Fiber Mill Services
We offer a full range of fiber processing options using Belfast Mini Mill equipment. Whether you have one fleece or many, we are happy to talk with you to find the processing options that are best for your fiber.
LINDEN HILL FARM & FIBER MILL
Custom Processing Services
At Linden Hill Farm & Fiber Mill we believe every fleece has a story that is as unique as the animals, shepherds, farms and fiber artists behind it. Every maker deserves thoughtful, transparent processing that honors their work from pasture to finished project. We would love to work with you!
If you are a first-time customer, please give us a call for an initial consultation. We would love to hear about your processing needs and work with you to see if our mill services are right for you.
Please also take a moment to complete our online contact form.
General Information
Wool is our passion, but we also are happy to process the usual range of fiber animals. If you are looking to process fiber other than wool, alpaca, mohair or angora please call us for a consult to ensure we can meet your processing needs.
We are happy to process breed/fleece specific batches -- I love a good fiber origin story! -- but we reserve the right to charge additional set up fees if processing requires unusual cleaning or set up between runs. We will use three pounds for our minimum for pricing to cover set-up fees, but we are glad to process smaller batch single or partial fleece runs.
All processing fees are based on incoming weight and are generally all inclusive for that product. See details for exceptions and surcharges. Losses in final weight are to be expected (dirt, vegetable matter, lanolin, coarse fiber/hair, “milling loss”) and typically range from 30-50% depending on breed, fiber quality, and other factors.
Please do not send fiber prior to confirmation from us that we are ready to receive it. We are not set up for long term fiber storage. It is our aim to inspect and wash all fiber upon receipt and only store a couple of months’ worth of fleece for processing. We reserve the right to refuse processing of some fibers including but not limited to excessively dirty, bug infested or damaged fleece. Return shipping will be charged to the client.
As a new mill we are still refining our processing time, but we will aim to give you regular updates and hope to be able to return completed products within 3 months of fiber receipt. Please note this is an estimate and subject to change as we refine our scheduling.
Terms and pricing subject to change. Please check that you have the most updated forms and pricing list available if you work from a downloaded copy. Thank you!
Payment Terms
Ready to process? Please submit an Intake Form!
Upon receipt of your Intake Form we will provide you with a preliminary estimated cost for your processing order and projected processing time. We require a 10% non-refundable deposit based on total order estimate to hold your processing slot, and a 50% non-refundable deposit based on total order estimate at the time your fleece is received by us for processing.
The balance of your payment, based on actual final processing fee total, is due once processing is complete and must be received prior to pickup/shipping and within 30 days of processing unless prior arrangements have been made.
After 30 days and each 30 days thereafter, a 10% fee will be assessed on any unpaid balance. Orders with unpaid balances after 60 days or orders that have not been picked up or had shipping arrangements paid after 60 days become the property of Linden Hill Farm LLC.
Pricing Summary
The table below is a general overview, please read through the detail below in each section and/or download our pricing sheet for additional information. Thank you!
Getting Your Fiber to Us
If you are in the southeast region, it is our hope to be able to work with you to avoid shipping fees as much as possible. We can work with you for drop off, pick up or shipping as needed. Pricing details below do not include any shipping and/or transportation. Shipping and/or transportation fees are at the expense of the customer and will be added to your invoice as appropriate.
Fiber Evaluation and Inspection
The ideal length of fiber for our machines is 3-6". While we can work at a slightly wider range (2-7”), please know that this may affect the product range available. We want to discuss specifics of your fiber during our intake process in these cases so we can arrive at a good solution for your fiber needs.
Not all fiber should be processed! Many things affect fleece quality year to year. In addition to skirting well please evaluate the quality of your fleece. Stress and nutrition can greatly affect an animal’s fiber production. Last year’s great fleece may not be the same this year. Check for breaks in the fiber and/or weak tips! They will break during processing and leave neps in the final product.
You should skirt your fleece in preparation for sending it to the mill for processing. Skirting is the process of removing the damaged, heavily soiled, or unusable wool (like belly wool, leg locks, and vegetable matter) from a freshly shorn fleece. This leaves only the cleanest, most uniform fiber to send to a fiber mill, saving you processing costs and ensuring a quality finished product. We are happy to consult on the process if you are not familiar and need additional information.
