Haircloth is a stiff, unsupple
fabric typically made from
horsehair and/or from the wooly hair of a
camel. Although
horsehair generally refers to the
hair of a
horse's
mane or
tail, haircloth itself is sometimes called
horsehair. Horse or camel hair
woven into haircloth may be fashioned into
clothing or
upholstery.
In the history of brewing, for drying the malt haircloth was spread over the kiln floor to keep grain from dropping down into the furnace. Perforated metal or tile (gratings, meshes) were also used, but had a drawback of scorching the grain.
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