I have a table-top Structo loom and I'm having some trouble identifing the model number.  From searching, all the photos online seem to match the 750 model, however I'm confused because the serial number stamped on the top is 705-5527, which implies to me that the model number should be 705, not 750.  I can't find any mention anywhere of a model 705 even existing.

My loom has levers on the front (not side).  Paint on the metal surfaces is grey, not black.  Weaving width is 26 inches.  It has tracks and lever spaces for 8 shafts, although my loom only has four shafts installed.  I could post a picture but mine looks pretty much exactly like this one:  http://austin.listlux.com/a,42,250532,Structo-Artcraft-750-Weaving-Loom----225--Steiner-Ranch-.htm

So, is there such a thing as a model 705 or do you think I likely have a 750?  Is there any way to determine the age based on the serial number?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Darcy

Comments

sally orgren

I was told by members of the all_things_structo yahoo group that the first number was the model, and the last series indicated the exact loom that was produced in that year. 

600-9262 = 600 series, the 92nd loom produced in 1962.

But there has been more than one report of a Structo loom showing up that didn't fit that numbering system. Based on the link you sent, if it looks like that loom, it probably is a 750.

The 240, 600, or 750 designation comes from the sett. The looms originally came with a 15 dent reed, and they expected you to sley the Lily 20/2 cotton spools at 30 epi (or two per dent)

x 8" = 240. (The little metal one)

x 20" = 600. (The one that works like a Dorothy)

750 divided by 30 = 25"

If your loom is 25" weaving width, another confirmation it is a 750.

loveovershot

That looks like the 750 I just acquired although mine is not in such good shape (yet). It was a school loom and only has 4 harnesses with space for 4 more. It came attached to a stand.

weaversouth (not verified)

According to the catalog, the "750" is the 8-shaft version of the "705"

If you'd like some more support, "my peeps" on the all_things_structo Yahoo group love to help each other out!  Please join us and learn to love your Structo even more.

Nancy C (admin, all_things_structo)

sally orgren

And I learned something today, too!

dellarby

According to the catalog, the "750" is the 8-shaft version of the "705"

So if that is true, the mystery deepens, since my loom is stamped 705, but it is set up for eight shafts!  (although only four are installed)

I wonder if it started life as a 705, but then was later modified to be a 750.  The actual serial number is stamped 705-5527, which by the year numbering scheme means it would have been manufacturer in 1927.  However, the paint on all the metal work is grey, which I read elsewhere meant that it was manufactured after WWII.

So the only thing I think makes sense is that the wooden frame (with the serial number stamp) was originally manufactures as a 705 but at some point later in it's lifetime it was retro-fitted with the guts of a post WWII 750.  

I can take some pictures this evening and upload them.

Is there a copy of the original catalog online somewhere I can take a look at?

 

sally orgren

Has a folder with all kinds of documents that have been uploaded. 

kata

At least it looks like the Structo loom pictured online which I only just discovered last week.  I've been researching for a couple of years trying to find a loom like mine as mine has no identifying plate or label/sticker.  I'm convinced it is a Structo.  It looks exactly like the one pictured online with the exception that mine has only 4 harnesses.  It has a 26" weaving width.  However, there are exposed holes on the castle which I believe are there to add a plate for 8 harness levers, etc.

I'm a newbie to weaving and only just discovered this Weavolution site last week doing my loom and weaving research.  I've not yet checked into the Yahoo Structor mentioned above but I will as soon as I get some time.  There is a model number imprinted on the top of my loom's castle.  That number is 705 - 14567. 

Below is a link or two on the information I have gathered (you might need to key in the entire URL link into your browser):

http://wcudigitalcollection.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p4008coll2/id/4957

http://www.monticellowi.com/textilesJun03.htm

Well - gotta sign off.  It's nightie-night time; I need to get up early tomorrow morning to make it to my fiber guild on time for our meeting. 

P.S.  I'm a member of the Hangtown Fibers Guild in Placerville, CA.

 

sally orgren

Nancy Lea (the moderator of the Structo site at Yahoo) passed away unexpected this spring (of 2016). Unless you are already a member of the All_Things_Structo group, there is no way to join until access and a new moderator can be secured.

 

The numbering convention has been called into question since these comments were posted in 2013 (because there have been a few outliers discovered), so you might not be able to trust that former advice.

There is documentation the 240/4 was invented around 1930, so I would be unsure about any dates that would precede that.

 

This spring (2016) at the Weave History Conference in Clayton, I discovered there is another model of loom about the same vintage, that looks very similar to a Structo 600. This ad for the Seaside Jr. Loom was from a craft magazine of the late 1930's. (In the same magazine I also found ads for the Structo 420, which is a size that fits between the 240 and the 600.)

 

 

If you don't already know, the number in the name of each loom is related to the number of warp threads the loom holds, based on a sett of 30 epi.

30 epi x 8" weaving width = 240

30 epi x 14" - 420

30 epi x 20" = 600

30 epi x 25" = 750

sally orgren

Thanks!

I had not seen this document before.

Two individuals that can assist with researching old looms: Janet Meany (The Weavers Friend website) and Florence Feldman-Wood (Editor and publisher of the Spinning Wheel Sleuth, + she compiles a yearly loom supplement.)

OneLikeTheWind

I recently purchased an old Structo but have no idea how to set up the stand or pedals. I wrote up what it looked like on my blog page of this site. Is anyone out there willing to look at pictures for me? Thank you :-) 

RebeccaRR

I have a Structo 600 table loom.  It is in very good shape, however it has the spools on the back.  I have another one that has the rachet and warp beam.  I would like to change the spools for a similar warp beam.  The ratchet on the one appears to be the same size as the Leclerc table loom ratched.  Has anyone changed out the warp beam?  Is the Leclerc ratchet suitable for that?  Thanks!