Cotton tent canvas

Background information as cotton tent canvas

The natural cotton fiber is processed into yarns for many years tent canvas. It has some features the the previously perfect makeup. Cotton is in both dry and wet strong. Wet slightly stronger than dry. It naturally has a good air permeability, which after impregnation is maintained. The cotton fiber swells slightly when it is wet, so the tissue is sealed. That promotes the waterproofing.
When cotton gets wet it shrinks slightly, making it taut. Therefore, the cloth will drain better than if it was going to hang in folds. When it dries it stretches out again, so that it has, over time, again its normal size. New cloth, after the first rain sometimes lasting slightly shrunk. Cotton is eventually broken down by UV radiation in the sunlight (which is also under a cloudy sky is slightly present), and by micro-organisms: bacteria and fungi. That develop best in moist environment. The lifetime is therefore limited in relative terms. But with limited use is a cotton tent sometimes with 10-15 years.
Before a cotton tent fabric is suitable for use as a tent fabric, it must undergo a number of special operations. It has to be provided with a durable water repellent impregnation and it gets a treatment with rot and mildew resistant preparations. In addition, it has to be dyed with special dyes, with which a large color fastness is achieved. For a tent hear simply too much exposed to sunlight, both wet and dry. And that's normal for many dyes too heavy demand. The strength and the water repellency of cotton canvas is made of a number of factors. It begins with the selection of the quality of raw cotton. The strength of the yarn is directly dependent on that. Obviously a very solid cloth manufacturer will check the quality of the raw cotton or cotton yarn. When extra tent must be strong, often "twisted" yarn used. Plied is to say that two or three wires are twisted together to form a thick and strong thread. This is usually the heavier cloth woven qualities. Furthermore, it is also important how close the cloth is woven, or how many threads are processed per cm². The more threads, the heavier the fabric, the greater will also generally be the strength and water repellency. And finally, the influence of the after-treatments can be on both the strength and the water repellency. Thus dark colored canvas often stronger than canvas with bright colors because the dark cloths are not bleached. By bleaching the strength of the fiber loss is something back. In light cloths is proved necessary to neutralize the black seeds in the fabric. Also, the compositions which are used in the impregnation, both for water repellency as well as rot and mildew-proofing, may have some influence on the strength of the fabric.

Environment safety and cotton

Although tent canvas from around the world can come, the Dutch textile industry has always taken into account the environment and public health. After all, the dyeing and finishing processes of cotton can also damage the environment. In the Netherlands, the cotton is bleached without chlorine and dyed without carcinogenic dyes. These dyes can also cause skin irritation. There is never any question of treatment with L.P.C.P. or CFCs. Moreover, there is never discharged to surface waters. Dutch cotton canvas is therefore environmentally friendly canvas that meets the highest international standards.

Background information and history of cotton

Traditionally, cotton is already used for tents, because the natural properties make it extremely suitable for cotton.
The Plant
The cotton plant (Gossypium) belongs to the family of Malven. The same group also includes the hollyhock, the mallow and marshmallow. The flowers of these plants are very similar to each other. After flowering, the seed box grows to the size of an egg. After about 2 months of the capsule breaks open and get the soft cotton lint out.

Depending on the climate, the culture method, etc. the cotton plant can reach a height of 25 cm to over 2 meters. It is mainly grown as a shrub high annual plant. Only in a few areas (Peru and northern Brazil) are being farmed cotton still on perennial shrubs. Such plants can be about 15 years old.

Grow and harvest cotton

The time between sowing and ripening of the pods is between 175 and 225 days. The cotton plant requires a frost-free growing season, plenty of sunshine, a warm moist soil and air with high humidity. This means that the best cotton in tropical and subtropical regions can be grown.

As with all of agricultural products, there are also large differences in the cotton crops in the manner of cultivation to recognize ed. On the huge cotton plantations in the southern United States has one giant plowing, sowing and harvesting machinery enabled. The many plantations in poorer countries is sometimes a part or almost all work with a team of oxen / buffalo or done by hand. When harvesting the cotton lint hand picking a qualitative edge in mechanical harvesting. Pickers and pickers Carefully collect only the gleaming white, mature boll and leave the less mature a few days at the shrubs.
In mechanical harvesting the cotton plants are using Sprays artificially defoliated. The picking machine then picks out the harvest of a whole field within, not only mature but also immature boll. In addition, a machine takes dry leaf, twigs, etc. along.

The harvested cotton is stored for about 30 days to mature and after drying. Of 100 kg. Cotton keeps you approximately 35 kg. fibers, 62 kg of. seed and 3 kg. about waste.Of cotton seed and the waste they make all kinds of products, such as oil, soap and animal feed.

The natural properties of cotton

The best cotton fibers are white in color. The softness is an important point in the assessment. The longer the fiber is cotton, the better. Previously the longest qualities came from Egypt, Peru and Sudan. The cotton fiber can be stretched 8-10%, both in dry and in wet state. A striking feature of cotton is that it is stronger wet than dry. Therefore, cotton resistant to any treatment with water. It can for instance be cooked without causing any damage. Cotton can absorb a lot of moisture, so it is also well suited to include canvas. About that most important and pleasurable absorbent feature the following. Cotton has a very special relationship across all types of moisture. It may take up 65% of its own weight in water without drips. Cotton containing 20% ​​humidity feels surprisingly still dry enough to.
Looking at the cross section of a cotton fiber through a microscope, it seems that much like that of a tree trunk with its many rings; only one speaks with cotton "dagringen". These consist of very fine fibers.

Historical overview of cotton

It is assumed that cotton, whose name derives from the Arabic word elkoetn (plant found in conquered country), about 5,000 years ago for the first time in India was grown. For many centuries, India has been able to keep her secret. Indeed, it was only in about 325 BC. That the many campaigns of Alexander the Great, cotton also gained fame in several countries around the Mediterranean, including Egypt.
From the later stories of Marco Polo, 13th century AD. also shows that China's cotton was cultivated around this time. However, it took a few centuries after Christ before the cotton set foot on the mainland of Europe. This happened during the Moorish occupation of Spain. Later carried the saddlebags of the Crusaders the cotton fiber to northern and western Europe. That as many things from the East also the cotton was not devoid of mysticism, is evident from the fact that during the Middle Ages, the stories were as cotton would be extracted from sheep that grew on trees; cotton that is called in Germany Baumwolle and points in Sweden Bomull this.
Even in America, or in Mexico excavations have shown that cotton there for at least 70 centuries ago has already been applied. When Columbus discovered America, he became even by the natives of the Bahamas cotton yarn offered as a bargaining chip. It is thanks to England that the cotton in America was widely cultivated in the 17th century. The alarming shortage of cheap labor on cotton plantations is also one of the reasons for the emergence of the slave trade, in which people from Africa were removed and were often put under extremely difficult conditions at work.

Currently, the major cotton producing countries (in random order): Russia, USA, China, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Sudan.