Monday, May 5, 2008

THREADING DIFFICULTIES

threading error Having fixed the crossed warp ends I proceeded to throw initial shots with 20/2 pearl cotton. I had not gone far when I saw that warp ends were not catching in one block.  That is happening where you see those long weft overshots in the middle of the picture.  Looking underneath will reveal that warps are totally not being caught.

CHECK THE THREADING

I checked the threading.  It was correct.   I tried treadling again.  One of the treadles still created long overshots in that block.

CHECK THE TIE-UP

Perhaps that treadle was not tied up correctly? I checked.   It was. I checked the threading again.   It was fine. 

And then I saw it.

WATCH THOSE SHAFTS!

I had placed the warp ends for shaft four (NB, this is a FOUR-shaft threading) onto heddles placed on shaft.......................FIVE! Of course any warp ends on shaft five would never be caught......

REPLACEMENT HEDDLES

I tried to go the replacement heddle route.  But when I tried to put one on shaft four, the heddle just got caught totally up into all the warp threads.  Using replacement heddles just wasn't going to work.

TO-DO LIST

So now what I get to do is:

  1. Tie together the warp ends that need to be threaded to keep them separated from the rest.
  2. Cut all the warp ends
  3. Slip knot groups of warp ends in front of the reed that do not need to be re-threaded.
  4. Pull the marked warp ends to be threaded through the reed.
  5. Pull those warp ends...........sob.......through the heddles.
  6. Rethread those warp ends.  113 warp ends.
  7. Resley those warp ends.
  8. Group warp ends into slip knots for lashing on
  9. Lash on the warp ends
  10. Adjust the warp tension
  11. Throw the shuttle to even out the warp ends and to check for crossed ends and threading errors.

Any volunteers?

Related Posts:
Who Spotted the Threading Errors?
Threading Error Revisited

© 2008

7 comments:

Susan B. said...

I'll volunteer! I think I can bring to the job some very recent experience in this!
One question: when you remove all the threads from the heddles, how do you keep them straight?

Anonymous said...

Would it be possible to tie up shaft 5 to work in parallel with shaft 4, or is it busy doing something else? Though I suspect you will feel a lot better when everything is in its proper place, and the present pain will be mitigated by the satisfaction of a resolving a nasty problem. Fortunately weavers seem to be wired that way!

DEEP END OF THE LOOM said...

I'll help you out, if only for the chance to get up close and personal with a big loom and an experienced weaver. Since it sounds so painful, I wish you luck.

bspinner said...

Been there - Done that
I'd volunteer to help but I think I'm a bit to far away.
Good luck!!!!

Peg in South Carolina said...

Susan, thank you-------I have removed the lease sticks so I no longer have a cross. And this threading does not yield a plain weave shed, though I think i could get close enough that it would be OK.
Cally---------YOU ARE BRILLIANT!!!! I am so glad I slept on this. I still have to lash on again, but getting shaft 5 into the action is absolutely perfect. Now to figure out what other treadles might need to be attached to shaft 5. THANK YOU!!!!

Susan said...

This sort of disaster has happened to me (far more frquently than I would like to admit!)
I support a long lease stick across the back of the heddles and under the warp. Once I have lifted the warp threads out of the heddles, they lay in order across the stick and I carefully reach through and take them in order. A friend has also used the sticky part of a post it note to hold the ends in order and gently peel them off the note.

Necessity is the mother of invention!
...oh, and if I lived closer, I'd come and help. Okay , at least watch you and hold your next thread...

Susan in Duncan, BC

Peg in South Carolina said...

Susan in Duncan, BC--thank you for your suggestion. Doing that would frighten me a bit with 72 ends per inch of fine silk! But it would certainly work for heavier threads. And then, too, it wouldn't be quite so important to keep them all in exact order.