Hello! I am thinking about starting to use a sectional beam and am wondering if I will still be able to do hand dyed warps. So far I have been doing five scarves per warp, winding a natural colored warp and  dip dyeing it in multiple buckets of different color. Will there be any way to get the same effect if I start using a sectional beam? My reasons for wanting to use a sectional beam are that I have been offered a loom with one and thought it might be a good time to learn- I do about two craft shows per month so it would be great to speed up the process.

Comments

Tue, 08/06/2013 - 13:19

mneligh

On my Macomber, I almost always use the sectional beam.  Just treat each section as a "bout" of warp going onto the regular beam.  Some points:

  1. If you need to see all colors lined up together and then  adjust them as in warp ikat, wind all sections at the same time as you would a conventional warp.
  2. If approximate lineup is okay, line the chained warp up using a quilting frame or other device, arrange, and then beam using the tension box.  
  3. You will not see the efficiency gains this way that you would if you used a spool rack or AVL warping wheel because of the time required to re-thread the tension box.  However, you can get them when warping without the skeining and dipping.
Tue, 08/06/2013 - 21:05

NancyHassel

The LeClerc Tension Box uses combs that are open on top.  The threads are secured in the comb by a hinged wire keeper.  This speeds up the warping quite a bit.  I still use my AVL Tension Box when warping from spools but use the LeClerc box for individual painted warps.

Tue, 08/06/2013 - 21:13

mrdubyah (not verified)

Unless the alignment of the colors is critical, you can just dip dye the skeins first and then use the dip-dyed yarn for sectional warping.  Whether you wind spools or use a warping wheel you should still get some interesting effects. 

Sat, 08/10/2013 - 20:56

tien (not verified)

You can beam b2F onto a sectional beam just as you would on a plain beam (this is easier if you have metal hoops rather than dowels, though). Just ignore the sectional dividers. This is what I do when beaming a painted warp onto a sectional beam.

If you can beam on the warp so the edges are both at sectional dividers, you can skip packing sticks, paper, etc. The purpose of the packing material is to prevent the edge threads from slipping off, and the sectional dividers will keep the edges in line.

Mon, 08/12/2013 - 23:26

mneligh

I checked out the LeClerc tension box online and it looks as described above by mrdubyah.  I wonder if it would fit a Macomber . . . I hate threading the holds in the non-reed end!   

How to justify it to my husband . . .?