New chapter for old loom

Eddie helps downsize my 56"

     After much thought and consideration,  I had Eddie come to my studio to help me "downsize"my 56" 16 H Macomber. As some of you saw I tried to sell this amazing loom a couple of years ago. She did not sell.
      I thought ... "Why not convert her into the loom that will work for me now?" I no longer use multi-harnesses for complex weaves. I no longer need all 16H. I no longer need a compressed air or computer based system.
     So Eddie helped me strip her down to what will serve my needs. She is now an 8 H loom with no computer aided system. She still has the two beams and double brakes and still weaves 56". I am happy -- and I can feel this loom sighing.

My beloved 56" feel lighter, less encumbered now.

     She is covered with scars from all the different holes that have been drilled into her over the years. From the first Electronic Singe Pedal with a compressed air tank mounted on the side of her castle, to the Designer's Delight CAD system mounted on her upper castle and to the CAD/CAM Dobby Air System  -- she has carried me well through the 70s, 80s, 90s, and now 2000s.  Forty two years of weaving faithfully, consistently and diligently. And now she gets a new life - a little gentler, a little less complicated and a little weathered from all the years of hard work. 
 I suspect this loom and I have many parallels.

Letting Go - 16 H 56" air dobby Loom for sale

    To be fully alive in one's body, to be an active participant in this physical world requires one to let go and say good bye to objects, people and situations. 
    After much reflection I have decided to let go of my beloved 56" 16Harness air dobby Macomber Loom. I've had her since graduation from RISD (1976).

16H 56" AIR DOBBY

MACOMBER AIR DOBBY LOOM FOR SALE

• ~ Model B4E Serial # 2498 Built 1976
• ~ 56 Weaving width, 16 Harnesses
• ~ Two plain beams, warp separator
• ~ Double brakes on cloth beam and upper warp beam (friction brake)
• ~ Beater handle
• ~ 4 - 56" reeds = 5, 12, 15, 18 EPI
• Fully operational air dobby system = power supply, air system/solenoids, FiberWorks weaving software for Windows, Asus netbook included.
• ~ 2 drafting lights

~ Leclerc 38" bench

~ Total Value = $13,817.00

~ Priced at $7, 500 in York, Maine

Double friction brake on upper beam

 


Air dobby system, double brakes on cloth beam

This loom has been lovingly used for over 40 years by one weaver. It has been maintained and serviced regularly. The air dobby system is highly desirable for this width loom - as the harnesses are constructed of solid steel and very heavy.

Please contact me for more information and any interest. THANK YOU!

sarah (at)sarahhaskell(dot)com

I am ever grateful for everyone's support of this blog and your purchase of my manual. And in case you are wondering --- I AM NOT QUITTING WEAVING!



Up and running!!

"Unhinged #1" at UNRAVELED opening 9/20/14

Hooray for new technology! Last month right after I completed "Unhinged #1" my old Dell laptop died. With the death of this laptop, my old faithful software Patterland went also. I bought this program in 1998. At first I thought I could convert it to Windows 7 on my net-book - but alas after a week of hand wringing, swearing and crying I finally threw in the towel and bought new software to run my air dobby loom.

This morning I ran the first real test- air compressor turned on, program loaded with my weaving patter, lights, camera...action! YES! So the new software is a breeze - Fiberworks The folks at Fiberworks were very easy to reach, helpful and the software is intuitive and easy to learn. I just want to weave...seriously not have to spend hours at the keyboard! HUGE thanks to John Acord of Flatwater Electronics for his diagnostic help and advise.

Ben!

And finally to my husband Ben, who listened to my woes, hugged me as I lamented my technology troubles and then built this amazing stand to hold my little net-book and the power supply. Now I am ready for winter - ready to sink my heart and hands into continuing this body of new work.

Computer stand that fits neatly on my weaving bench.

"Art is the Cloth" opening NH Institute of Art, Manchester, NH

This fall my work is included in two shows- as noted in a previous post. Both fabulous opportunities.

New Power and Computer Controls

Power supply for Air-dobby

Hooray! Flatwater Electronics (John Acord) has developed a power supply that will drive  Macomber Looms! I mentioned this in a previous post, but this post will highlight John's accomplishments.

