UQ- 'Down' from duvet sufficient?

[Ike]

So has anyone tried the vacuum cleaner method of recovering and stuffing down? It seems like it should work really well...

I've used a couple of different vacuum cleaner methods to harvest and stuff down from several old sleeping bags and comforters, all have worked well.
Down quality has varied from about bad to good depending on the donor but all keep me warm - some are just heavier than others.

I have stuffed 2 X 3+ season `underquilts.com` TQ shells, and made a summer sewn through UQ (the Thneed) using down that I had at the time.
I have also made a 3 season UQ and one 3 season TQ with Dutch`s Argon fabric.

I still have enough Argon fabric for one more TQ (deciding on summer or really deep winter) with enough down for a couple more.

While I would prefer to buy from our vendors, a family of 5 makes it cost prohibitive, DIY is time consuming but rewarding.

Cheers

[IRONFISH45]

If you use a vacumme to harvest the down with, be sure to change your filters often. The vacuum filter and your furnace filter.

Down can be tricky, it can float in the air and get into your ventilation system, especially if you live in a smaller house. When finished I would put in a fresh filter on my heat/air system.

What I did this last down transfer was I picked a day with a whisper of a breeze, I had the out of quilt ready to be cut open, the into quilt ready to be filled. I put down a moving mat for furniture. I unceremoniously worked my hand down the old quilt channel and compressed the down as I went. Pulled my fist out of the old and put the down in the new quilt. Oh, I could feel every feather, however, if I had released my grip on the down it would have exploded.

The evening breeze took away the down I wasted, I hope some rodent or critter found the down to feather their nest. My breathing is getting touchy so I did not want to breathe in any down, so outside with just the slightest hint of a breeze kept the very fine down from circulating through my house or my tent if I had used a tent to stuff. I found even the light clothing I wore had down caught in the fibres. I had a few snarls in my hair were some down became entangled (my hair is very long).

If you start scrounging down, you will learn how quality down feels, so you will be able to select the higher quality. Unfortunately most of us have to pinch a lot of down before we find how to recognize the good stuff.

So, have fun, just be aware of the fact down floats, it is simple to make a royal mess that takes ages to clean up. You can easily burn out your vacuum motor, changing filters is very important. Do not think just because the filter does not look clogged that it is not partially blocked. Fine down, is very difficult to see and travels great distances. LOL

[Ike]

For clarification I use a small shop vac with bags, the down stays contained neatly in the bags until I am ready to use it. For stuffing I prefer the Venturi method made from double sink plumbing
Cheers