When I got into fiber art, I didn't realize how expensive of a hobby it would be until much later. I was drawn deeper into the fiber art world after learning to crochet because I loved the idea of taking a raw material like wool, and learning all the processes to turn it into a piece of clothing that someone could actually wear. Knowing people have done this for hundreds of years really grounds me, after spending all day staring at a screen.

There are a lot of ways to make slap-dash tools to process wool but I've found that the better the tools, the better the end product, like with everything else. I'm also in love with getting new tools, especially when they're made well, so deciding to make my own hackle wasn't made lightly. This project has given me so many more options with my spinning now though. A hackle is also a great piece to have if you can't afford a drum carder (like me) and if you have well made combs, your hackle will be well made too because it's the combs that do the work. We're just making a base to keep them together and steady.

(If you end up liking this tutorial, please vote for ithereand here!)

At first, I tried to figure out how to make my own combs too, but without a good grinder to sharpen the stainless steel points, I decided it was impossible. I wouldn't be able to settle for combs or a hackle with nails for the tines, so I had to give in and buy a set of combs, even though I don't have a lot of money to throw around.

I settles on Indigo Hound Viking combs for a few reasons. One, they were the cheapest option and two, my fiber art books spoke very highly of them, especially for the kind of wool I needed to comb.

Side note: be very careful with wool combs. They are incredibly sharp and dangerous. I already speared my hand once and I really hope I don't do it again. I will be grabbing these instead of a baseball bat if I ever think someone is trying to break into my home though.

This instructable will assume you already have the combs (but hopefully I'll figure out how to make those too soon).