Many weavers have outdated power supplies from the early days of Macomber compu-dobby looms or an even earlier version of the Designer's Delight, their first compu-dobby.

John's control units will replace the power supply on either the air system or the Electronic Single Pedal (ESP).

The new control box utilizes modern efficient components and power supply, significantly reducing the size.  The box is not much bigger than a CD case.

Incorporated into the control are protection circuits to prevent damage to your loom in the case of a solenoid failure or problems with wiring and connections.  In addition,  indicator lamps on the front help the weaver confirm operations of both the loom and the computer.

Power supply for Designer's Delight/ESP

Prices are:
16H Air Dobby = $725
32 H Air Dobby = $850
16H ESP = $925
32 H ESP = $1075


Please contact me if you have questions about these new power supplies!


Happy weaving!
Sarah

Powering up, moving on and New Years ahead!

First big snow of winter 2013!

I LOVE snow days. Days when I can sleep in, putter around the house or studio, hunker down and feel no need or urge to go anywhere. Today was just such a day, our first big snow fall of the winter. We received about 10" of fluffy white snow that coated the back bone of the trees, highlighting every vertical and horizontal edge with a white stripe.

The appliqued prayer flags that I put in my front yard last July look amazing against this white backdrop.

colorful flags contrast with white snow

I have many news bits and updates to share with you, so settle in for a good read and many photos. When I title a blog, I try to give a hint to what's coming. In this post I will cover ~

• Some tips and tools for moving looms
• A new power supply for those of us who are electronic
• A warping tip as seen on my CP recently
• Looking ahead to 2014

Moving Day 

Since so many of you purchase used looms and face the seemingly monumental task of transporting your new/used loom across country, I thought a blog posting on this topic was in order. I consulted Eddie at the shop who crates and ships looms every week. First tip - I advise that you ask the seller not to take anything apart on the loom. It is helpful to see the loom set up before you take it apart to move it. Here is a list of helpful tools/supplies for moving your loom:

Some of the things you will need to move a loom...plus big muscles!

• Camera to document what the loom looks like all set up. Also document how you took things apart.
• Old blankets, towels for padding
• Zip lock bags for small parts, marker to label the bags.
• Small screw driver for the collars on the treadle rod. Some of these collars require an Allen stye wrench. So you might be smart to bring a small Allen wrench kit.
• Fiberglass packing tape, blue painters tape (the kind that won't ruin wood).
• Rope or heavy cord.
• Silicone spray.
• Card Board and craft paper.
• Hammer and small metal rod.

Loom all crated and ready to ship.

It's wonderful if  you do not have to take apart the loom, but I realize that is not ideal for most folks. Common sense will guide most of your packing steps. The general idea is to tie down any loose parts. Tie the beater in place. Wrap the harnesses with craft paper or cardboard and then use the fiberglass tape to secure them. Look at this photo of how Eddie wraps the harnesses.

Loom all secured for travel.

Loosen collar that holds treadle bar in place.

If you must take apart the loom here are some things you can do to reduce the size/weight:

• Remove the beater.
• Remove the beams, front/cloth beam and back/warp beams. remember to bag and label the brake parts. 
• Remove the treadles by taping out the rod that holds them in place. Before you tap out the rod, loosen the small collar that holds them in place. Use a hammer and a similar size metal rod to tap.
• Use Silicone spray if tapping out the rod is challenging. 

  

  Tapping out the treadle rod.

• You can also remove the back beam at this rod if you want to.
• To remove the front breast beam you will need a 3/8" wrench to undo the bolt.
• The harnesses represent a lot of weight. So removing them is a good idea. But please understand that without the weight of the harnesses, the lamms, side wires and jacks are at risk of damage and bending. So you MUST secure the jacks in place prior to removing the harnesses.
• The best method to secure the jacks is to use Fiberglass tape and some craft paper or cardboard. Wrap the paper/car board around the cross pices of the castle to secure the jacks in pace. Wrap tightly with the tape. This should be done very tightly so that the jacks will remain in place once the harnesses are removed. Unfortunately I do not have a photo of this. I'd love to have one if anyone does this!
• Once the jacks are secure you can remove the harnesses by slipping them off the chains. Be sure to bag up any chains and S hooks that are loose.
• The rest of the loom is glued together. I recommend NEVER taking apart glued joints. 

