I  am cleaning my heddles and I drying them as soon as I am done cleaning. Rust keeps forming on them though. Can I or should I oil or lubricate them with something to prevent rust from forming? What should I use?

Comments

Tue, 11/19/2013 - 13:52

sequel (not verified)

Flat steel or twisted wire?  Anyway, oil can migrate to your warp so you don't want that.  My first idea is to hit them with a rust preventive spray paint.  Haven't tried that personally, but if my heddles were wire, I'd give it a try.  Flat steel heddles, probably not...

 

Anybody else?

Sat, 11/23/2013 - 23:49

Monica Bellas (not verified)

I think I remember reading somewhere that navel jelly is the thing to use to clean metal heddles.  However, don't ask me what navel jelly is or where to find it!

Monica

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 00:10

Queezle

As a kid, my brother and I would search out old beer cans, and clean the rust off with naval jelly.  I think you could find it in a hardware store.

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 00:27

steve104c (not verified)

How bad are they rusted? It might be best to replace with texol heddles. Never rusts and are quite when treadling...........Steve.
Sun, 11/24/2013 - 01:40

Del (not verified)

"Naval", pertaining to the Navy. "Navel", pertaining to your belly button.;-)

(I have moved on to stainless steel for all reeds and Textsolv for almost all heddles.)

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 01:46

sally orgren

They are not that expensive. And I HATE heddle hopping for any reason. It would be worth it to me, and for my peace of mind, to replace with stainless steel, open-eyed heddles for easier threading.

Be careful about automatically replacing heddles with Texsolv. Some looms (jack) are designed with the steel heddle weight in mind for optimum operation.

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 14:43

Michael White

There are a number of products that you can use to lubricate your heddle. You can try using natural lanolin oils on the market. The problem with an lubrication is that it will rub off. Most heddles are nickle plated, when people try cleaning them with steel wool or sand paper they remove the plating and then you have rust over and over. One last point stainless steel heddles and reeds will still rust just like the cheap Chinese SS flatware. I recently got some SS heddles from a well know loom manufacture that had rust on them.

 Michael