Guide to The Felt Box Needles
All felting needles are very sharp and must be used with extra care. Needles are very strong but brittle and will snap if bent.
Insert straight into your work straight in and out without bending.
The higher the gauge number, the finer the needle so a 40 gauge needle is finer than a 36 gauge.
Generally, we start a project with a lower gauge needle and increase the gauge as the project progresses.
Different needles come with varying numbers of barbs. The more barbs, the quicker the felting but less barbs will give you more accuracy with fine detail work.
Triangle |
|
Barbs on three sides |
32 Triangle |
RED |
This is a sturdy needle good for working with course fibres and firmly attaching pieces. Good for beginning a project, not great for detail or a neat surface. I like to start with it on our carded NZ wool |
36 Triangle |
ORANGE |
A good needle for making the bulk of a 3D piece and beginning a project and again, attaching pieces well. |
40 Triangle |
BARE METAL |
A fine needle for detail work and getting a neat surface. Best not to use it when working with course fibres or for rough sculpting/bulk work. |
Star |
|
Barbs on four sides |
38 Star |
BLUE |
This is a medium needle and is a great all round needle which works well for doing bulk sculpting work and adding detail.The star shape needle catches more fibre so the work goes quicker. |
40 Star |
GREEN |
Very fine needle. Good for work with finer wools and adding fine details. |
Crown |
|
Three sided with barbs at the end creating a short needling action. |
36 Crown |
PURPLE |
Good for ‘rooting’ fur or hair, or creating patterns/details. When rooting will give a fine head of hair. |
40 Crown |
GREY/SILVER |
Good for ‘rooting’ fur or hair, or creating patterns/details. A finer version of the 36 star. When rooting will give a thin/fine head of hair. |
Twisted/Spiral |
|
The barbs twist around these needles minimising surface holes. |
38 Twisted Star |
PINK |
This is a great all round needle which works well for doing bulk sculpting work and adding detail. |
42 Twisted Triangle |
WHITE |
This is the finest needle we stock. Great for the finest detail work and creating a smooth finish. |
Reverse |
The barbs on these needles go the other way, pulling fibres out rather than pushing them in. |
|
40 Reverse |
YELLOW |
Useful for creating a fluffy finish on a well felted piece. |