It seems like forever ago that I first began to talk about converting my 3 problem looms to a warp weighted system, and I am finally getting around to actually doing it!
This particular loom is a Sears Hearthside loom that was donated to the Tuesday Weavers quite awhile ago. Until we have more room at the Center, it is living with me. I had taken care of the cosmetic issues like dirt and wood that needed a good oiling. Then I had worked out a fix for the lack of treadle wires, (Texsolve to the rescue!) My final difficulty was the lack of a crank for the back beam, because without that crank the beam simply will not stay on the loom!
This last week, I hung the trapeze on the wall behind the loom and put the warp that I had been saving for this loom over the trapeze, and around the back beam that I have bungied in place to act as a pivot point. Oh, before I did all that I had threaded the warp thru the heddles and reed and tied it onto the front beam. I know all crazy and backwards, but it was what I had to do to get it done! In the picture to the right you can see all those threads that have not been weighted with a rock, they were very busy having a party until I could get to them and straighted the whole bunch out!
I had gone to the local nursery and hand picked a 5 gallon bucket full of rocks that I thought would serve my purpose. I wanted rocks that were in the shape of a rectangle, and that felt like they might do the job. I wavered as I was unloading them at home, I was worried that many of them would be too heavy!
You can see order progressing as I made my way across the warp. I can tell you that it took the better part of 2 days to really get it under control, and that was after I had threaded.
From the front you can see the far bits of the warp are tight and the near ones are not, though it isn't nearly as scary as the back was! This is my usual Bread Cloth warp, that I had taken off of the Leclerc I sold back to Bonnie!
I have woven a few inches on this warp, I was first afraid that the rocks were too heavy, but when I switched them out, it wasn't enough drag on the warp, to I switched back to the original rocks. I could have sworn that I had a picture of the first bit of weaving, but I don't, that will have to wait for next week.
Until then, Happy Spinning, Knitting and Weaving, Tina
2 comments:
Rocks are such useful items! I'm glad you got your trapeze up and running.
I have been searching a long time for information about a Hearthside six harness floor loom. I know they were sold through Sears in the 1940’s through the 1950’s. I have the weaving instructions by Nellie Sargent Johnson for the Hearthside Six-Harness floor loom. But I can not find out if there was an owner’s manual that came with it. My mother bought it from a family friend in the late 1950’s or the early 1960’s. I remember as a child it was set up in the basement. But when we moved it was stored away. I know that has not been used for at least 44 years. She recently gave it to me. I thought at one time I saw an article on your website of someone getting a Hearthside floor loom, to clean up and get in working order. My loom is about in the same shape as the picture I saw on your website. I have been trying to find out how I should take care of it. What was the original finish on it? What I should put on the wood and how to take care of the loom overall? I also have some gears my mother said went with the loom and I have no idea where they would go or how they would be used with the loom. My mother is 88 and I would really like to get it up in working order so she can see it in use, not to mention how excited I am to have it. I would appreciate any help, information or any direction you can send me in so I may get going on this project. I can supply pictures if that would help. Let me know what you need pictures of.
Thank you so much,
Deb
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