Hi.   Does anyone have any pictures of how to tie onto the back beam of a Macomber floor loom, B-5 model?  The only twist is that it has a sectional beam but I"m not using it as a sectional beam - I'm just filling the yarn between the spaces and using it as a plain beam.

This is 50 year old loom I inherited from my Grandmother.  I've figured out how to set it up and how to warp back to front (I always used front to back before on a smaller table loom).  Using the sectional beam as a plain beam has been fine as well.  But the length of the strings attaching the back apron rod to the beam seem very long to me.   I'm also not sure if I'm fastening the rod to the beam the right way - I end up just tying it onto the sectional beam pegs to keep it in place, but that seems kind of make-shift to me. 

I wasn't sure if I was doing this the right way because I learned how to finally warp back to front from videos, but of course there aren't any videos (that I've found) on how to use a sectional beam as a regular/plain beam.

Thanks,

Susan

Comments

Mon, 02/09/2015 - 22:35

mneligh

Don't use a rod if warping sectionally.  Tie a knot at the end of a warp bout and slip a larkshead in the string over it. 

The strings are supposed to allow the knot in the warp to come up to the back of the heddle, more or less, so they need to be long.

Tue, 03/17/2015 - 21:42

mrdubyah (not verified)

Tie the strings to the rod with a larks head knot. Basically, just pull the loop over itself and slide the rod through the resulting double loops (see below).  The rod should reach the heddles when the strings are completely unwound.LarksHead

Tue, 03/17/2015 - 21:47

mrdubyah (not verified)

If you're worried about the sectional pins, you can also attach the rod to the strings, then wrap the strings up around the beam until the rod sits right against the beam.  Hold the rod in place with a couple of cuphooks while winding on.  When weaving near the end of the warp, turn the cup hooks 90 degrees to release the rod so that you can use all of your warp.