How much fill?

[HappyHiker]

this works best with a beefy vaccuum. my little shop vac would only do a few grams at a time.

+1. You can also overheat your vacuum motor doing this (don't ask me how I know....). I ended up just stuffing by hand and keeping the vacuum handy to suck up floaters.

I also tried a down eductor, but couldn't get it to work properly - it kept clogging on me.

Best suggestion I have heard (after filling my UQ and not thinking of it myself even though I had a good number of tubes sitting right next to me....)
Use a tube (TP or paper towel cardboard tube, plastic extender tube from a vacuum etc). Stuff the down into the tube, when you have the right amount in the tube, insert the tube into your baffle and either blow it in or push it in using a stick or rod. Thats what I'm going to do on my next project.

[Nihilist Voyager]

Edit: This was meant towards Mad777's post. Happy Hiker is a faster typer than me....

Ahhh.. of course! That is very similar to what I was planning on doing. I'll probably try it my way first, just cause, but lord knows it won't be my only underquilt (I've got a virulent DIY Fever ) and I'll probably try it the tried and true way then.

My idea, by the by, was to picture the baffles as square. You've got your against the hammock shell, and your outer shell. Your against the hammock shell lies flat, forming the lower line of all the "squares". Your outer shell will for the other three lines (up whatever you want your baffle thickness to be, then across whatever your baffle width is, the down again for you baffle thickness) after sewing these "squares" to the flat piece (or maybe before, I hadn't decided) you would go to the "corners" of the "squares" and sew the together.

The comparing lengths of our explanations already shows that yours is way simpler.

Ok easier explanation, it's exactly like the sewn through method, except I'm sewing the baffles to each other at the point I want the baffle height so where originally the baffles would split and create a cold spot, they are now held together by an extra seam?

Am I making sense? I use my hands a lot when I talk and I always feel like I do a horrible job explaining myself without being able to gesture frantically at you.

[gt7599a]

DIY Down Underquilt Calculations

DIY Bridge Down Underquilt Calculations

Formulas courtesy Mad777 & GrizzleyAdams, thank Meteor for the spread sheet.

Ed

[Nihilist Voyager]

DIY Down Underquilt Calculations

DIY Bridge Down Underquilt Calculations

Formulas courtesy Mad777 & GrizzleyAdams, thank Meteor for the spread sheet.

Ed

Oh god, that is so cool I can hardly stand myself.

[Rain Man]

I put my down in a cardboard box and set that on a gram scale. I then suck the down out with a vacuum cleaner with netting over the tube. I figure out how much down (in grams) should go into each baffle. I suck down out and watch the weight fall by that amount of grams. Then, I move on the the next baffle and repeat.

That sounds good... so long as you have new down and know its fill power. What about recycling down from an old sleeping bag purchased at Good Will? Any good home-made way to determine its fill power, so you can then do that calculation you speak of?

Thanks in advance!

Rain Man

.

[Nihilist Voyager]

That sounds good... so long as you have new down and know its fill power. What about recycling down from an old sleeping bag purchased at Good Will? Any good home-made way to determine its fill power, so you can then do that calculation you speak of?

Thanks in advance!

Rain Man

.

I would look at the tag, and just call the company or do an internet search. The company should have that kind of info.

Lol if not, grab an ounce of it, however many cubic inches it takes up is it's fill power! (don't ask me how you'd measure )

[the_gr8t_waldo]

wouldn't it still work out if you just filled a box with the down?(measuring seems like the easy part....tape mesure the dimentions and do the math... then divide by the weight.( - the weight of the box, of course)-- to me, harvesting down from a good will score, seems to be a case of false ecomony. i have a deep and abiding mistrust in imported products. the producers play "fast & loose" with information. (if you think the government is protecting you on this element, think again. they just can't keep up with the shear quanity of things, much less correct or prosecute- and the importers know it..add to that the shifting sands of the way down is described today as opposed to the way it was back when the org product was made) so the user has to make basic decisions, soley on his own evaluation of the suitability of any harvested mat'l. one way to look at is that that's the ultimate in the diy approch. the other way is to look at it as an easy misstep. packaged down seems very pricy, but since youre labor is involved, not buying starts to look really expensive too.

[Jazilla]

One way to look at is that that's the ultimate in the diy approch. the other way is to look at it as an easy misstep. packaged down seems very pricy, but since youre labor is involved, not buying starts to look really expensive too.

Now say the same thing in a way that convinces my wife that it will be cheaper for me to buy 12oz of down instead of not buying it and you will forever more have a best friend in me.

[the_gr8t_waldo]

as the saying goes---measure twice cut once". the time spring any new concepts on the spouse is when youre about to enbark on the "new & impoved top/botton quilt. i'd help ya but i've gotten myself over commited to battles here. and i think my next project better be a white flag.