I am weaving with UKI 10/2 cotton in the warp sett at 24 epi.  The weft is 8/2 unmercerized Brassard cotton.  On one selvedge my weft keeps shreading and breaking.  I have been placing the weft in at an ample angle for draw in but the yarn shreads and breaks right after I enter the shed, at the far selvedge.  So if I am throwing the shuttle from right to left, it's the right hand selvedge that is shredding and bereaking.

Any idea why?  Any suggestions to stop it?  The tension on the warp is very even.  I am in the 4th yard of a 6.5 yard project.  I just need to finish another 2.5 yards.  Aaaargh!  Help!!

Claudia

 

Comments

Sat, 04/26/2014 - 21:12

sally orgren

If you actually meant the selvedge warp, then a few more questions...

Is it a floating selvedge warp thread (FS)? 

What is the project? (scarf or yardage—i.e. how important is the finished edge?)

Is one selvedge always a little less perfect than the other, and is this weak warp on the less "perfect" side? 

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So, here are some "what ifs" for a consistently breaking warp selvedge:

>You replace it with a completely new warp thread at the selvedge?

>You let it "go away" and the second to last warp now becomes the last warp thread?

> You add a piece of sewing thread in the same color next to the weak warp thread to strengthen it?

> If this is a FS, switch the way the shuttle enters the shed. If your shuttle enters the shed in a consistent manner (say, over the FS each time) it actually may be unplying the yarn without your realizing it.

> If this weak warp falls on the "less than perfect" selvedge side, I have heard that if you scooch just a smidge on the bench toward that side, it changes the throw angle and can make both selvedges perfect. I put this option last because I don't know if it would help in this case or not, but if all else fails, I would try it.

Not fun. Hope you banish this weaving gremlin. Good luck!

Sat, 04/26/2014 - 21:22

sally orgren

Is it a dark color weft? Darker colors/dyes can deteriorate yarns. Or maybe you just hit a bad patch on the cone where the spinning machine made an error.

Is it new yarn, or older yarn from a stash? (Did you check it for strength before using, even it you weren't planning to use it in the warp?)

What kind of shuttle are you using, and how wide is the warp? Is the bobbin low when this happens? (i.e. warps narrower than 21" I don't use EFS)

Maybe this was a bad batch of yarn? I would call Brassard. The WEFT breaking in such a consistent manner is highly unusual. Never heard of this before! 

Sally

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 01:11

Alison (not verified)

Did the yarn become untwisted while winding the bobbins/pirns?  Were there any problems for the first 4ish feet?  New cone?  Since it is a two ply yarn, one would think that even if you untwisted the plying, the two plies would have enough integrity to not shed.  If a new cone, I'd send it back - sounds like defective yarn.

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 01:33

mrdubyah (not verified)

If it is, in fact, the weft as you describe, it may be that you are weaving too tightly.  To test this theory, try throwing a few picks while leaving a loop of yarn at the selvedge.  Start with a loop roughly large enough to insert a pencil.  See if that loop pulls in snug when beating or if it still becomes tight enough to break.  Then, leave successively larger or smaller loops until, after beating, you get a nice clean selvedge.   

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 12:19

Dawn McCarthy

Are you using a temple?

Dawn

 

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 15:14

Claudia Segal (not verified)

Thank you all for your suggestions. \ First, to some answers to your questions: Yes, it is the weft that is breaking, not the warp. I was using a new cone and, after removing the broken weft threads, I switched to the other new cone I had. Here is what worked. I used the method of leaving a loop at the edge and seeing if it was absorbed by the beating and it almost was. I worked on making the loop smaller until it lay gently against the warp and I increased the angle of each pick as I laid it in the shed. That worked! I have just finished weaving 6" with a different cone of yarn and being much more gentle with laying in each pick and no mishaps. In fact, the web looks very, very nice. No breakage. I guess with the Brasard I need soft hands. Thanks again to everyone who offered suggestions and insights. I am out of the woods and on my way to finishing this aucker. Oh, no temple, I used them on the last wrap and found the selvedges are much, much nicer without it. Also, no EFS. It was too heavy and fell through the warp constnatly so I sold it. I never found it helpful. Claudia

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 15:23

ReedGuy

Leclerc has a lighter EFS with open bottom. It has worked well for me. That's if you want an EFS. But seems your happy with the results with what you have, so probably no urgent need. :) I also have regular side feed shuttles that always work well to, and I made them.