Has anyone seen this loom before? It is a 4S4T jack loom. I thought all jack looms had metal heddles to weight the shafts, but this one came originally with texsolv. The shafts will not raise evenly, esp 1+4, for which one side lifts higher than the other.The shafts also don't lower properly. My inclination was to think metal heddles, but the bars that hold the heddles are round (probably 1/4" diameter), not flat, so I don't think metal heddles will fit. Does anyone have any suggestions how to add weight? Would weight just be added to the shafts symmetrically, or more weight to the sides that ride higher?

 

Comments

Sun, 04/14/2013 - 17:32

SallyE (not verified)

I'm just guessing here because I have never used this particular loom and you don't show pictures of the mechanism.   (Pics would help.)



If shafts 1 and 4 don't raise evenly and 2 and 3 are ok, perhaps these shafts (1 and 4) aren't being "pulled on" in the middle?   If they are pulled on off center, they will move off center unless there is something else acting on them such as other lams / treddles in a CM loom, or they use lams that ride in a groove to distribute the force like the Macomber looms do.



As for adding weight, there are easier ways to do that without trying to make metal heddles fit on a rod meant for texsolve heddles.   For example, you could take a metal bar and tie it onto the bottom heddle bar under the heddles for a weight. 

Also, remember that elastic can be made to work like weight.   So you could attach a small bungee chord to one or both ends of the bottom heddle bars and then attach the other end somewhere such as onto your loom frame.   And you can do this as a trial without any loom modifications so you can experiment with what to do to make it work.   Just use strong chord or texsolv chord to make a loop where you want to attach it and put the hooks of the bungee into a loop on the texsolv.   Once you figure out what works, you can install eye screws for a more permanent installation.   The bungee chords themselves can be modified to be shorter, if that helps you, by slipping the hook part to the middle and then tying a simple knot in the end of the elastic part.

 

Sun, 04/14/2013 - 19:14

Sara von Tresckow

That loom appeared in Varpa prospects for a brief moment in the late 1970's when a few European loom makers tried their hand at rising shed looms. They were not made for very long. Yours is the first that I have actually seen a photo of.

You need to add weight by other means than the heddles, as already suggested. Since it is fairly old, you'll need to clean and polish all moving parts and try to get the shafts sliding better. 

Soon after this loom was announced, the company went back to producing only counterbalanced and countermarche looms.

Sun, 04/14/2013 - 19:26

midwifehc

Part of the problem I think is the hooks under the shafts are not in the middle of the shaft. They are offset to be directly over the treadle they are tied to. Shafts 2 and 3 are closer to center, so move better. I'll try to figure out a way to weight them.