Burn Test - CAUTION. WARNING. BE CAREFUL! This should only be done by skilled burners! Make sure there is a bucket of water nearby and that you burn in a metal bucket or non-plastic sink.
To identify fabric that is unknown, a simple burn test can be done to determine if the fabric is a natural fiber, man made fiber, or a blend of natural and man made fibers. The burn test is used by many fabric stores and designers and takes practice to determine the exact fiber content. However, an inexperienced person can still determine the difference between many fibers to "narrow" the choices down to natural or man made fibers. This elimination process will give information necessary to decide the care of the fabric.
WARNING: All fibers will burn! Asbestos treated fibers are, for the most part fire proof. The burning test should be done with caution. Use a small piece of fabric only. Hold the fabric with tweezers, not your fingers. Burn over a metal dish with soda in the bottom or even water in the bottom of the dish. Some fabrics will ignite and melt. The result is burning drips which can adhere to fabric or skin and cause a serious burn.
Cotton is a plant fiber. When ignited it burns with a steady flame and smells like burning leaves. The ash left is easily crumbled. Small samples of burning cotton can be blown out as you would a candle.
Linen is also a plant fiber but different from cotton in that the individual plant fibers which make up the yarn are long where cotton fibers are short. Linen takes longer to ignite. The fabric closest to the ash is very brittle. Linen is easily extinguished by blowing on it as you would a candle.
Silk is a protein fiber and usually burns readily, not necessarily with a steady flame, and smells like burning hair. The ash is easily crumbled. Silk samples are not as easily extinguished as cotton or linen.
Wool is also a protein fiber but is harder to ignite than silk as the individual "hair" fibers are shorter than silk and the weave of the fabrics is generally looser than with silk. The flame is steady but more difficult to keep burning. The smell of burning wool is like burning hair.
Man Made Fibers
Acetate is made from cellulose (wood fibers), technically cellulose acetate. Acetate burns readily with a flickering flame that cannot be easily extinguished. The burning cellulose drips and leaves a hard ash. The smell is similar to burning wood chips.
Acrylic technically acrylonitrile is made from natural gas and petroleum. Acrylics burn readily due to the fiber content and the lofty, air filled pockets. A match or cigarette dropped on an acrylic blanket can ignite the fabric which will burn rapidly unless extinguished. The ash is hard. The smell is acrid or harsh.
Nylon is a polyamide made from petroleum. Nylon melts and then burns rapidly if the flame remains on the melted fiber. If you can keep the flame on the melting nylon, it smells like burning plastic.
Polyester is a polymer produced from coal, air, water, and petroleum products. Polyester melts and burns at the same time, the melting, burning ash can bond quickly to any surface it drips on including skin. The smoke from polyester is black with a sweetish smell. The extinguished ash is hard.
Rayon is a regenerated cellulose fiber which is almost pure cellulose. Rayon burns rapidly and leaves only a slight ash. The burning smell is close to burning leaves.
Blends consist of two or more fibers and, ideally, are supposed to take on the characteristics of each fiber in the blend. The burning test can be used but the fabric content will be an assumption.
In the world production of cotton, China is the leading followed by United States, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Turkey and Greece. Today, production of cotton is one of the major factors in world prosperity and economic stability.
History:
Cotton’s exact age is unknown. Scientists have found pieces of cotton cloth in caves in Mexico that are at least 7.000 years old. Cotton was grown and made into cloth in the Indus River Valley in Pakistan as early as 3,000 years before the birth of Christ. Egyptians were also weaving cotton fabrics around the same time. Cotton arrived in Europe, through Arab merchants, in approximately 800 A.D. Cotton eventually replaced flax and wool as Europe’s leading choice for fabrics. Christopher Columbus found cotton in the Bahama Islands in 1492. Cotton was known all over the world by 1500.
The first use of machinery to spin cotton was in England in 1730. In 1793, Eli Whitney of Massachusetts patented his cotton gin, which was a vital factor in cotton’s popularity and use today. Whitney invented the gin after watching workers manually separate the fiber from the seed. He built the gin in ten days to do the work fifty times faster than separating by hand. The gin created a way to aid the already fast growing textile industry by supplying it with large quantities of cotton fiber. The U.S. cotton crop value increased from $150,000 to over $8 million within ten years.
Cotton’s Importance and Uses
Presently, cotton is the world’s most used fiber. Every part of the cotton plant is useful. The fiber is the most important part of the plant because it is used in making cotton cloth. Cotton is the number one fiber used for apparel in the United States. In 1994, 63 percent of cotton was used for apparel, 29 percent for home furnishings and 8 percent was used for industrial type products and exportation.
Examples of Items Made from Cotton:
The short fuzz on the seed, which is also called linters, supply the cellulose needed for making plastics, explosives, high quality paper products, batting for mattresses, and furniture and automobile cushions.
The cotton seed is also manufactured into various products. It is crushed to separate it for use in three different products – oil, meal and the hulls.
Cotton seed oil – shortening, cooking oil, salad dressing and a high-protein concentrate for use in food products
Meal and Hull – livestock, poultry and fish feed, fertilizer
The leaves and stalks of the cotton plant are also used for soil enrichment by plowing them into the soil.
Countries Where Cotton is Grown
Cotton is grown in warm climates and the United States grows the majority of the world’s cotton. The following states are the major cotton producers in the United States:
Types of Cotton
Low to Medium Grade Cotton: These types of cotton are found in mass produced goods and cotton blend goods.
Better Grades: Higher grades of cotton, which includes longer-staple cotton, are used in fine quality shirtings and bedding fabrics. Egyptian cotton, a high quality cotton, has been produced in the Nile River Valley for many centuries. This type of cotton has long been known for its soft luxurious hand and luster. Other types of high quality cotton include Pima, Supima, American Egyptian and Sea Island cotton.
Organic Cotton:
Organic cotton is grown without the use of commercial pesticides and fertilizers.
Characteristics of Cotton
Aesthetics
Cotton’s aesthetics vary depending on the applied treatments, the fiber blend (if blended) and the grade of the fiber. A typical 100% untreated cotton fabric has a pleasant matte luster, a soft drape and a smooth hand.
Comfort
Cotton fabrics are very comfortable to wear due to their soft hand and other characteristics. Cotton fabrics have excellent absorbing capabilities. Cotton garments absorb perspiration, thus keeping the person more comfortable.
Appearance Retention
Cotton wrinkles very easily. However, there are many cotton garments on the market that have been treated with wrinkle resistant finishes. These finishes reduce the need to iron cotton clothes. Consequently, our fast paced society can look good in cotton garments without investing a lot of time in preparing them.
Care
Always read the care label in the product. Cotton products can typically be machine washed and dried. Colored cotton garments retain their color longer if they are washed in warm or cool water. Cotton fabrics can be bleached but too much bleaching could weaken the fibers. Acids harm cotton fabrics; consequently, juice stains should be treated immediately with cold water. Sunlight does harm cotton by causing it to oxidize and turn yellow. Fabrics that are 100% cotton do shrink if they have not been treated with a durable-press or a shrinkage-resistant finish.
Effects of Weather on Cotton Crops
Obviously, the weather is a big factor in the success of cotton crops. Two prime examples of weather problems in 1999 were the drought and Hurricane Floyd. These two factors decreased the cotton output in the U.S. by more than one million bales.
New Technology
Dry Fibre, Inc. and The REHANCE Group developed TRANSPOR Cotton 2000. TRANSPOR Cotton 2000 was designed to take moisture away from the skin and allow it to evaporate in the air in seconds. The garment dries on the inside near the skin first instead of drying on the outside first.
