We got the loom repaired but it hasn't been used due to all my time and energy going into setting up and running a business for the past 4 years (YarnMaker).
However, this month Sue Foulkes is running a band weaving workshop for the Yahoo list "Braids and Bands" on behalf of the Braid Society and she got in touch to ask about the Henning loom.
Link here to the Braids and Bands list homepage.
It had certainly been used for some part of its life and banging of the beater had shaken it apart at the joints. It had to be taken apart and all the joints re-glued. Then we added buffers (A) for the beater with rubbers (B) to reduce the impact.
The beater was not strong enough, it wiggle from side to side in use, so we re-enforced it with a solid block of wood.
The beater's sides were wider than the base they were supposed to be fitted to, so we spaced them out from the sides of the loom with washers.
And the new cherry wood seat is a considerable improvement on the hard narrow bench!
Down on the floor you can see shafts and heddles, I'm starting to assemble the loom for weaving. More easily done on a table of course.
More on this another day soon, it's lunchtime here and then I have to get back to the "day job" of YarnMaker.
Meanwhile, if you'd like an introduction to band weaving, do join the Yahoo list and have a go!
The programme for the workshop is:
1) An introduction to
weaving methods (starting now).
2) From 22nd March, exploration of three ways of weaving narrow bands to highlight the differences and
similarities.
3) From 8th April, how to design your own patterns
Sue Foulkes has a particular interest in Swedish woven bands and has published a few books and articles in which she shares her research and skills. She also gives talks and runs Guild workshops. You can purchase her books from Blurb (print on demand and very nice quality!) - see here.
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