I have a Eureka rug loom made in 1908.  The cloth beam has a cast iron ratchet and pawl; the ratchet is missing a lot of teeth.  I know how this happened; when we took it apart to bring it home, we dropped the cloth beam.  I eased the uprights apart a little, then a little more, then a little more, and bang!  Beam on the floor   .I have been working around the missing teeth for several years, but they are becoming a nuisance.  I would like to repair the existing piece, but I know that cast iron is not easy to repair.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this?  If I have to replace it, I will probably have to replace the whole beam.

Comments

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 04:12

SallyE (not verified)

I think you might try finding a local blacksmith and asking them this question.   It might be that they could make a totally new part for you.  

I don't know if you can weld cast iron, but if you have a local welding supply shop, they could hook you up with someone who could tell you.

And if all that fails, I'm wondering if you could replace the whole thing with a hardwood ratchet?

Good luck!

 

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 06:04

sarahnopp (not verified)

Does it have to be a cast iron replacement?

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 11:11

ReedGuy

I would take it to a fabrication shop with computerized plasma cutter. They can make a whole new steel ratchet exactly the same, but this time hard steel. It's probably a custom size for that loom since it's so old. But check around other loom makers. Shouldn't cost any more than $40 bucks. Request 1/4" steel. It all depends on your location. Around here I couldn't get anything like this done, they don't want to bother with small jobs. But in Sault Ste Marie,On, a steel town, I had my new rachet wheels made in short order and those guys knew what they were doing, no fiddling and farting around.

A wooden ratchet could work if the fins are low profile, but they will wear over time. High fins on the wheel will not hold up to the stress. Laminate the flat sides with grain turned in another direction from the core, will strengthen it more. Do this, then cut the fins.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 11:07

jlread (not verified)

I believe you can braze cast iron...check on that for sure.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 11:13

ReedGuy

Yes it can be brazed, assuming all the broken fins have been kept over the years. By the time you fart around with that, you could have a new plasma cut wheel.

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 11:50

jlread (not verified)

You seem to have a facination with fart....(*~*)....Is that a guy thing?

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 12:30

ReedGuy

No more of a facination than anyone using any other word in the English language. :)

Sat, 10/12/2013 - 13:00

sandra.eberhar…

There is a local metal fabrication shop with very sophisticated tooling (in the village of Freeport; 300 people if the bar is full).  I'll try there first.  When I got the loom, the ratchet on the warp beam was missing and I replaced it with one from Great Northern Weaving.  This ratchet is aluminum and is too wide to fit the cloth beam.  The damaged ratchet is usable if you're very carefull how you advance the warp.  I have to make sure there are 4 good teeth ahead of the cloth pawl when I set the warp pawl. And make sure the warp pawl is past the beam handles. The missing teeth are gone with time.  I have made ratchets from epoxy coated wood, but the tenson on this loom is much higher, and I don't think that would last.  And the teeth are finer.  Thanks for the ideas.  I was mainly wanting to find out if there was a chance of repairing this;  I'll give that a try first.