Contrary to the prevailing opinion among many women that tow is an unsuccessful hairstyle on their pretty heads, in fact, this is the material needed in construction and plumbing. Shipbuilding enterprises, organizations involved in the laying and subsequent maintenance of pipelines and cables will not be able to do without it. As you can see, tow is a substance that is in great demand in many highly specialized industries. But even every man can easily find a small piece of fibrous and hard-to-touch material in the pantry.
Proven Technologies
Tow is produced in all corners of the world. It cannot be said that it is an invention of a particular country or its nationality. Tow is a raw material that is obtained as a result of processing of bast plants. Most often flax and hemp, less often sunflower.
These plants have fibrous stems, from which they produce raw materials for the production of natural tissues, illiquid fluffy particles remain during its manufacturing, and they make tow from them. However, good material cannot consist entirely of industrial waste. The quality of tow will then be at the proper level if it does not contain extraneous impurities, such as straw, scab. Some unscrupulous manufacturers manage to mix synthetic components with the originally natural and environmentally friendly raw materials, which makes the tow lose its functions due to the loss of thermal insulation properties, in addition, such raw materials are subject to decay.
What is tow and how much does it cost?
For its intended purpose, tow is divided into two types - the one that is intended for hemp, and the plumbing. Since the consumption of material in either case is incommensurable, the volumes in which manufacturers sell the package cannot be compared.
Caulking is sold in bales with different weights or in rolls, plumbing tow is sold in small skeins. The cost of the material is low, but it can fluctuate among different manufacturers, since each of them has its own characteristics and differences, such as appearance (for many buyers this is important), the presence of impregnation. Of great importance is the initial quality of the flax fiber from which tow is made. The price is usually set for one kilogram, for a bale tow it is a minimum of 20-70 rubles, a roll costs from 48-80 rubles. Raw materials processed with resins are several times more expensive (about 300 rubles per 1 kg). A skein of plumbing tow can be bought on average for 10 rubles.
Tow for hemp
During construction work, tow is a material that is used to seal joints between crowns. Most often it is used for the construction of wooden buildings. Previously, moss was used for this, but tow is a more durable, reliable and easy-to-use material. It prevents shrinkage of the building, has excellent energy-saving properties and allows you to reliably fill the seams between the timber.
Material in bales is sold at 10, 20, 40, sometimes 60 kg. During operation, flagella are formed manually from the tow, which are pushed into the seams with the help of a special tool - hemp. Tape tow is more convenient to install, manufacturers offer it in several formats. The width of the web may vary - 10, 15, 20 cm, its length (10, 20 or 50 m) and thickness (5-15 mm). Experts recommend konopat construction twice: the first time - directly in the process of laying walls, and this must be done round-robin, and not with each wall separately, and the next time - after a year.
Tow plumbing
For plumbing, a special soak is needed - impregnated. This type of material is specially processed and indispensable in the repair of plumbing or heating systems. Tow is a decades-proven material that allows you to reliably seal pipe joints and prevents leaks. The structure of the fibers makes it easy to wind them on the thread, in addition, they absorb moisture perfectly, expanding when wet.
To achieve the most effective result, tow should be treated with resin or special impregnation, but do not apply too much solution, otherwise it will prevent the tow from expanding naturally during wetting.