Introducing Smokey

  Say hello to Smokey....the newest member of my loom family.

  My son wanted to know if I wanted another loom...he had used it for his fibers class.  The University was getting rid of it, and it needed a new home.

  It needed some TLC!!!!

And, these are Smokey's new friends:
white vinegar and Howard's Feed-N-Wax!

(I should also say that shop towels and elbow grease played a big part in this story!)

  After the harnesses were removed, along with the reed,  the wood got massaged with Howard's, which is the most wonderful product to use on old wood.  Years and years of grime came off, and the wood is now looking quite lovely.

I placed all the rusty heddles in a pyrex dish.  After I covered them with white vinegar, I sealed the dish with plastic wrap.  This was left to soak overnight.
  The reed was laid out on plastic wrap, too.  I soaked pieces of shop towels in the vinegar, and laid them on both sides of the reed.  This was sealed up for 24 hours.  I did turn the reed several times during this process.

  The heddles are lookin' good!  I couldn't believe that all that rust just magically wiped off after their night at the spa!

Of course, now I'm in the process of putting them on the heddle rods, which is very interesting!  Like a lot of old looms, the heddles are not all the same.  My sorting skills are getting a real workout!
  This old Structo ArtCraft is almost ready for a new life!

    On the weaving front, I threw the last warp dyed scarf on Parker Pup.  It would be finished, but I ended up un-weaving the first attempt, and chose a different weft to use.  I'm much happier with this one.

  We've had so many storms roll through the area this week, and I've got lots of little sticks in my yard to pick up this weekend.  I checked on the blackberries, and they look like they may be ready in about a week or so.  All the rain that we've had should produce some nice, plump berries.

  So, enjoy your weekend, and
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn