Hi, I recently purchased an used 15.75" LeClerc loom and while it needs a little work, it's a great little loom! It came with several reeds, but a couple of them are rusty and a little rough. Is there a way to clean these up?

Comments

Michael White

If the reed is rough the simple answer is NO! You will never be able to remove all the pitts and they will grab and tear your yarn. But if you want to try cleaning your reeds check out the posting here. http://weavolution.com/forum/chat/rusted-reed

Michael

Rita Kate (not verified)

Take them to the car wash and use the pressure hose to clean them.  If they are pitted after you clean them, perhaps it is time to get new reeds.

Rita Kate 

steve104c (not verified)

Contact Joanne @ GlimakraUSA for any size reeds, fast.

grnwtch (not verified)

Thank you for the reality check!:-)) I've checked the solutions on the posts you referenced. I'll try a couple of things for the rust. Only one of the reeds reallys seems damaged and as one of the posts said, I got a great deal on the loom, so a new reed is not a bad trade off. Sharron

Michael White

Sharron, I would spend the extra money and buy a SS reed. You can do an online search to find the best price.

Michael

Dawn McCarthy

Apply Mariners or Naval Jelly (wear rubber gloves) and scrub with steel wool or a fine steel brush to remove surface rust.  Rinse with water, dry - spray some clear silicone spray on a rag and rub in well (be sure the silicone will not pass on to the yarns).  Check to see that the blades of the reed are free from pits and burrs as mentioned above - this will abrade your yarn.  Usually rust is superficial and on the surface.  Mariners/Naval Jelly can be found at hardware stores.

 

Good luck

bloominloom-dawnmmcarthy.blogspot.com

Liz Hennel (not verified)

Following the advice on one of the links mentioned I did manage to salvage a couple of reeds where I could really get into the dents - a 6 and a 8 dent reed, and they were not too badly pitted. It's a messy process, but it was worth it. For the other, denser reeds I invested in new stainless steel ones - and they were well worth it too! They will last forever and always look good.:))

 

Knoah

are you still a member here? I also have a dix loom

kathy

Pattipurls

I know this is an old thread, but I'd like to add my success story removing rust from old reeds by soaking them in evapo rust, available at Tractor Supply and also at some auto supply stores.

sandra.eberhar…

Yes, you can remove the rust, but as Michael said, the pits and roughness that will shred the warp remain. You can can have it sandblasted with walnut hull particles, but at this point you probably could have bought a new reed.

Pattipurls

Lucky me, these old reeds are as smooth as a baby's bottom! Husband enjoys projects such as these, and liked contributing to the restoration. His pride in his work will go a long way when I take over the dining room as a weaving studio. ;-)

sandra.eberhar…

They may be smooth now, with the rust, but when you remove the rust, they won't be. The metal is not evenly coated with rust. When you take it off, the remaining surface is likely to be pitted and rough. If you're only going to use it with carpet warp, maybe. It's still likely to shred anything else. As I said earlier, they can be sandblasted with walnut hull particles. But unless you are already equipped to do that, at this point you could have gotten a new reed.