A tack cloth made of gauze impregnated with a tacky material
Tack cloth (tack rag; tac cloth) is a specialized type of wiping cloth that is treated with a tacky material. It is designed to remove loose particles of dust, dirt and lint that would contaminate a surface that is to be painted, coated, laminated, photo-etched, or otherwise finished.
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- 1Design
Design[edit]
Tack[edit]
The tack component is typically a kind of resinous material, often a petroleum derivative. The resin system may be solvent-based, water-based, or (more commonly in North America) a hot-melt. Different tack treatment materials, formulations and systems present different advantages or disadvantages. Concerns with different tack treatments may be seen in the tendencies of some to dry-out or to leave residues from free oils or evaporating solvents, or with liabilities due to content of hazardous air pollutants (HAP's), or in health risk from volatile organic components (VOC's), and in materials that can chemically interfere with paints, etc. Common misnomers for tack treatments are varnish, lacquer, beeswax or other references that do not describe the actual materials in modern commercial tack cloths. Adjuncts may be incorporated into the tack treatments, such as anti-static additives, fire retardants, dyes or other performance-enhancing materials.
Overall tack performance is actually a combination of independent qualities such as adhesion, cohesion, wet tack (quick-stick) and other well-defined adhesive related properties. Each of these can be manipulated to optimize performance in different types of applications and conditions. Tack cloth must be changed frequently when working with softer woods as the dust from the sanded wood tends to clog the cloth fibers quickly, reducing performance.
Cloth[edit]
The cloth component is most commonly a cotton gauze textile, but the grade and quality can vary greatly. Typical gauze specifications are in weaves of between 29 (commodity) to 44 or more (commercial/professional) yarns per square inch, with the cloth weights, wiping properties and overall cost varying accordingly. Gauze may be bleached and scoured (as for medical gauze) or unbleached quality that contains more contaminants. A standard size of the cotton gauze varieties is 18 in. × 36 in. in North America (other standards are found in other countries, such as 50 cm × 80 cm).[citation needed] Other textiles used in tack cloths are made from continuous filament (non-fibrous) synthetic yarns to eliminate linting or from various non-woven fabrics that can reduce cost. The textile type, style, grade, quality and size are the greatest factors in tack cloth cost, and these variables can differ greatly among tack cloth brands and product designs.[citation needed]
Innovations[edit]
In recent decades researchers have developed lint-free tack cloths, made from continuous filament (non-fibrous) synthetic yarns and finished edges. Similar to electronics cleanroom wipers, this design is commonly required for paint process in automotive assembly plants. Another innovation has been modification of common tack cloths that are normally electrically resistive to perform at antistatic levels, defined by independent standards organizations (like ASTM, IEEE, MIL-SPEC, etc.).
More recent developments have been made in tack treatments that are water-soluble, allowing them to be washed from hands, tools or a surface to reduce the incidence of tack transfer from accumulated resins or to wash the tack from the cloths. They can be recycled like utility wipes. Water-soluble tack also improves antistatic performance, and offers potential for improved compatibility with water-based paints.[citation needed]
A new type of tack cloth has been developed at the Y-12 National Security Complex, a nuclear weapons plant. Its purpose was to clean up microscopic beryllium particles that posed a health hazard. The inventor, Ron Simandl, also found he could use the cloths to dry-buff the alloy wheels on his car.[1] The stubborn brake and road dirt came right off and left the wheels clean and bright.[2][3]
References[edit]
- ^Duncan Mansfield (2 March 2007). 'Nuclear weapons plant yields powerful dust cloth'. The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press.
- ^US 8337626, R. F. Simandl & S. M. Holenbeck, 'Method for removal of beryllium contamination from an article', assigned to Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC
- ^D. Mansfield (2007-03-02). 'Nuclear Lab Develops Powerful Dust Rag'. Phys.org.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tack_cloth&oldid=896006679'
Lint | |
---|---|
Lint accumulation in the screen of a clothes dryer | |
Type | Visible accumulations of textile fibers and other materials |
Close-up of dryer lint.
Pocket lint.
Natural occurrence of navel lint in a healthy adult male.
