I have the opportunity to purchase a used Baby Wolf loom with some additional accessories for $800. I know the loom has been well cared for and is in good condition. I believe it is a 4 shaft model and not the 4+4. Is it still possible to convert this to the 8 shaft model? I know I will have to buy at least one kit to do so. Thanks.

Comments

Wed, 02/26/2014 - 18:09

Artistry

I would call Schacht, I think they would be open to helping you.

Wed, 02/26/2014 - 18:22

mneligh

It depends on whether it is a straight 4, or a 4N4L model.  You can tell by looking at the castle (does it have space?) or have the serial # ready when you call Schacht.

Wed, 02/26/2014 - 22:51

sandra.eberhar…

Mneligh is right.  The four shaft version has a castle that is ~5" deep, and the 8 shaft version is about double that.  If it is a 4+4, you will see empty grooves behind the existing 4 shafts for the new ones.  In an earlier post, you were looking for a loom capable of making rugs.  The Baby Wolf is very popular, easy to tie up, but it will not make rugs.  Shacht puts these together with carriage bolts, and I found that in tensioning a shawl warp (fine wool), I saw the beam supports moving toward the front.  That means that a lot of pressure is being applied to these bolts, which will eventually round out the holes, and require bigger hardware or replacement of the wood.  With a light X-frame loom like this, the tension needed for rug weaving will do this rather quickly.

Wed, 02/26/2014 - 22:59

sandra.eberhar…

Sorry, I reread your post and realized that your question was different than I thought.  No, you can't add 4 more shafts to a 4 harness Schacht loom.  The shafts are contained in a castle with grooves for the shafts to ride up and down.  The 4 shaft castle is too small.  The 4n4l has an 8 shaft castle with 4 shafts in it.   Some modern production looms like this do not offer a lot of adjustment or customization.  if you want to get into that, look into the Home Made Equipment forum.