OK ... here's my dilemma. I bought a used 1975 collapsible unknown brand floor loom last weekend. I wanted it so I would have a portable loom to take to workshops. My problem, at this point, is that it has string heddles on it and I'm not certain they are all the same length?
The lady I purchased it from (she bought it new) had not used the loom for 29 years. She did give me the jig she originally used to make the heddles. I washed the heddles, then placed an equal number of heddles on the four shafts. The fourth shaft (it is a 4-shaft loom with four treadles) hangs much lower than the other three. Is that normal?
Also, if I decide on making new heddles (which I'm leaning towards), is there a certain type of cord that I need to purchase to make the heddles? I know I found a site somewhere on the internet - before purchasing the loom - that demonstrated how to make the heddles but now I can't find it! Everything I've found talks about rigid heddle looms or backstrap looms?
I've seen the texsolve heddles but am uncertain at this time if any of them would be the correct length? How do I figure that out, please? That may seem like a silly question but at this point I'm not certain which of the heddles are the right length?
The lady I bought the loom from said the shafts would "even out" as I added warp and spread the existing heddles out? To be honest, the holes in the existing heddles are so tiny that it is difficult for me to thread them. Am I just going through a learning curve here or is there a simple way to do this?
My other loom is a compact Gilmore circa 1930's, I believe. It has metal heddles on it.
Thanks in advance for any insight anyone can give me here. God bless.
MerryMac