Lint is the common name for visible accumulations of textilefibers and other materials, usually found on and around clothing. Certain materials used in the manufacture of clothing, such as cotton, linen, and wool, contain numerous, very short fibers bundled together.[1] During the course of normal wear, these fibers may either detach or be jostled out of the weave of which they are part. This is the reason that heavily used articles like shirts and towels become thin over time, and why these particles collect in the lint screen of a clothes dryer.[1]
Because of their low surface area, static cling causes fibers that have detached from an article of clothing to continue to stick to one another and to that article or other surfaces with which they come in contact. Other small fibers or particles also accumulate with these clothing fibers, including human and animal hair and skin cells, plant fibers, and pollen, dust, and microorganisms.
The etymology of the modern word 'lint' is related to 'linting', the term used for the cultivation of the shorter fibers from the cotton plant (Gossypium), also called 'lint', from which lower-quality cotton products are manufactured.[2] Lint is composed of threads of all colors, which blend hues and may appear to be a uniform grey.[3]
- 1Varieties of lint
- 2Problems related to lint
- 3Uses of lint
Varieties of lint[edit]
Dryer lint[edit]
Dryer lint is lint generated by the drying of clothes in a clothes dryer; it typically accumulates on a dryer screen. Underwriters Laboratories recommends cleaning the lint filter after every cycle for safety and energy efficiency.[4]
Navel lint[edit]
Navel lint (also known by names such as navel fluff, belly button lint,belly button fluff, and dip lint) is an accumulation of fluffy fibers in the navel cavity. Many people find that, at the beginning and end of the day, a small lump of fluff has appeared in the navel cavity. This lint is an accumulation of cloth fibers that are scraped by body hair. The reasons for its accumulation in the navel are a subject of speculation. A likely hypothesis is that rubbing of navel hairs and clothing contributes to a build-up of static electricity, resulting in the collection of clothing fibers and to a lesser extent, dead skin cells.[citation needed]
Pocket lint[edit]
Pocket lint is debris including bits of fabric as well as small shreds of paper and tissue that are often found in pockets. It may be caused by running the clothing through a washing machine one or more times, causing the pocket lining or contents to compact and shred.[citation needed]
As pocket lint is an amalgamation of the contents of the pockets, pocket lint can be helpful when determining whether drugs have been previously stored in the pockets, by testing it with various drug tests.[citation needed] In a survival situation, pocket lint can be used as tinder for starting a fire.[5]
The Infocom game, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, was sold with a collection of 'props' that included a small bag of 'pocket fluff'.[6]
Problems related to lint[edit]
Biological problems[edit]
Inhalation of excessive amounts of lint, as observed in early textile workers, may lead to diseases of the lungs, such as byssinosis.[7] Lint shed from clothing during the course of wear may also carry bacteria and viruses.[8] For this reason, the presence of lint presents a danger during surgery, when it might carry microorganisms into open wounds. It has been demonstrated that due to the abrasive contact between clothing and skin, 'a person wearing a standard cotton scrub suit actually sheds more bacteria than without clothing'.[9] Lint is also a component of 'toe jam', described by UMPC as 'that gunk located between your toes, can result if you’re not properly cleaning feet and toes. Like ear wax, mucus, and many other bodily residues (...). But the issue can have several different causes—some of them more serious than others — so it pays to give your feet special attention.'[10] Lint also presents a threat to the environment in spaces that generally do not experience human contact, constituting 'one of the primary polluters' in cave exploration.[11]
Mechanical problems[edit]
Lint contamination also presents what may be the most serious threat of damage to delicate mechanical devices.[12][13] In order to prevent lint contamination, workers entering clean rooms are generally required to wear an outer layer of clothing made from artificial fibers that are longer and thicker, and therefore much less likely to shed any material.[1][14] Lint-resistant clothing materials include elastic fabrics like spandex (or Lycra), for which the fibers will tend to stretch rather than break, and longer, stronger non-woven polyolefin fibers.[15]
Other problems[edit]
Lint on clothing is generally considered unattractive and unprofessional. Furthermore, lint may be abrasive and may damage the clothing itself.[16] For these reasons, visible lint is often removed with a lint remover or clothes brush. The accumulation of lint during clothes cleaning can be reduced with the use of a fabric softener, which reduces the amount of static electricity on clothing surfaces and therefore prevents the lint from sticking to the clothes.[17]
