This blog post will be occasionally updated as I explore T-Shirt Yarn as a bubble wick. It may tell you something that I have quite a bit of t-shirt yarn but rarely use it -- except at the bottom string of a 100"+ top-string tri-string. But, that does not mean that T-Shirt Yarn is not worth exploring. It is just that I have available some great materials that work so well that I have note explored the t-shirt yarn fully. RubberMaid Webfoot MicroFiber Mop yarn and RubberMaid Rayon Finish Mop yarn for top strings, Bed, Bath and Beyond Cooking Twine (soda-washed) and some bamboo yarn.
Several people that I know love t-shirt yarn. If you cannot get your hands on the materials mentioned above, t-shirt yarn is definitely worth exploring.
T-Shirt Yarn Cord[]
A few people that I know make cords from t-shirt yarn by cutting 1/2" strips, stretching it will and then twisting it into a custom cord. I have not tried this but I plan to.
Random Thoughts[]
I have had several sessions where 1/2"-wide strips performed much better than 1"-wide strips. However, yesterday (2013 09 12), I had a session in which the 1"-wide strip performed much much better than the 1/2" strip loop. One thing that I have wondered is whether, I have overstretched the 1/2" wide loop. After every use, I have stretched it back to its maximum length to see if the shrinkage that happens when it gets wet and dry could be mitigated. That process may have resulted in overstretching -- perhaps that shrinkage that happens when wet is useful. I would like to explore that .... we will see.
The stretched 1/2" strip is very very self-closing. Perhaps, too self-closing. This is possibly due to how much it has been stretched out.
The two loops (1/2" and 1" strip) were cut from the cross-section of a 3XL Men's Undershirt (Fruit-of-the-Loom). The 1" strip loop was stretched once but has not been re-stretched. The 1/2" loop is now 29" on top when it is dry and the 1" strip loop is 24" on top. They both started out at about 33" on top after the intial stretching.
T-Shirt Yarn and Dilution[]
Sept 12, 2013. I used the 1"-strip loop cut from a men's undershirt in a session where I was increasing the detergent concentration over the course of the session. The loop went from being able to make only 10' tubes to making tubes over 30' long as the juice's detergent concentration was increased. This seems to exceed the difference that can be directly attributed to the change in film thickness. So, the flow rate may be a factor, too.
I would say that these loops benefited more than some others with the lower dilution mix.
Base solution. Equivalent to an approximately 25:1 Dawn Pro guar mix
Base with additional detergent. Observe that the colors have shifted to those of a thinner film. The tube is 20+ feet long. It is hard to judge from the photo as the tube headed towards the camera and then snaked away from it.
Base with much added detergent. Note the dramatic color shift. This tube is over 30 feet long.