The Lil' Miss Makeover Begins!

On January 16, 2018, I bought a 32" 4-harness Macomber Loom, that was originally ordered on November 4, 1968 by Oregon School of Arts and Crafts.

She arrived on February 28, 2018!

She is a lovely little loom, and we have woven dozens of yards in the past six months; however, she is well worn and in need of an upgrade and bit of a makeover. 

In addition to adding four new shafts to her, the existing harnesses need a little steel wool and coat of paint.

While cast iron, the take up on the cloth beam has a number of chipped teeth. I debated whether to replace the mechanism because the new parts are cast aluminum, but I went ahead and purchased the end piece with the teeth, the double dogs, and the take-up lever.

One of the first things I replaced on her already was the cloth beam apron. I did not initially order an apron for the plain back beam because I knew I wanted a second (sectional) beam on her. Honestly, I did not think I would be using the plain beam, once the sectional one was installed. However, I eventually decided to replace the warp apron, as well. Here is the old one (with the new sectional, which has not been installed yet, it is just resting in place):

This was the original lamm depressor. It works fine for four harnesses, but with eight, a new lamm depressor kit will make the tie-ups so much easier. 

The existing plain beam has a ratchet and pawl brake system, which uses a shoe lace (from the previous owner). I am not a fan of the ratchet and pawl, as it requires me to stand at the side of the loom, engage the lever for the cloth beam with my left hand, put pressure on the back beam crank handle with my right hand, then release the brake with my left foot to advance the cloth. With the tension/friction brake on the Beast, I can remain seated, engage the lever for the cloth beam with my right hand, and press the brake release with my right foot. If I tried to do that with the ratchet system, the warp beam would lurch and release far too much warp, and I would then have to get up and wind it back on...It wreaks havoc on my tension, too. However, I know a number of people who swear by the ratchet and pawl. Bless them! 

To convert it to a friction brake, that back beam needed a new drum on the end, as well as a new cable and attachments. Here is the drum:

There was nothing wrong with the flat heddles that came with the loom; however, there were not enough for 8 harnesses. So, we have 1,000 shiny, inserted eye heddles! 

To ensure I will have enough on the first four harnesses, in the event I only want to use a 4-shaft pattern, my plan is to have 150 heddles on each of the first four and only 100 heddles on each of the last four harnesses. 

My thought process was basically this: 24 epi (ends per inch) is the tightest I tend to use. The loom is only 32" wide. So, to use all 32 inches at 24 epi (32 x 24), I would need a total of 768 heddles. To be able to weave the full width of loom, I would have to use all 8 harnesses, as I would need 96 heddles per harness. (768 divided by 8 equals 96); however, for tea towels on four shafts, my weaving width is typically 22 inches wide. Thus, I would need 528 heddles (22 x 24) divided by 4 (shafts), which is 132 heddles per shaft, assuming a straight draw (1, 2, 3, 4, repeat) threading pattern.

The fifteen hundred flat heddles I pulled off the Beast were given away to another Macomber loom owner in Canada for the price of shipping a year or so ago. I was going to offer these up, as well; however, I think they actually fit the Leclerc Colonial Loom we are hosting for a friend. If so, I will add these heddles to the last four harnesses of her loom, for her to use.

The remainder of the parts have been spread across my dining table on rubber blocking pads:

Tomorrow, the husband and I celebrate 28 years of wedded bliss!

AND, he is willing to spend his weekend working on my loom!!

I am so lucky.