Dryer lint, which collects on the lint screen of a clothes dryer, is highly flammable and therefore presents a fire hazard.[18] However, because of this flammability, dryer lint may be collected for use as tinder,[19] although burning man-made fibres can produce toxic fumes.[20]
Uses of lint[edit]
Composting[edit]
It is possible to compost lint retrieved from the lint screen on a dryer by adding it to other materials being composted. The texture of the material allows the organic matter within it to compost quickly and easily, but depending on the source, it may include inorganic fibers and materials which never break down.[21]
Forensic science[edit]
Lint is useful to examine in forensic science because it is accumulated over time, and because the fibers shed from clothing adhere to not only that clothing, but also other particles to which the carrier is exposed. The lint on a person's clothing is therefore likely to contain material transferred from the various environments through which that person has passed,[22] enabling forensic examiners to collect and examine lint to determine the movements and activities of the wearer.[23][24] Examiners may use various chemicals to isolate lint fibers from different articles of clothing based on differences in color and other characteristics.[25]
Tinder[edit]
As noted above, dryer lint burns readily. Although this may present a hazard in the household, it also means that lint makes excellent tinder for starting fires.[26] It is especially useful for catching sparks from flint and steel, or similar striker-type fire starters in the absence of matches.[27]
Wound treatment[edit]
Lint was used as a form of wound treatment for cuts and sores as early as 1500 BC and as recently as the American Civil War.[28] Lint used specifically for treating wounds was sometimes referred to as charpie.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abcR. W. Welker, Ramamurthy Nagarajan, Carl E. Newberg (2006). Contamination and ESD Control in High-Technology Manufacturing. pp. 415–16.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^Norma R. Hollen & Jane Saddler (1952). Modern Textiles. p. 14.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^Glass, Don (October 16, 2008). 'The Color of Lint'. A Moment of Science. Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^Underwriters Laboratories product safety tips – clothes dryersArchived 2014-03-05 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^'Catching A Spark from Flint And Steel: Fire Building Basics', Prepper Bits, 30 September 2018
- ^Blake Wilson (September 18, 2008). ''Hitchhiker's Guide': The Game 'Arts Beat''. The New York Times.
- ^Yafa, Stephen (2006). Cotton: The Biography of a Revolutionary Fiber.
- ^Raheel, Mastura (1994). Protective Clothing Systems and Materials. p. 19.
- ^Kulkarni, G.S. (2008). Textbook of Orthopedics and Trauma. p. 296.
- ^URGENT CARE (October 20, 2015). 'What Is Toe Jam?'. upmc.com. Post updated May 11, 2016}}
- ^Hurd, Barbara (2005). Entering the Stone: On Caves and Feeling Through the Dark. p. 54.
- ^Ira Cochin (1963). Analysis and Design of the Gyroscope for Inertial Guidance. p. 143.
- ^Michael Kozicki, Stuart A. Hoenig & Patrick J. Robinson (1991). Cleanrooms: Facilities and Practices.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^'The Inside Story on Outdoor Gear'. Popular Science. 238 (5). May 1991. p. 82.
- ^Krishan Kumar Chawla (1998). Fibrous Materials. p. 102.
- ^Cynthia Townley Ewer (2009). Houseworks. p. 139.
- ^JJeff Bredenberg (1999). Clean It Fast, Clean It Right. pp. 235–236.
- ^Eric Kleinert (1995). Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances. p. 231.
- ^Lori Baird (2007). Don't Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse to Make Things Last. p. 216.
- ^Wes Clark,'Everyday Household Materials Yield Toxic Smoke', FireAvert, 17 April 2015
- ^Barbara Pleasant & Deborah L. Martin (2008). The Complete Compost Gardening Guide. p. 128.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^Jane Moira Taupin; Chesterene Cwiklik (2009). Forensic Examination of Clothing. p. 145.
- ^Jane Moira Taupin; Chesterene Cwiklik (2009). Forensic Examination of Clothing. p. 195.
- ^Ashraf Mozayani & Carla Noziglia (2006). The Forensic Laboratory Handbook: Procedures and Practice. p. 266.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^Jane Moira Taupin; Chesterene Cwiklik (2009). Forensic Examination of Clothing. p. 190.
- ^Michael Sweeney, Mireya Mayor & Michele Kayal (2009). National Geographic Complete Survival Manual. p. 46.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- ^'Catching A Spark from Flint And Steel: Fire Building Basics', Prepper Bits, 30 September 2018
- ^'Notes of a European Tour'. Buffalo Medical Journal. 2: 397. 1846.
External links and further reading[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lint (material). |
- Barker, Graham. 'World record navel lint collection'. feargod.net.
- 'Bellybutton Lint Collecters'. craftbits.com.
- Kruszelnicki, Karl (2001). 'The Great Bellybutton Lint Survey'. Q & A with Dr K.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lint_(material)&oldid=912032959'