Weaving in the rain!!

I know the song is actually singing in the rain....but these days here in Maine we have had 3 weeks of rain, with only four days of sunshine. One of those days was my birthday (thank you very much!!). The good side of this yucky weather is that it has been great studio time. I have had the opportunity to make head way on a commission that has been in the works for months. And here is a photo of a newly finished piece in a show at the Wentworth Gardner House, a historical house in Portsmouth NH.

Here's my artists statement about the piece: "Feeding the Heart" ~ This title is a direct quote from a credo attributed to Wallace Nutting, a NH photographer who once owned the Wentworth Gardner House. "America, with its abundant materials everywhere for dwellings that will outlast the ages, will fail disgracefully unless she can learn that the monuments which are nearer than any other to feeding the heart and enshrining history are old dwellings." This piece is hand-dyed, woven linen, rayon, metallic threads and hand spun paper with photographs on canvas. 26" x 56"

Now some thoughts about Macomber Looms. Many of you write to me about trouble with the little tie up hooks, especially those on the CP portable looms. I spoke with Eddie this morning to pick his brain again about this problem. He said that one typical cause of problems with these hooks it that sometimes folks fold the looms with the hooks still attached. You MUST unhook all the treadles from the lamms prior to folding the CP loom.

If you have an older style CP with the lamms with the dense cardboard on them often the holes get stretched out and do not hold the hooks tightly. If this is the case, you will benefit from switching to the new style hooks. I know I have written abut this issue before, but since so many of you still ask me about it, I thought it worth repeating.

Many folks have also asked me about a manual for the looms. There is no manual to speak of. If you purchase a new loom CP you will get a short booklet about your loom. With the type B looms you will get a 2 pages of information about unpacking your loom. That is one major reason I started this blog...to share information and help folks with their looms.

Keep the questions coming. Fingers crossed for sunshine here! Photo here of hand-over-hand weaving in a health care setting....sunshine for the spirit!
Sarah

Model numbers part two

Here's the scoop on the Portable Loom numbering system as well as the Extra Large Macs.
Portables (Baby Macs)that are older than about 1976 were all numbered as CP 11. After that date the models are labeled as follows:

• CP-F = 16"
• CP-G= 20" 6H frame
• CP-H= 20" 8H frame
• CP-J = 24"

And finally the Type B1 Folding Looms, or Extra Large Macs are the following models:

• B1 - M= 98"
• B1-N = 122"
• B1-O = 146"

The serial numbers are as explained in my last post, sequential from 1- 10,000. And as I mentioned, these model labels are more for the loom builders, so that they can build the correct parts for your loom. Hope this unravels any mystery you might have had about the model and serial numbers!

This photo is of a prayer flag being woven on one of my portables.

Keep the questions coming! Happy weaving!
Sarah

Making sense

This blog posting is all about deciphering the model and serial number on your Macomber Loom. Every loom made by Macombers since 1936 has a metal tag on the side of the castle. This plate pictured here is from my 56" 16H loom that I purchased new in 1976.

The serial number is a sequentially assigned number that goes from 1 - 10,000. These numbers are tied to a date of manufacture and assigned to the original owner. Once these numbers reach 10,00, they start the numbering system all over. The serial number on my loom is 2489. Rick says that he thinks that all total Macomber Looms has built roughly 30 - 40,000 looms since 1936 when the records began.

The model number is defined by the size of the loom. The models numbers define the weaving width of the loom. B5 Looms are 24" , 32", and 40". B4 Looms are 48", 56", 64" and 72".

The letter following the number defines the weaving width of your loom.

B5~

• A=24"
• B=32"
• C=40"

B4~

• D=48"
• E=56"
• K=64"
• L=72"

The model number on my loom is B4E. It is a 56" weaving width loom. The model numbers and letter help the loom builders decide what size wood to use to build your loom. There is an exception to this system. A 40" loom that has the capacity for 12 or 16 harnesses is built with the B4 size wood. So these looms would be model numbers B4C.

You don't really need to understand all this. These numbers are mainly for the guys at Macombers to know what size materials to use to build parts for your loom. In my next blog posting, I'll decipher the portable looms serial and model numbers.

Here's another shot of a model and serial label from a 20 harness 56 loom (the one that recently sold thru the blog).

If I have totally confused you, my apologies...and...no worries! Keep weaving, be happy. These numbers and letters are only important if you want to order parts.

~ Sarah

Spring Cleaning!

Look what I unearthed while looking for packing materials to ship some art work to a gallery!

This is a 3/4 yard sectional beam that I have hardly used. It was purchased in the 1980s for a specific project. It's time to sell it!

It has a friction brake, is 56" wide. A new one goes for $330 including the friction brake. I am happy to sell it for $200 plus shipping.

Email or call me, it can be yours!

Sarah

Down Under: the story of hooks and treadles

I have had a few questions about treadles and other moving parts down under the loom. The Macomber treadles are a piece of wood with a slot cut into it to accommodate the hook. There are two style of hooks. The old style hooks (also known as regular) and the super hook.

There are two styles of lamms. The older Macomber lamms are made from a metal bar with a heavy duty cardboard strip across the top. This cardboard strip has holes in it to correspond to each treadle. The regular hooks insert into these holes to create the tie-up connection.

The newer lamms are all aluminum. The super hooks simply slip over the lamm to create the tie-up connection. Here's a photo of a super hook.

Over time the cardboard strip across the old style lamms become worn out and the regular hooks often pop out as you are weaving. The solution here is to switch to the new super hooks. You can use the super hooks with the old style lamms.

Here's a photo of the newer lamm and super hook connection under one of my portables.

Sometime folks ask me about sticky treadles and hook connections. I went over the Macomber this AM to have coffee with Eddie. We chatted and here's our list of possible solutions:

• clean out the dust from the treadles
• silicon spray (or try soap or wax) in the slotted wooden track
• do the same to the hooks
  
• use a dehumidifier as the wood will swell with moisture
• if there has ever been water damage, the treadles will be permanently damaged. You will need to return them to Macomber to be re-slotted.
  

Also underneath the Larger B-model looms is this item. Many folks have no idea what it is...so I thought I might help out. This is a lamm depressor. As you are working on a new tie-up, simply use this device to hold a lamm depressed while you connect all the treadles needed for that harness. It is very handy if you have a complicated tie-up and need to connect many treadles to one harness for a pattern. Simply put the aluminum part on top of the lam, use the lever to depress the lamm, and then slip the hook under the wooden cross piece to hold the lamm depressed. Now the lamm is in a position so you can attach the hooks needed for each treadle across the loom.

I no longer need this tool as I never do tie-ups any more...the air-dobby system is a dream!!

I hope my explanations and photos are helpful!

Keep the questions coming. I'm always happy to help out. Orders welcome too!

Sarah

Remember to check out the Woven Voices blog!

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

Loom for sale !

MACOMBER LOOM FOR SALE$4000
56"wide, 20 harness, double back beam, 24 treadles Plus: bench with storage, extra reeds, boat shuttles and bobbins, extra heddles and treadle hooks, electric bobbin winder, raddle, etc.
This loom would be easy to computerize. Macomber Looms has that information. New, this loom would cost approximately $8000. The loom was not used for production weaving. You will need to pick up the loom in Indiana or make arrangements for shipping. Karen Rutherford email: wikrr61(at)yahoo(dot)com
phone: 812-234-2928