These steps will give you a striped down castle and something that you should be able to maneuver into most homes/apartments. At the bottom of the price list you will find weight and dimensions of many of the looms.

I would LOVE to get photos of your looms in transit, plus any tips/comments on this topic! Happy moving day! When I as in art school, my (now) husband and I moved 9 times in a year, our theme song was Moving Day by the Holy Modle Rounders. We got pretty good at moving looms!

Powering Up  

 About a year ago, the manufacturer for the power supply/loom control for all Macomber compu-dobby looms retired. I was dismayed...until John Acord appeared on the scene! John is a weaver and all round wizard with support for compu-dobby looms.

Flatwater Electronics power supply and loom control

I am now very happy to announce that John has developed and is ready to sell a power supply that will interface with all Macomber electronics. Especially for those of you who have the out dated Designer's Delight, this will be great news.
Here's what John says  "A replacement control and power unit for the Air-dobby is now available. Two versions are available. 16-shaft and 32-shaft. Coming soon will be the version for the Electroinc Single Pedal. (electro-mechanical solenoid drive).
The new control box utilizes modern efficient components and power supply, significantly reducing the size. The box is not much bigger than a CD case.
Incorporated into the control are protection circuits to prevent damage to your loom in the case of solenoid failure or problems with wiring and connections.  In addition, indicator lamps on the front help the weaver confirm operations of boththe loom and computer."
For more information visit Flatwater Electronics. 

 Threading the reed

I have described to a few of you how I set you the reed in a horizontal fashion to thread it. I do this for two reasons - it is better for my posture/back and it is all round easier to see and thread. I support the reed on two long lease sticks that run front to back on the loom. From this position it is easy to see the ends to thread and the reed slot that you are aiming for. I use a similar set up for my B model loom.

Threading the reed on a CP.

56" ready to be dressed in blues!

 Looking ahead to 2014

Our Maine winter has not officially begun (Dec 21st), but I will tell you in is VERY cold, snowy and great time to be inside weaving!
I am also dreaming about my trip to India in January. I will be away from January 11 to February 10th. I'm not sure what kind of Internet access I will have, but if I can I will post some photos and stories. Rest assured I will have much to share upon my return. If you are interested in ordering parts or looms, please contact Eddie at the shop. 207-363-2808 If you mention my name, I will happily receive credit for your purchase! Thanks!! If you order a loom through me I will give you a free copy of my Macomber Looms Manual!

As 2013 draws to a close, I find much to be grateful for, including each of you dear weavers. You are a special bunch, who deeply care about each other, willingly share information and support the best in each other. 

Thanks for all your business this year. I am always happy to help you!
May the love and peace of the season light up your heart and home.
Namaste ~ Hindu for I honor the light in you ~ Sarah

Who said you can't....

The old maxim..."Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks" works perfectly for old looms. Here is a terrific story sent to me by some inspiring blog readers.

This is an OLD Loom!

The Loom over view

"My wife and I bought an aging Macomber 40” loom about twelve years ago. Contacting Macomber, we were able to ascertain that it had been built in Saugus in 1953. 

Undaunted, we disassembled it, cleaned and varnished all the woodwork, and renewed the fasteners. The loom had only four shafts, but a castle that would accommodate ten. As a metal sculptor, I was able to duplicate the  existing shafts, jacks, lamms, and treadles such that we now have a ten shaft loom. My wife (the weaver; I am the LT --- the loom tech) has turned out scarves, blankets, fabric and many other beautiful woven objects. She has always wanted to weave a rug, but was uncertain as to whether that would work out well on a jack loom. We decided to gamble on altering the existing loom to make it as compatible as possible with the somewhat more robust demands of rug weaving.
 

The first step, in order to provide greater tension on the warp, was to increase the distance between the shafts and the back beam. We were able to move the entire back beam structure---as it was---to increase the warp depth by some 30”. The supporting horizontal black metal bar can be raised to give access when dressing the loom. At the same time, we put sturdy metal braces on all four corners of the castle structure to reduce any side-to-side motion. The entire loom is also bolted to the floor and to the studs in the adjoining wall. The apron ribbon on all three beams is “Mule” tape, a tape used by electricians. It has a breaking strength of 2500 pounds, is very thin and does not stretch.
 

