I would like to address the issue of the Macomber treadle rods jumping off. We now have three Macombers, two with the older rods that hook through the lam and one with rods that clip over the lam. Question, which one is causing the problem? We have never had any problems with the ones that hook through the lams, the other loom is in pieces and waiting for me to restore it.
Hi Michael,
I don't have an answer for you but have heard in general that the new style are less likely to jump off.
Here's the best contact I've found (and just recently, I'm THRILLED she's started this blog!)
http://macomberloomsandme.blogspot.com/
Macomber tie-ups coming off
I have woven on Macomber for over 30 years (both hook in and hook over) and have little trouble with rods jumping off. However, when I have taken the loom to round robin workshops, there has been jumping. When I watched, I found that if you "tromp" and "drop" the shafts you will more likely have rods drop. You need to practice stepping down on the treadle, only as far as needed, and then raise your leg to lower the shafts back to neutral. As I said I have very little problem with the hooks. With the weight of the shafts, these rods are the best tie-up for the wider looms.
Deanna
Linda thanks for the information that someone in York, ME has taken Macomber into the 21st century. Deanna you are right, Cheryl also has never had this problem, but it the weaver just lets the petals go when moving to the next one I can see where this could be a problem, the harrness on the Macomber are very heavy.
Michael
Michael, I've woven on Macomber looms for about 20 years. You dance with a Macomber (rather than stomp) - a motion I always found wonderful for the back. With time you build up more muscles for those big Macs with lots of shafts (the famous MacThews of Steel) and it gets easier. Deanna is right about the tromp and drop being a problem. Another is that you need to come down squarely onto the treadle - pushing it at an angle (particularly outside treadles) will cause treadle rods to pop all over the place. On baby Macs there should be an S-hook (or two) that attaches the treadle frame to the loom frame. If that is missing (often happens after the loom has been folded and moved), the treadle framework can move and cause hooks to come off very easily. As you work out the dance form, a piece of metal flashing under the treadles will help you hear if one drops off. Keep an awareness of how each treadle should feel so that you know if it is lighter than it should be. You can switch to a texsolv tie-up or do part texsolv and part metal rods if you continue to have difficulties. They last pretty well. There are two types of rods. The ones over the top do well if they aren't sprung and catching on each other. However, there is a point where the mechanism attaches to the lamm and the through type is better for those spots.
Laurie
I've also had occasional problems with hooks over the lams jumping off. Everyone's suggestions are great and I also found that if I put some hooks on from behind the lam and some hooks on from the front of the lam for some reason they are less likely to jump off. If one particular one keeps jumping off then I just hook it back the opposite way and that seems to solve the problem.
Eva
I was just at a workshop with my Baby Mac. For some reason I have trouble with hooks for one shaft on a couple of treadles. Coincidentally, it's shaft 5 and I also have trouble with shaft 6 sometimes sticking up (just showing for the top heddle bar). It's something I'm going to show my husband to see if we can figure it out between the two of us.
Anyway, there was another woman at the workshop with a Baby Mac too. She had 2 enhancements made to her loom, both that I want on my loom soon. The first was to drill a small hole where the shaft frame hook on the bar that goes down to the jacks. She then put a pin in it. This enables her to lift the shaft frame from the top, without having it slide out, and then put the hooks on the treadles for that shaft. That's much easier than pushing down on the lamm and holding it while putting the hooks in.
This picture is kind of blurry, but hopefully you can make it out.
This pin is inserted under the top shaft bar, while lifted, so the hooks can be attched down below. I bought my Baby Mac used and didn't get this pin. I heard it's also used to stop you from raising the shafts higher than necessary.
The second thing she did was to the hooks themselves. She bent the part that goes over the lamm and slipped a small rubber band (castrating bands from a farm supply store) over the hook. After the hook is attached, the rubber band is pulled over the bent part so it CAN'T come off.
I hope these pictures are clear enough. I'm looking forward to making these changes to my loom.
These are great ideas and the pictures really help, the rubber band trick is brilliant - thanks Tina!
Eva
I thought it was ingenious when I saw it. I'm going to try alternating the tie-up rods too to see if that helps. She only had some hooks changed to use the rubber bands and only used them when she was having trouble.
I tried tying a rod hook without bending it since it already has a very slight bent to it that's just enough so that I was able to use one of those hair rubber bands and it's seems to be holding it in place nicely. I'll try it this way first before I bend any of the hooks.
I guess on the smaller looms you have those pins, on the larger looms you can buy a devise that pushs down the bars one at a time and holds them in place. This device came on the 56 inch 8h. When we picked up the 56 inch 16H it did not have this device. I would guess it is something extra you can buy. The rubber band trick sounds thing a winner.
Michael
You're right about the big Macomber looms. I had to ask on a list what the wooden peg was for! But the lamms (I sure hope I'm getting the loom parts right) on the Baby Mac are too close together for that. I sold my big Macomber (40", 4H) this summer. I miss it, but enjoy the extra space. I finally got around to finishing the last project I wove on my big Macomber -- a rag rug made with polar fleece selvedges.
