banding it to the end of a paper toilet paper roll tube, and hooking that to your shop vac.

Carefully cut open the square, and fill the tube with the vaccuum. Put the open end of your now filled tube in a small ziplock baggie and push the down into the bag with a pencil/finger/whatever, and carefully close. Move slowly. That will reduce the fly-away's...

Doing this inside a tent is a good idea.... (Finally, a good use for a tent, other than when the mother in law comes to visit!) otherwise you'll be finding down clusters and feathers for weeks, maybe months... When you're done, use the shop vac to clean up the tent, you, and you're done...

If you do it right, you can guess how much down you'll need in your project, and size the baggies to meet a section of your down TQ/UQ. If it works, you can open the ziplock, push it into the tube, invert the bag and you'd be set.

One thing to consider: Most down comforters are mostly feathers. If the comforter feels even remotely heavy, it's not good down. (it should weigh much less than you think it should...) you can do the Pinch test: pinch some down through 1 layer of fabric. Roll it in your fingers. you can feel the quills from any feathers. If you can't feel anything other than maybe something really tiny, you have good down.

If you want to do a semi-destructive test, you can make a 1/4" incision in the sewn edge, reach in with a small wire hook and pull out some of the down. If you don't like what you find, sew it back up...

Pics, please.. let us know how it works out!

John

[NCPatrick]

I did the shop vac trick, ended up overloading the vac. when I opened it up, it went everywhere...

Opened what up? You take the tube off, stick the opening in the chamber, and either blow or push the down out of the tube (I use a stick.).

[Detail Man]

Down doesn't have to be a messy job. The vaccuum tube/mesh method can result in overheating the vaccuum or kicking a GFCI (fortunately the GFCI tripped before my vaccuum burnt up.) Work one chamber at a time. Stuff the down into a 2" PVC pipe with your fingers. Then push it out into a ziplock bag with a 1.5" PVC pipe with one end taped shut. Seal the bag and repeat. Work slowly in a room with very little air movement. Have a vac handy to suck up strays often. I used a similar method when I did my UQ and was pleased with the cleanliness.

[Alamosa]

Having never worked with down, I find all of these tips fascinating and can't wait to give it a try. Unfortunately, I have no concept of scale to associate with them.

How much down will fit in a toilet paper roll? Are we talking 1/4 of an ounce 5 ounces? It must be compressed pretty well by the vacuum, but how big is say an ounce of 800 fill down when it is compressed?

Would paper towel rolls work or even, given the coming season, wrapping paper rolls? You could load the tubes and just seal them off for temporary storage so you don't even have to mess with the plastic bags.

Or is there no storage and it is just a direct transfer operation? Suck from donor quilt, push into new quilt. I suppose if this is the case, if you could calculate the size correctly (compressed volume for desired lofted volume), the tube could be cut so that it exactly holds the amount of down you want to put in each chamber.

Is this the same method you use when you purchase down to transfer it from its packaging into the quilt chambers? I saw the "low-pressure blower" (for lack of a better term) method that looked pretty sweet as well.

Sorry for the long post, lots of interest and questions.

[HappyHiker]

I tried several methods.

Down eductor - I really wanted this to work, but unfortunately it clogged with down almost instantly. Several possibilities here - too high a rate of airflow, down not loose enough (I just stuffed the intake tube into a pillow, perhaps feeding a little at a time by hand would be better).

Vacuum cleaner / tube with mesh - works well, but it doesn't move a large amount of down quickly and can overheat your vacuum motor if you're not careful (don't ask me how I know....). I only got a small amount of down each "load" and decided it was going far too slowly.

By hand - worked the best for me. Yes, you will lose some down, but it was easy enough to use the above method to collect any stragglers. If you do it this way, make sure there is as little airflow around as possible - close your vents, doors, windows etc. Make no sudden movements that will create airflow and cause any spilled down to get airborne. The tent suggestion is a good one. I simply sat in my bathtub and pulled the shower curtain closed.

The most basic worked out the best in my case. I spent more time setting up and fiddling with the more complicated methods than I did filling the entire quilt by hand. I was truly afraid of down going everywhere from stories I have read, so wanted to try the cleanest methods. Well, I had fun with them despite failing miserably.

I have only transferred down from a pillow to an UQ once so I'm certainly no expert. My inexperience and unfamiliarirty with the 1st two methods I tried is most likely what led to their failure.

[sr1355]

Opened what up? You take the tube off, stick the opening in the chamber, and either blow or push the down out of the tube (I use a stick.).

Think he was referring to shop vac.... they do make shop vac bag that attach to the inlet of the shop vac. This could catch the down and prevent it from loading the motor and going everywhere when you open the shop vac...



I have a underquilt to take apart so I will be using this method....

[Violent Green]

Stuff the down into a 2" PVC pipe with your fingers. Then push it out into a ziplock bag with a 1.5" PVC pipe with one end taped shut. Seal the bag and repeat. Work slowly in a room with very little air movement. Have a vac handy to suck up strays often. I used a similar method when I did my UQ and was pleased with the cleanliness.

Bingo. Works 100x faster than the vacuum method and doesn't lose any down.

Ryan

[sr1355]

I'd tell you my method of filling.... but then I'd have to kill ya...