All manner of different objects slip into wool bales. When they go undetected as the greasy wool feeds into the scour train, these contaminants can cause expensive problems. Metal press bars, items of clothing and towels are the items most commonly found. 

One extreme find was a complete grinder.

Even a small piece of metal can seriously damage machinery designed to open and tease the greasy wool as it feeds into the scour. Repairs can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as bringing the entire scour to a halt.

Similarly, a stray towel or tee shirt will be torn apart by the aggressive machinery, spreading thousands of pieces of thread and fabric through the pure wool, triggering financial claims from justifiably annoyed spinners or manufacturers. Although metal objects such as press bars will probably be located when the wool bale is handled, rogue fabric is more difficult to detect and can place extreme financial burden on growers, wool exporters and processors.

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