How Does Stonewashing Work?

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The process of stonewashing isquite basic and very much as the name suggests: fabrics (not garments--this is before manufacturing) are washed in an industrial washing machine along with large stones of a rough nature, such as pumice. The stones cause the fabric to wear down in a manner similar to the effect that sandpaper has on wood.

This process cannot be duplicated at home because an industrial washing machine is made to stand up to far more sever punishment. The stones are placed into the drum portion of the machine, which causes the rocks to repeatedly rise up and fall onto the fabric during the course of washing; this insures that the fabric fibers are thoroughly tenderized.

Purposes

The purpose of stonewashing fabric or a garment is twofold: it gives the cloth a well-worn look and can soften stiff, coarse fabrics. For this reason, it is an especially popular technique with denim jeans, both because denim is stiff and tough, and because the look of worn and faded jeans is often in vogue (this was especially the case in the 1990s). A less severe stonewashing can leave blue jeans still looking fairly new, but having a soft and comfortable "worn" feeling right out of the store.

Chemical Stonewashing

Since natural stones can have damaging effects even on sturdy industrial washers, developers found an alternative way to create the same fading and softening effects through a process of chemical stonewashing. In this process, natural stones are replaced with synthetic stones made of rough mineral concentrations which will eventually fully disintegrate in water. These stones are made of materials such as varying forms of bicarbonates and silicates, and will have the same roughness as the natural stones traditionally used.

Related Techniques

Garments which are stonewashed often undergo other aging and distressing techniques as well in order to make them look as though they have been previously owned and worn for a long time. Since stone washing can't imitate the precise wear-and-tear marks that come about through actual wear, manufacturers will employ hand techniques such as bleach-fading knee areas and physically wearing down cuffs or wearing holes in fabric with such tools as sandpaper, graters, files or similar equipment.