Yesterday I beamed a 6 yd, 8/2 cotton warp and had so many problems with the lint creating knot-like issues.  I leave my warp sticks in while beaming and wonder if there's a different way I could have done this and not had all the trouble.  So far it looks like only 1 or 2 warp threads broke and I have a knot that ended up wound on with the warp. This is the longest cotton warp I've beamed and don't recall having issues like this in the past.   

Comments

Tue, 12/20/2016 - 00:31

KayW

Had the same problem with 20/2 wool. Set30 epi in 15 dent reed. Going to try warp back to front. Have 2 sets instructions one calls for using lease sticks the other says no lease sticks. If I use lease sticks that's where the pills appear.  But if no lease sticks will it twist in the raddle??  Pills or twists  seem to be my choice??  Any ideas??

Tue, 12/20/2016 - 00:57

Dawn McCarthy

Regarding the cotton, maybe it is moreso the quality of the cotton, you could try sizing or spray starch - the lease sticks are not the main cause.  When using a yarn that likes to matt/pill or join (certain wools etc) you can separate the lease sticks which will give some room to move the yarn along without pilling.  Just move the lease sticks independantly.

Dawn

Tue, 12/20/2016 - 02:54

Joyce (not verified)

Leclerc table loom and my previous cotton warp was on my much larger Fireside loom. I had to move the lease sticks much more frequently on this project than the last.  I'm able to cut the knotted lint away as I thread and the broken warp thread is toward the end of the threading so it ought to be easy to spot where it fits back in the cross.  Next cotton warp I'll have a can of spray starch close by!

Tue, 12/20/2016 - 03:11

Joanne Hall

If you warp with a raddle, wind with more than one thread in your hand.  Not only does it help with counting the threads, but you can put lease sticks into a 2/2 lease, or a 3/3 if you wind with three at a time, and the threads will glide through the lease sticks much easier.  This helps to prevent the fuzz balls from forming.  And  yes, the lease sticks will prevent the groups in the raddle from doing any twisting and it also helps to spread them out evenly.  They sometimes want to stay together and leave spaces between the bundles.

This will help with front to back warping, but as Dawn said, you can also untie the sticks and separate them a little more.  But you should not have to do that with 8/2 cotton.  Dawn may be correct, that the qualilty is not there and the fibers in this cotton might be very short.

Joanne

Tue, 12/20/2016 - 03:12

Joanne Hall

The next time you purchase thread, ask if it is combed or carded.  The combed is better, as the shorter fibers are combed out.

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