Turn buckles on harnesses

breast beam "catch" for front side rod

From a discarded loom we were also able to add a second, plain warp beam to the already existing sectional beam, and to create a second back beam to accommodate the warp from this second warp beam. The raddles, and temples we made ourselves and we were fortunate enough to have an extra 12-dent reed, which we altered to a 6-dent one.

The rods that connect the jacks and lamms have always distressed me with their tendency to bend and stretch. To correct them such that their tension is equal and the lamms lay in a smooth line, we spliced small turnbuckles, available from the local hardware store, in line with the rods. This allows tightening or loosening of the rods as needed.

Following Peter Collingwood’s recommendations of “a pound of beater weight per inch of warp” we added two 20 pound steel bars to the beater, and to make it easier to handle, also added a handle.  
 
Of all these innovations, my favorite is the catch for the movable bars that allow the breast beam to be lowered to the floor when dressing the loom. With a simple notch filed into the bar and a screw in the vertical wooden member, the bar drops onto the screw as the breast beam is lowered, a huge help for those of us limited to having only two hands.

A successful sample has been woven. The linen warp in the pictures is for the first finished rug, which will be soon started."

Best wishes,
Reese T.

Thanks Reese for sharing your story! I still have so much to share...and so little time!   Check out the local newspaper story on my trip. I have been busy with teaching, but now...alas studio time!

Thanks to all for your orders, questions and encouragement!

Happy Weaving ~ Sarah

More Testimonials

More fine words from your colleagues out there in weaver's world.

"Just back from a workshop in NJ. It re-enforced my love affair with
my Macomber looms. I took my very portable 20" four shaft Macomber. I worked on Baby Wolfe, Schact, Dorsett, and table looms I refuse to mention.

Nothing worked as well as the 30 year old Macomber even with a frayed break cord which I will now replace. "
~~ Shuttle Song in MA

And because I cannot make a post without an image, here's one from last spring of work in progress.

Sarah

Thread by Thread

Thread by thread has been a motto of mine for years. It defines the methodical and steady approach to my work and life in general. It also is how I hope to make a difference in the world, one thread at a time. If you have not visited my blog about the Woven Voices project, I hope you will.

Here on the Macomber Looms and Me blog, I hope to offer the same steady support, to build community and provide information for all things to do with Macomber Looms. This blog has been up for about 6 weeks. I have heard from weavers as far away as California and as close as New Hampshire. Big thanks to those of you who have placed orders with me. I appreciate your support. If you do order through me, the cost is the same as if you call Eddie and Rick, but you get my extra attention for free!

Speaking of Eddie, I recently asked him about routine maintenance. He mentioned the Vaseline on the bronze jacks, plus these other simple tasks:

• Silicone spray the lamms and side wires where they glide through the wooden tracks, see photos here.
• A light wash with Murphy's oil soap to remove dust.
  
• I don't know about you all, but I find a good vacuuming underneath the loom at the end of a warp, is good for the loom and therapeutic for me too.
  

I hope to post soon some vintage photos of Macomber Looms. But while I wait for Rick or Eddie to unearth those photos, I want to start an online gallery of your looms! One weaver I recently spoke with had received a loom in parts. I'm sure she will find these photos helpful as she reconstructs her loom. Others may have made modifications to their loom that they might want to share. So email me your images (small files please!) and I will upload them onto an online gallery. Email your photos to sarah(at)sarahhaskell(dot)com Thanks! I can't wait to see what you send!

Speaking of photos, this photo was taken of me in 1982, weaving with the first generation of Macomber computerized looms. This unit was called the Designer's Delight, had a single operation computer that read treadling sequences off a small plastic key. A weaver would have several keys for all the patterns used. There was one single pedal with solenoids that attached to each harness. The weaver still had to physically lift all the harnesses, but there was no longer the need to get on the floor to complete the tie-up. I wove with this system for several years, until I had a major back injury in 1990. In the end, I traded this unit to another weaver in exchange for some gorgeous hand-spun hand-dyed wool. I still have the sweater that I knit with this yarn!

So keep the lines open, share your thoughts, ask your questions. One thread at a time, we will build a more positive world.

Sarah