Please ensure you remove hoof trimmings, burrs, hay, weeds, seeds, fecal tags (poop!), excessively muddy bits and any other foreign material during your skirting process. You will also want to remove any short cuts, excessively dirty areas (Neck, belly, Britch, legs), poor quality areas and shorter fibers that would result in inconsistent processing. Ideally you will want to skirt your fleece as soon as practical after shearing. Fleece should be dry prior to storage. Fleece put away damp will create mildew and these areas will need to be removed prior to processing.
Please do not send any fiber that you suspect has the possibility of insect infestation. We strive to inspect and wash all fiber upon receipt to mitigate risk in this area but ask that you carefully evaluate your fiber to minimize any potential issues, especially if it has been stored for a period of time.
We reserve the right to refuse fiber that does not meet acceptable processing standards. This will be returned immediately at your cost, and we reserve the right to retain your full deposit to cover shipping, cleaning and other pre-processing expenses.
While we do an inspection upon receipt, all Custom Processing Service Prices exclude full service skirting.
Full Service Skirting Charge: $45.00 / per hour or partial hour
Washing Services
Clean fleece is the key to successful processing. All of our mill services include the initial soak, wash and rinse cycles in the processing fee based on incoming weight. Our washing process is gentle but very effective and it does an excellent job with good quality, well skirted fiber. We reserve the right to run additional wash cycles at our discretion to ensure quality processing and to protect our equipment.
Wash & Dry Only: $15.00 / pound
Additional Wash Service Charge: $5.00 / per pound
We strongly advise that you do not pre-wash your fiber and we reserve the right to refuse to process pre-washed fiber. It is very easy to felt fiber in a home wash setting and felted fiber will cause processing issues and may result in fiber that will be damaged or cannot be processed.
Our wash process is set up to gently and effectively clean your fiber at the correct temperature to ensure quality processing. Let us save you that step — spend that extra time doing a thorough job skirting your fleeces!
Cloud/Batts/Roving
Price per pound based on incoming weight and includes fleece evaluation and inspection, initial wash, picking, fiber separator and carding and draw frame, as an exception, if appropriate.
Additional wash cycles, fiber separator or carder passes at lower feed rates may incur additional fees. We will consult with you in advance if we think this may be needed.
Some fibers won’t hold together as roving due to staple length or structure. If, upon inspection your fiber will not produce good roving we will talk with you to recommend that we only process to the cloud stage. Cloud is still excellent for hand spinning. Our goal is to return the best product for your fiber.
Blending fibers add $3.00/ per pound if you provide the blending fiber. If we provide the blending fiber, we will give you an estimated market per pound price charged in addition to the blending fee. There is no additional charge for combining same breed fleeces.
Non-wool fibers typically require blending with a minimum of addition of 20-30% wool.
Finishing for Cloud/Batts/Roving
Typically Cloud will be returned loose in large bags. Roving can be wound into large bumps or returned loose in large bags. Batts will typically be returned as one large batt cut off the drum in a bag for each run completed. If you prefer an alternative finish please call us to discuss options and pricing.
Spinning Services
Spinning services are priced per pound based on incoming weight raw fleece weight unless otherwise specifically noted.
All Yarn spinning pricing includes inspection, initial washing, picking, fiber separator (1 pass if applicable), carding, draw frame, spinning, plying, and standard hank reeling. Hanks are secured in two locations with the yarn ends, include a final rinse and are returned loose. Additional washes, fiber separator passes, carding feed at lower rates or additional carder passes may incur additional service fees.
If you would like a different yarn composition than our listed options, please call for consultation. If you have a sample of a yarn weight you like please provide that to us with your order for comparison. We cannot guarantee an exact match but will do our best to produce a similar product. Please note that not all fiber is suited for spinning or all yarn weights.
Finishing Options for Yarn
If you prefer the yarn can be left on cones. Yarn returned on cones is not washed or steamed. Please understand this will have some residual processing oil and need to be washed at the appropriate step in your processing.
If you are a machine or CSM knitter and you would like the yarn run through wax prior to cone winding please let us know. Depending on order size there will be a small additional fee to cover materials.
Hank Twisting Service Charge: $4.00 / pound based on final weight
All pricing subject to change. Please consult the online pricing sheet for most current information.
Future Services
We are excited to launch the custom processing side of our business and look forward to adding additional services as we grow. Please let us know if you have interest in these areas to help us shape our offerings.
Dyeing
Felting
Dryer Balls
Sock Tubes /Sock Blanks (Commercial Sock yarn initially, then mill spun yarns)
Machine knitting
Plain Weave shawls, mats and blankets
And more!