View Full Version : Down... Down everywhere!
corrupt_reverend
11-29-2014, 06:13
Welp, I was able to get half an ounce of down in my UQ...
You guys aren't kidding when you warn about this stuff. I'm 1/32 of the way through filling my UQ and this stuff is everywhere! I think down might officially beat out glitter as the herpes of crafting supplies.
Let this post be a warning to future DIYers. Be cautious with the fluff or it will overtake your very being.
IRONFISH45
11-29-2014, 07:25
Be aware, down will clog your vacuum, your breathing and anything else it can get sucked into.
I had bits of fluff get tangled in my hair, which caused a serious snarl (my hair is long and the little fibres from the down caused a major problem). I ended up stuffing the down in my project outdoors, in the early evening. When the night wind came up it blew the down that did not get in the quilt away, in other words the breeze blew away the evidence. I now wear a mask when I am working with down or any type of fleece.
dkurfiss
11-29-2014, 08:31
Yep, I have only worked with down once and it took me months to get it all out of my project room. There is a reason why down is expensive and working with it is a huge part. For me it's just cheaper to buy a down item than it is to actually work with it.
hikenbike
11-29-2014, 08:37
Sandwich a square of netting between the extensions of a shop vac. Suck it up until the vacuum loses suction. Remove the extensions and then trumpet the down into your project. Works very well.
use a sock...... or stockings... or tights. placed between the nozzle and the hose of your vacuum. Move slow and cover your mouth/nose.
Look at the thread "Working Down" by Drifter. I use this method and have literally no mess.
The Fronkey method, simplicity at it's best...https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/46587-Video-How-Fronkey-stuffs-down!
Drifter...https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/68741-Working-Down
Lol!!
I used the vacuum blower method and managed to restuff my bag while watching TV in the living room!!!! I had 3 errant tufts of down to catch. Next bag I make, I'll try to YouTube the method.
It was a learning experience though. My first couple of tries were in my hermetically sealed bathroom and I did get loose down. After a couple of tries, however, I got the hang of the vacuum blower and it literally was a bresze. Just pinch the baffle end tight around the vacuum end and use bulldog clips to secure the whole operation.
I usually buy my lux pillows ,they are filled with 800 fill . I have tried every way possible to stuff my projects . The easiest I have found is to get a box and put it on the scale . Then add down into box until I get 1oz and then stuff it into my hand and place where I want it . Any way I have tried it I loose some down . Btw I do this in the garage or bath tub .hope this helps cheers
corrupt_reverend
11-29-2014, 17:48
I usually buy my lux pillows ,they are filled with 800 fill . I have tried every way possible to stuff my projects . The easiest I have found is to get a box and put it on the scale . Then add down into box until I get 1oz and then stuff it into my hand and place where I want it . Any way I have tried it I loose some down . Btw I do this in the garage or bath tub .hope this helps cheers
This is how I attempted it except I used a Tupperware bowl and I did it in my laundry room... I think I'm going to be finding fluff on my clothes for years to come.
Thanks for all the words of wisdom folks. I'm definitely going to try the shop-vac method with some remnants of noseeum mesh. I think the biggest difficulty for me is getting the down from my measuring bowl into the quilt so I figure if I vac it from the bowl, then stick the tube into a baffle and switch the hose to blow, I might be alright.
Thanks again for all the input. And once more, for anybody new to down that reads this thread, listen to these people's wise words!! Don't get cocky like me or you'll regret it. haha
MoHiker79
11-29-2014, 17:53
I lost my vacuum to down, burned the motor up. I use the Fronkey method now.
And wear a mask!
...then stick the tube into a baffle and switch the hose to blow, I might be alright...
If you mean put the hose on the exhaust side of the vac...DON'T!!! I have visions of even more down covering your room. The proper method is to give it a good puff of air with your mouth.
corrupt_reverend
11-29-2014, 19:54
If you mean put the hose on the exhaust side of the vac...DON'T!!! I have visions of even more down covering your room. The proper method is to give it a good puff of air with your mouth.
Hmm. Good call. haha
georgecarr
11-30-2014, 09:52
I use the "Working Down" method by drifter and not only is it fast and easy, it's mostly mess free. I say mostly because I was filling a full length UQ with 11.5 ounces of down and on the last baffle I inserted the end into the baffle and didn't realize the material had folded over and blocked the end of the "educator". When I inserted the suction end into the bag of down a plume went up everywhere because it became a blower instead of a sucker:lol::lol::lol: . Thankfully I was fast b/c I was able to suck up about 98% of what went airborn. Lesson learned.
corrupt_reverend
12-01-2014, 16:30
Okay, the shop-vac method was waaayyyy better. Got all my baffles filled save for one. (Apparently I overstuffed the first 7 by about 15% due to my "meh, close enough" style measuring. oh well)
dmolition
12-01-2014, 20:21
I did everything outside. I figured i wouldn't care if i lost .5 ounce of down to the air, so as a precaution I bought an extra ounce just in case. I didn't need it.
corrupt_reverend
12-01-2014, 21:22
Yeah, I should have gotten a couple extra oz. Hindsight's always 20/20.
Ordered a few oz. from Marty over at wildernesslogics.com today so The UQ will be finished as soon as that arrives. :)