I will be purchasing a used Baby Wolf. The loom was first purchased in the mid-90s. This will be my first floor loom. I was curious if there is anything I should look over in particular when I go pick up the loom. Will parts be harder to get or are the parts the same as for the current 4 shaft Baby Wolf looms? 

Any tips or things I should think about when purchasing a 25 year old loom would be appreciated. 

 

Thank you!

Comments

Artistry

Hi Mutz,

I have a Baby Wolf which is about 25 years old . I have never had to buy replacement parts but I would call Shacht and ask them . 

What to look for? Does this loom have a stroller ? That Is the addition with wheels so it can be moved around ? There is a very important safety issue with these. Before unscrewing the metal frames at the bottom of the loom, MAKE SURE THE BLACK KNOBS that hold loom  upright in the portable position are screwed tight ! Then slowly bit by bit unscrew the black knobs which will lower the loom to the floor . I have a friend whose a well known tapestry teacher have her hand impaled by the metal frame when her loom collapsed due to the black knobs being loose! The Baby Wolf's now come with a safety warning about this. Ok.

Check that the black knob screws are not striped. To do this close up the loom and make sure the knobs can screw on both sides And hold.  the knobs will turn in different directions )

Check that the Beater Bar comes straight forward and doesn't wobble. If it does it might be as simple as tightening bolts but check that metal frames are straight.

Basically check everything metal ! This looms get moved around a lot because of there size. Push down on the treadles and see if the shafts stick, may be the tie up, but may be crooked Jacks underneath neath the loom.

Check the brake , bypushing down and seeing that the back beam releases. 

Finally, and very importantly, make sure the loom is square. Measure diagonally the frame of loom first one side then the other, the measurements must be equal ! Or your weaving will be crooked !

That's whatI'd look at. It's a very nice loom, I've woven everything on it except rugs. It's not heavy enough for that.

Hope this helps!

Cathie

Mutz

thanks for all the great information. I never would have thought to look at all that.

The newer baby wolf has the same issue with the wheels and folding? That sounds pretty scary, so I'll be sure to take extra care. Thanks for the warning.

i understand most of what you are referring to, but have a couple of questions. What do the jacks look like if I need to look under the loom?

And I'm not certain where I measure to make sure it is square. do you mean with the loom open and ready to weave measure from front to the back beam on the left side and the right side? Or measure from left to right across the front of the loom and then across the back of the loom. Sorry that is probably a very silly question but I'm not sure which part I should make sure is square. I'm pretty sure you mean measure from front to back but thought I should check.

 

thanks so much for the tips! I'll feel much better going out to check on it. I was just going to make sure no wood was obviously broken and the beater and treadles moved. I knew that wasn't going to be enough to be certain it was a good loom. Thank you thank you!

Mutz

Oh I re read this a few times and finally realized you said measure diagonally. Ok now I understand what you were saying. 

thank you so much! Your instructions are very clear

Artistry

No problem Mutz ! Yes, the new Baby Wolf has the same arrangement . My new one is at our summer cottage so I can't go look at it but I think it might have an additional wooden bar that hooks across, not sure about that. 

I keep the metal bars that hold the stroller closed, pointed towards the floor whenever it's unscrewed .

Good Luck!

Cathie

jander14indoor (not verified)

When I bought my baby wolf (a pretty old one) I had no problem getting parts to fix the stuff that had worn out.  

In a couple of cases the parts were to an updated design but worked just fine.  There is a good reason for this in at least one case.  The old brake had a design flaw and eventually they almost all fail in the same place.  New design can't fail that way. 

And I've found the folks at Schacht very good to work with in helping to fix up their older looms.

Some accessories require more modification to the older looms, but again, instructions take that into account.  Example, the stroller require you to drill some holes that come standard on the newer looms.

And don't worry TOO much about the thing slamming open. Yes it can happen, but awareness and a little care make it perfectly manageable.

Jeff Anderson

Livonia, MI

sequel (not verified)

If the loom has been folded/unfolded incorrectly, the T-nut slides may have fallen out.  Most people don't even notice they are missing.  The T-nut slide is like a little plastic top hat shaped thing which goes over the threaded shaft of the black side knobswhere they go into the loom.  The other parts most likely to escape are the small nuts that secure the shafts to the jacks where the threaded post is in the (almost) middle of the shaft frames, and the rubber O-rings on the treadle rod that help to keep the treadles and brake treadle in position.

Mutz

Thank you everyone for all the insightful comments. I feel better about going to look at the loom on my own now.

Mutz

I wanted to say thanks again for all of your wonderful tips. I bought the loom yesterday. Looking at the serial number now I see that it is actually 30 years old. It was built in 1985. 

I did go over everything suggested to me. The tie ups were causing the shafts to stick. So it was an easy fix. Now they slide up and down easily. 

So thank you all for your help. With your help I was able to confidently buy this beautiful loom! 

sequel (not verified)

This a very early Baby Wolf.  So check to see if it has the brake upgrade, the lower rear crosspiece on the legs, and if it needs nuts and bolts instead of the screws that attach the folding metal side pieces to the legs.  Early Baby Wolves, had screws which eventually wear out the holes they are threaded though, newer ones use a locking nut and thin bolt instead.  Look at someone's newer Baby and compare.

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