Blog
Anatomy of a fulling mill
Anatomy of the Wool Stomping Facility in Bucos, now extinct, from the book "Tecnologia Tradicional - Pisões Portugueses".
Adelaide and the wool
On a visit to D. Ana, when she was there to explain to me how the loom's “risks” worked, I was lucky enough to also meet D. Adelaide, who is her older sister. She brought a few more blankets with her so that I could better understand how it all works.
Making a spindle with Zé Manel
When I started to learn how to spin wool, it became indispensable to get my own distaff and spindle. As I was lucky enough to learn from those who know what they are doing in regards to spinning, I was immediately informed about the characteristics of a good spindle: they’re made of oak, so that they may have the appropriate weight, they are handsculpted from beginning to end and they have a well-defined screw on the tip.
Fulling the wool
Leafing through Tecnologia Tradicional: Pisões Portugueses, I thought it was a funny coincidence that the only photos of a fuller in action were those of Mr. Francisco's father, the fuller at Pisão de Tabuadela, which I've already had the opportunity to visit.