Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Carbonized Bamboo Roving - Black Diamond or Black Gold


I've been exploring new fibers lately and I have an awesome one to share with you today. The fiber is Carbonized Bamboo and the name it's known by is Black Diamond or Black Gold. It has the amazing silky softness of bamboo and a gorgeous charcoal color, but that's not all. This is a fiber that is actually beneficial to your skin. That's right!

Louet reveals, "According to the American Chemical Society, in 1879, Thomas Edison invented the first incandescent light bulb. It used electricity to heat a thin strip of material, called a filament, until it glowed. Edison may also have created the first commercial carbon fiber. Early filaments, were made from bamboo slivers which were formed into the proper size and shape then baked them at high temperatures. Since bamboo consists mostly of cellulose, a natural linear polymer made of repeating units of glucose, the filament was "carbonized," when heated. It became a true carbon copy of the starting material - an all-carbon fiber with the same exact shape. Tungsten wire soon displaced these carbon filaments, but they were still used on U.S. Navy ships as late as 1960 because they withstood ship vibrations better than tungsten."

"Bamboo carbon fiber, called Black Gold or Black Diamond by those in the industry, is resistant to ultra violet rays and possesses anti-odor properties. It also adjusts well to both humidity and dryness."

Black Diamond is now available at Wind Rose Fiber Studio. You can buy it by the ounce or in a larger 4oz lot. I started spinning some up last night and I'll share my yarn with you when I'm finished. It feels great and spins with ease. See you tomorrow!


Source: Louet North America

2 comments:

agoodwitchtoo said...

Looks heavenly!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting! Thanks for the info.