I am working on barn frame loom and need to replace the heddles. The heddles on there are interesting because they are all joined at the top by a chain- almost like crochet or some type of braiding. I don't think it is handmade but have no idea where I would get another. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Comments

Fri, 06/05/2015 - 20:56

sandra.eberhar…

I've never seen heddles like that before.  I have some hand-tied thread heedles, but yours seem be thread with rigid eyes.  What are the eyes made of?  Texsolve heddles come joined tegether at the tops and bottoms, but most people cut them apart because they are much easier to work with.  

Fri, 06/05/2015 - 23:18

sequel (not verified)

When researching a loom restoration I kept coming across references to knitted heddles.  It turns out they are netted heddles.  Sort of.  The heddle bars are mounted in a special jig and the heddles are created/tied using a netting shuttle.  The bars are mounted equally distant from a third, smaller center bar.  The shuttle goes over a heddlebar, around to the center bar where the heddle eye is formed, then down to the other heddle bar and back.  The whole set of heddles is (more or less) one continuous strand.  To make life easy the heddle jig rotates back and forth so you can go up and down each side. When you're done, the center thin rod slides out and you release the heddle bars from the jig.

 

I suggest you make a new set of heddle bars and tie your string heddles individually on a simple wood and nail heddle tying jig.

Sat, 06/13/2015 - 18:01

Sara von Tresckow

The heddle eyes shown here are typical of hand tied heddles with "inserted eye" - a round metal eye with holes top and bottom that is tied into the heddle.

They were still available in Germany until very recently. The string heddle with metal eye is found frequently on older looms in Europe.

Mon, 06/15/2015 - 14:26

Michael White

Interesting what Sara said about the metal eyes. Now it you want to try and make your own I can get you " metal insertion eyes" in different sizes.

 

Michael

Sun, 06/14/2015 - 02:31

Calico_Raven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C0Lk8JlJRw

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 03:42

Wendy Kay (not verified)

Here a few items which may help [in part] with the knitted heddles problem

 

Handloom Construction, A Practical Guide for the Non-expert, by Joan Koster, Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), USA, 1979

 

http://www.fastonline.org/CD3WD_40/JF/440/33-778.pdf

Pages 92-95 have some info on this topic [the PDF page numbers are 97-100]

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Handloom Weaving - Plain and Ornamental by Luther Cooper

 

https://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/books/hl_hand_1.pdf

Pages 109-110 [PDF pages: 138-139]

 

Cooper uses the term "mesh" for his netting shuttle!

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This post includes the youtube video with a written explanation of what is happening on the video,

http://ocghloom.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/heddle-puzzle-solved.html

 

Sun, 06/28/2015 - 19:17

bjr1957

Thanks to all who posted on this subject!  What a great place to learn about the art of weaving!