I finally broke down and bought an end feed shuttle, and it arrived yesterday along with 6 pirns.   I was in LOVE with it after about a half dozen picks.   Wow, what a difference!   I usually have pretty good selvages since I use a temple and make sure the selvage is correct on each pick, but it is a slow process.   This doubles the speed of my weaving and I don't have to do anything with the selvages but watch to make sure the thread didn't get caught on something causing a loop.   I bought a Schacht and found it very easy to adjust with the little wrench that came with it.  And feeding the yarn through is super easy too.

The only thing that's not easy, is un-weaving.   I made a mistake and had to go back a few picks, and that wasn't easy due to having to hand wind the yarn back onto the pirn. 

Wow, and when I think of all the time I've wasted over the years, weaving with a regular boat shuttle!

 

Comments

Tue, 03/12/2013 - 16:44

ReedGuy

I use end feed for a fly-shuttle. And as you say just watch the selvedges as with any shuttle. I only use it for over 45" width and single layer.  I use boat shuttles for narrow stuff, but there is a difference between a bull nosed one and a traditional one. I can weave pretty quick with a traditional shuttle, never tried a bull-nosed one so can't give any opinion. My experience is everyone has their preferences, so it would serve no purpose to say one is better than another.

Thu, 03/14/2013 - 00:25

sandra.eberhar…

I totally agree, Sally.  I became addicted to Bluster Bay end feeds, and feel very constrained when I have to use a side feed shuttle.  I love the woods and very silky finish.  One thing you have to be aware of with BB shuttles is that the different woods they offer can make a large difference in the weight.  I have found I don't like heavy shuttles, except in their small mini shuttles.  Even with a narrow weft, I find them much faster and less fussy.

Thu, 03/14/2013 - 01:06

Leslie M (not verified)

I agree too, Sally. They are like magic! I use the schacht for finer threads and the bluster bay for heavier or textured yarns. Love the woods used in bluster bay, but bigwhitesofa dog is right about the weight of different woods. Sometimes you need a heavier shuttle though.
Thu, 03/14/2013 - 01:30

SallyE (not verified)

Since I've only had mine less than a week, I've used it (the 15" schacht) on fine threads - for what I'm weaving currently.   How thick a yarn can I expect it to work on?  

The weight doesn't bother me at all, but I'm a part time carpenter, so my hands are pretty strong.

 

Thu, 03/14/2013 - 16:13

Leslie M (not verified)

Sally, this is totally my personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt, I use the Schacht with yarns up to 8/2. Heavier than that I use the Bluster Bay. Best thing , of course, is to try different yarns and see what you like.
Thu, 03/14/2013 - 17:05

SallyE (not verified)

Thank you Leslie.   I guess given the price of these things, I'll just have to try my Schacht with heavier threads and see if it works.

 

Thu, 03/14/2013 - 18:46

sally orgren

I have used Henry's Attic Monte Cristo in my AVL end feed shuttle no problem. I typically sett this yarn at 12-15 epi and it IS nubbly. I have a second AVL that I reserve for my finer yarns, having used up to 20/2 in it so far. Both have the Honex tensioning system in the shuttle head.

Fri, 03/15/2013 - 22:17

mrdubyah (not verified)

A friend gave me an end feed shuttle as a gift and, now that I've been using it regularly, I'm totally spoiled.  There really is a big difference.  No wonder weaving machines pretty much all use end feed!

Sat, 03/16/2013 - 00:10

SallyE (not verified)

Yes, I am spoiled now also. 

The "Honex tensioning system" - is that particular to AVL shuttles?  The Schacht seems to have two little disks that are adjustable and provide the tension.   Is there a name for that?

 

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 13:39

sally orgren

Sally E,

I concur with your observation that it is harder to unweave with an EFS. If I have more than a few passes to unweave, my solution is to sometimes cut the weft from the EFS, and unweave it back onto a traditional bobbin for a boat shuttle. Once the correction has been made, I can either throw the boat shuttle, or wind the length removed back onto a pirn. 

Not sure about the Honex system being unique to AVL. The thing I like about it is you just lay the warp into the Honex tension box and you are good to go! There is no need for a crochet hook or elaborate threading through metal curls to get the right tension. The tension applied on the fiber can be adjusted with a small screw/allen wrench on the side.

I keep one EF shuttle for thicker yarns, one for thin, and one I don't use at all because it has to be threaded with a very small crochet hook, and I just got too annoyed when using it! I kept losing the crochet hook in my loom bench because it needed to be so small, and felt I was wasting time with trying to pull the weft through that hole every time I had to unweave and wind back on. 

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 16:26

ReedGuy

I downloaded a pattent by John Kaufmann from 1949 for an end feed shuttle tensioning mechanism.

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 20:01

mrdubyah (not verified)

The pirn holder in the AVL pivots upward so the pirn is nearly perpendicular to the shuttle.  When compelled to "unweave", I take out a few picks, then stand the pirn up and wind the loose yarn around it and repeat.  It isn't great, but it's no worse than trying to wind loose yarn onto a bobbin through the hole in my side feed shuttle. 

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 21:52

sally orgren

if the warp isn't too wide, and just pass the pirn hand-to-hand through the shed, rewinding as I go.

(Good point, mrdubyah!)

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 22:10

SallyE (not verified)

The few times I've had to unweave so far, I stood the pirn up and wound it back on by hand.  

But with regular boat shuttles and a bobin it is a lot easier if you load the bobbin such that the thread comes up from under the bobbin into the side slot.   If you do that, you can quickly rewind the unwoven yarn onto the shuttle by just flicking the bobin towards you with your thumb.

But I'm still going to be using my end feed shuttle more!   Love it!

 

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 22:29

danteen (not verified)

I also use end feed shuttles all the time.  Quit with the boat shuttles a long time ago.  Yarn is usually a lot cheaper than my time, so when un-weaving, I just cut the yarn off.  Un-weave back to where I want to start and begin again as if I'm starting with a new thread.   I may throw away a couple of yards of yarn, but it's worth it not to have to rewind the pirn manually.

I watch pretty carefully for mistakes since I weave on an AVL with auto advance and don't want to have to adjust the fell also.

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 22:59

SallyE (not verified)

Good point about your time being worth more than the yarn.    I guess I'd have to think about that if I were afraid of running short or maybe using silk.  

Mon, 03/18/2013 - 23:16

ReedGuy

Time is a funny thing though. When your not being paid for time or if the government doesn't tax it, it's not worth much. But materials bought have value. ;) Hard to pay the bills if your not getting pay for time.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 01:43

sandra.eberhar…

I have several Bluster Bay shuttles  with several small hooks for tension that can be a pain to rethread.  I keep an eye on the pirn when  it's getting low and tie the new pirn to the end of the old one before it slips through the hooks.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 09:20

ReedGuy

On my end feed, everything is open design. I lay the yarn down on the path and tighten one brass screw, a slight pull to test everything and place the shuttle in the shuttle box.

I have looked online at some Bluster Bay and wondered about all the hooks.

Tue, 03/19/2013 - 12:37

sally orgren

Something else to consider is the nose configuration on EFS. Buster Bays are the most blunt, and two of my AVL's have a slighly tapered nose. Not sure where the others fall.

Wouldn't it be great if we could go to a conference, have a loom warped & available with each type of EFS available to try, so we could see what appeals to our own preferences?