Tina, we have one loom with the wooden peg, I had no clue what it was for untill we got the loom with the bar pusher. Then I knew what the wooden peg was for. But to used it you had to hold it in place, with this other device you just push down and lock it in place. I will take a picture of it tomorrow.
Michael
Hi Michael,
I don't have an answer for you but have heard in general that the new style are less likely to jump off.
Here's the best contact I've found (and just recently, I'm THRILLED she's started this blog!)
http://macomberloomsandme.blogspot.com/
Macomber tie-ups coming off
I have woven on Macomber for over 30 years (both hook in and hook over) and have little trouble with rods jumping off. However, when I have taken the loom to round robin workshops, there has been jumping. When I watched, I found that if you "tromp" and "drop" the shafts you will more likely have rods drop. You need to practice stepping down on the treadle, only as far as needed, and then raise your leg to lower the shafts back to neutral. As I said I have very little problem with the hooks. With the weight of the shafts, these rods are the best tie-up for the wider looms.
Deanna
Linda thanks for the information that someone in York, ME has taken Macomber into the 21st century. Deanna you are right, Cheryl also has never had this problem, but it the weaver just lets the petals go when moving to the next one I can see where this could be a problem, the harrness on the Macomber are very heavy.
Michael
Michael, I've woven on Macomber looms for about 20 years. You dance with a Macomber (rather than stomp) - a motion I always found wonderful for the back. With time you build up more muscles for those big Macs with lots of shafts (the famous MacThews of Steel) and it gets easier. Deanna is right about the tromp and drop being a problem. Another is that you need to come down squarely onto the treadle - pushing it at an angle (particularly outside treadles) will cause treadle rods to pop all over the place. On baby Macs there should be an S-hook (or two) that attaches the treadle frame to the loom frame. If that is missing (often happens after the loom has been folded and moved), the treadle framework can move and cause hooks to come off very easily. As you work out the dance form, a piece of metal flashing under the treadles will help you hear if one drops off. Keep an awareness of how each treadle should feel so that you know if it is lighter than it should be. You can switch to a texsolv tie-up or do part texsolv and part metal rods if you continue to have difficulties. They last pretty well. There are two types of rods. The ones over the top do well if they aren't sprung and catching on each other. However, there is a point where the mechanism attaches to the lamm and the through type is better for those spots.
Laurie
I've also had occasional problems with hooks over the lams jumping off. Everyone's suggestions are great and I also found that if I put some hooks on from behind the lam and some hooks on from the front of the lam for some reason they are less likely to jump off. If one particular one keeps jumping off then I just hook it back the opposite way and that seems to solve the problem.
Eva
I was just at a workshop with my Baby Mac. For some reason I have trouble with hooks for one shaft on a couple of treadles. Coincidentally, it's shaft 5 and I also have trouble with shaft 6 sometimes sticking up (just showing for the top heddle bar). It's something I'm going to show my husband to see if we can figure it out between the two of us.
Anyway, there was another woman at the workshop with a Baby Mac too. She had 2 enhancements made to her loom, both that I want on my loom soon. The first was to drill a small hole where the shaft frame hook on the bar that goes down to the jacks. She then put a pin in it. This enables her to lift the shaft frame from the top, without having it slide out, and then put the hooks on the treadles for that shaft. That's much easier than pushing down on the lamm and holding it while putting the hooks in.
This picture is kind of blurry, but hopefully you can make it out.
This pin is inserted under the top shaft bar, while lifted, so the hooks can be attched down below. I bought my Baby Mac used and didn't get this pin. I heard it's also used to stop you from raising the shafts higher than necessary.
The second thing she did was to the hooks themselves. She bent the part that goes over the lamm and slipped a small rubber band (castrating bands from a farm supply store) over the hook. After the hook is attached, the rubber band is pulled over the bent part so it CAN'T come off.
I hope these pictures are clear enough. I'm looking forward to making these changes to my loom.
These are great ideas and the pictures really help, the rubber band trick is brilliant - thanks Tina!
Eva
I thought it was ingenious when I saw it. I'm going to try alternating the tie-up rods too to see if that helps. She only had some hooks changed to use the rubber bands and only used them when she was having trouble.
I tried tying a rod hook without bending it since it already has a very slight bent to it that's just enough so that I was able to use one of those hair rubber bands and it's seems to be holding it in place nicely. I'll try it this way first before I bend any of the hooks.
I guess on the smaller looms you have those pins, on the larger looms you can buy a devise that pushs down the bars one at a time and holds them in place. This device came on the 56 inch 8h. When we picked up the 56 inch 16H it did not have this device. I would guess it is something extra you can buy. The rubber band trick sounds thing a winner.
Michael
You're right about the big Macomber looms. I had to ask on a list what the wooden peg was for! But the lamms (I sure hope I'm getting the loom parts right) on the Baby Mac are too close together for that. I sold my big Macomber (40", 4H) this summer. I miss it, but enjoy the extra space. I finally got around to finishing the last project I wove on my big Macomber -- a rag rug made with polar fleece selvedges.
Tina, we have one loom with the wooden peg, I had no clue what it was for untill we got the loom with the bar pusher. Then I knew what the wooden peg was for. But to used it you had to hold it in place, with this other device you just push down and lock it in place. I will take a picture of it tomorrow.
Michael
