Hi Everyone,,,,, I'm posting as I've recently set up a counterbalance loom, everything has gone really well! But I've noticed that the first 2 inches of warp on the left hand side are wearing thin as I weave, and it's happening to a lesser extent on the right hand side of the cloth also. Is there something I've probably tied up to tightly? I'll try and post a photo as it might explain things easier. Any suggestions are most welcomed, thank you ! Chris

Comments

Wed, 06/14/2017 - 02:07

sandra.eberhar…

When you say "Wearing thin", I assume you mean that the threads are becoming thinner. Several things come to mind: Is the reed damaged? A reed that is rusty, or was rusty and "rust removed" may still be very rough. Is the warp not resistant to abrasion? Warp going back and forth through a new, smooth reed is still subject to abrasion, and I have had some unexpected results here. A wool/silk that seemed great gave me fits. Is the reed too fine for your warp, or have you sleyed too thickly? If you're not sure, go to a yarn guide table to see what the suggested sett for your yarn is.
Wed, 06/14/2017 - 03:07

christophermichael

Hi, thanks for your suggestions. The reed is relatively new and I used to use it on my Jack loom, no signs of rust etc. The woolen warp i've used many times and have never had this problem.... also have always sleyed this dense :/ Perhaps on a counterbalance I can't sley as I would on a jack?... Thanks again, Chris
Thu, 06/15/2017 - 22:35

sandra.eberhar…

Have you used this wool warp in black before, and how old is the yarn?  Black dye is often more damaging to the yarn than other colors, and old yarn may be deteriorated.  If only some areas are affected, did you use several cones or tubes, skeins?  One may be different than the others.  

Thu, 06/15/2017 - 22:57

Joanne Hall

A counterbalance loom is generally kinder to threads than a jack loom, so it is not the counterbalance aspect of your loom. Does your loom have a brand name? To check the loom, there are counterbalance instructions on the Glimakra USA website. Click on resources, then Learning about looms, then basic loom info. Print out the first file, which is 9 pages. This tells you things like how high to have the shafts tied. The second file is specific to the counterbalance tie-up. Joanne
Fri, 06/16/2017 - 23:33

sandra.eberhar…

What kind of heddles do you have?  Rough steel heddles can also abrade the warp.

Sun, 06/18/2017 - 13:58

ReedGuy

Be sure the warp is centred during tie-up and that the beater is not rubbing on the warps. This may also be happening if your swinging the beater too high toward the breast beam or too close to the shafts, it should hit the fell near vertical. It may be pushing up on the lowered warps. Advance more often, approx. every 6" of weaving, but don't move the beater through the warp at high angles, for and aft. Be sure the treadles are not tied too high, 5-6" should do it and just hit the floor barely. If too high your treadling beyond the range of motion in the harnesses and straining the warp, you may notice the heddles (Texsolv) may look stretched in the eyes.

Tue, 06/27/2017 - 07:29

christophermichael

Thank you! I've adjusted my warp advance, and heddle and beater position and it seems to have made a difference. Although not perfect, but I think I'll be able to make small adjustments to my process to correct the issue :)
Tue, 06/27/2017 - 07:29

christophermichael

I have texsolv heddles which are brand new.... :/
Tue, 06/27/2017 - 07:31

christophermichael

Thank you! I've printed this out, what an excellent resource :) its really well written. Some areas of the tie up i definitely needed to correct :)