I'm in the midst of designing a loom for myself and was hoping to equip it with a sticky cloth advance roller, but I'm having a terrible time finding information about the various beam covering options-- what materials are in use, and what materials are best for what types of projects?
Allen Fannin (Handloom Weaving Technology, 1979) lists sandpaper, perforated metal, felt, and cork as possible coverings and stresses the importance of matching the covering to the project, but gives no further details on the coverings or guidance on matching them to projects. What grits of sandpaper are used, in what abrasives and what backing? What gauge of metal, and what kind of perforation? Synthetic or natural felt, and how thick, and how dense? What size and roughness of cork? I've heard from other sources that sandpaper works on 'most' projects, and perforated metal is good for thicker, fluffier fabrics. My weaving interests are a bit eclectic, but the things of most interest at the moment are dress-weight wools and blanket weight fabrics in wool and cotton. Further down the road I’d like to try my hand at fine linen and possibly silk. What sort of coverings would match these sorts of projects?