- Boat shuttles weigh less (Schacht boat shuttle, 159g, Schacht end feed 188g)
- When I throw a boat shuttle, if I'm using a plastic bobbin, the bobbin rattles as the thread unwinds. This indicates uneven rate and feed of thread.
- End feed shuttles are silent. Nothing rattles. Thread release is smooth and even.
- As above, the thread unwinds smoothly from the end feed, but not from the boat. The first difference I notice when I recently used a boat shuttle for the first time was that when I had tucked the end of my thread in the warp before the first shuttle throw, the shuttle pulled it out. It was pulling on the thread already laid. This does not happen with the end feed. One conclusion from this is that an end feed shuttle is better for fine and delicate threads.
- For bulky threads and novelty threads, I believe the boat is better because the tension device on the end feed shuttle is designed for a certain range of yarn diameter. I first used my boat shuttle when I had a chenille weft.
I enjoy handspinning & dyeing, and using yarns in knitting, handloom and inkle weaving.
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Boat Shuttles and End Feed Shuttles
I have both end feed shuttles (2 makes) and boat shuttles (2 makes). I am going to write here about my Crossley (no longer made, were also sold in the U.S. as AVL) and Schacht 38 cm end feed shuttles and my Schacht boat shuttles.
I also have an Ashford shuttle, for some reason this one likes to dive down and vanish to the floor through the middle of my warp threads. Instead of weaving with this shuttle I use it when tying on my warp to the apron rods (!) I'm keeping it for this use and because I'd like to give it a try with a jack loom someday. As Ashford make jack looms I expect it is designed for them.
Thoughts on using a boat shuttle compared to an end feed shuttle.
This is a fabulous post Dot, thankyou for sharing!
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I use a different approach to end feed and boat shuttles to yours - I use finer threads in my boat shuttles and chunkier thread for wider projects on end feed shuttles, although I think that's mostly a function of shuttle size.
So much information, I didn't know there was so much to know about shuttles. Thanks for writing about it!
ReplyDeleteGeodyne, if you pass this way again, I'd like to know what make of end feed shuttle you use your chunkier threads in? Certainly my Crossley shuttles wouldn't take a chunky thread, I suppose the Schacht might. I'd love to know about the shuttles other people use.
ReplyDeleteThough you will probably find them too heavy, I love my Bluster Bay end feed shuttles. They are beautiful to look at and to hold, and I like their tensioning system much better than Schacht's. It involves winding the weft yarn around a series of hooks---how many depends on how much tension you want, and you can also play with the order of the hooks you wind on to. Consequently you can use any size of thread at all from the finest to the thickest. As for number of shuttles and pirns. I can't have too many pirns. And if you weave with multiple shuttles at a time, multiple shuttles are necessary! Thank you for another carefully crafted piece.
ReplyDeleteLove that distraction gadget! *lol
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! I too, wish you had a Bluster Bay and LeClerc end feed shuttle to review. I would love to hear what you thought about those.
This is very helpful as I consider getting my first end-feed shuttle. I too had heard about the selvedge difference, but you hearten me with what you say.
For bulkier yarns I'm really sold on using a ski shuttle. Mostly because it holds so much more yarn than a bobbin or pirn.
I think too, I should switch to cardboard bobbins for now, because I have a Schact boat and a Gilmore boat. The problem with the Gilmore boat is that the 6 inch bobbins barely fit, required a bend paper clip to get them out.
Thank you for all the detailed information. I enjoy reading about the comparisons and personal thoughts, it gives such insight that you don't often find.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post! I just got my Bluster Bay end feed shuttle, but it turned out of all my odd pirns, none fit it (sigh). It takes a shorter one than the Schacht. Lovely, though, and promises to do good things. I do that same thing, use a quill to fit the pirn on my bobbin winder -- works great.
ReplyDeleteMy end-feed selvedges are easier than my boat-shuttle selvedges, I have noticed I do alot of hand-manipulating of the edges to get a nice selvedge with my boat shuttles. With the end-feed shuttle, it works right all by itself (so far).
My all-time favorite boat shuttle is my Bosworth -- its slightly curved nose seems to avoid heading down on the warp, and it has the nicest feel in my hand. Also, I tend to use quills rather than bobbins as I still suffer from the knitter's problem of not wanting to cut threads anymore than I have to.
Great post -- thanks for all the details and pictures! very handy to this relatively new weaver.
I have only used Schacht end feed shuttles and Leclerc boat shuttles, so loved reading your post. I really enjoyed reading what you paid for your shuttles. In British Columbia I paid $99.00 CDN plus GST and PST for my Schacht shuttles, so they are pricy no matter what country you live in.
ReplyDeleteHello there - I am not a weaver, but found this blog when chasing information on my old and worn pair of shuttles. They came from Bottomley's Woollen Mills in West Yorkshire, and have Honex tensioners. One of the pair is marked Honex 602 B/R and the other 602 B/L which I assumed meant left and right. There are no bobbins with them, but both have sheep's wool (on the hide) glued on the inside where a bobbin would sit. I assumed this was to catch lint but now I've read some of your comments I'm not sure. Can anyone tell me more about my shuttles? Thanks so much, Gillian
ReplyDeleteHi Dot - Thanks much for all of the shuttle info. I recently acquired two Crossley shuttles made around 1990. There were not any instructions for them - did you get instructions with yours and was there any care information that I should know about? Thanks,
ReplyDeleteJon
Hi Jon,
ReplyDeleteAll that came with my shuttles was the invoice and some pirns!
Are your shuttles in good condition? If you have any particular questions I might be able to help. You can find a few other Crossley shuttle owners in the Yahoo Group "WeaveTech" as they were supplied with AVL looms as "AVL shuttles".
Mine seem to be best for medium-fine yarns and work especially well with the 2/12 cotton I have used. For linen I marginally prefered the Schacht end feed shuttle, but maybe it's a matter of getting the tension just right.
Hi Dot,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your info! I'll pass your use info on to my wife who is the weaver. The Crossley shuttles came to us in very good shape, although the ends had normal wear and needed cleaning up. Most of the lacquer finish had also been worn off the ends. I decided to completely refinish them on the outside to protect the wood, so I resanded them through 10 grades of sandpaper, ending with 2000-grit paper (and being careful to preserve the original shape and "Crossleys" emblem printed on the bottoms). I finished them with 6 coats of polyurethane/oil, followed by 3 of carnuba wax. I also cleaned up the cast brass tensioners and pirn holders. I have a fine-woodworking / furniture restoration background as a hobby. If you are interested, I could send you photos of what they look like (before & after).
It's too bad that the company folded after all those years given the quality of what they were producing. Do yours have the "Crossleys" emblem on the bottom? Ours also have "England", a serial number, and month/year printed in green. I'm curious about their relationship with AVL. The tensioners on ours are not stamped with "Honex". They are solid brass, each cast in two pieces. They used persimmon wood to make them.
I also found your comment about the Schacht boat shuttle interesting with regard to Schacht saying that it's ok to have the bobbin rim above the top of the shuttle surface - we disagree if the shed is narrow. In my semi-retirement, I spent a couple of months interviewing Weaver's Guild members here about what they consider to be the best design for boat shuttles, and then after a lot of setup (jigs, templates, etc.) started to produce them in my shop using native woods, polished stainless steel for the rods, and much contouring and finishing. They are technical devices, but a pleasure to make. Thanks again for your response -
Jon