I got the Texsolv heddles installed on my LeClerc loom and finished threading the warp this afternoon. I wound this warp over a year ago after
Leigh was experimenting with Ms and Os. I made a set of towels and really like how absorbent the weave is. I decided to see what I would get with a white warp and bright weft but I hate to change the tie-up on my Gilmore so didn't do anything more with it. I certainly had no idea that I would be threading through white heddles.
The eye is really big and really easy to thread. However, the heddles don't slide well and are maybe even worse than the wire heddles that I replaced. I had a hard time getting them spaced evenly after they were threaded. I've been phishing on the Internet this evening to see if anyone talks about them. I've read all kinds of information but nothing is said about sliding on the bars. I'm sure they're the right size. Any ideas?
I got the Texsolv heddles installed on my LeClerc loom and finished threading the warp this afternoon. I wound this warp over a year ago after Leigh was experimenting with Ms and Os. I made a set of towels and really like how absorbent the weave is. I decided to see what I would get with a white warp and bright weft but I hate to change the tie-up on my Gilmore so didn't do anything more with it. I certainly had no idea that I would be threading through white heddles.
The eye is really big and really easy to thread. However, the heddles don't slide well and are maybe even worse than the wire heddles that I replaced. I had a hard time getting them spaced evenly after they were threaded. I've been phishing on the Internet this evening to see if anyone talks about them. I've read all kinds of information but nothing is said about sliding on the bars. I'm sure they're the right size. Any ideas?
6 comments:
That was the one thing I don't like about the Texsolv heddles, that they don't slide. I'll be interested in any tips you get. What I usually do is lift the bottom heddle bar when I slide them. I've thought about waxing the bottom of the heddle bar, but haven't tried that yet.
I suspect that once you get the warp under tension they will slide into place.
I only have Texsolv on my countermarche loom - so it has wooden bars (requiring Texsolv or string heddles). They don't slide easily like the metal heddles on my jack loom, but I do lift the lower shaft if I need to move a lot of them around. (Which is easy on a countermarche, but would not be easy on my jack loom.)
I know of a couple of other people who've shifted to Texsolv on a jack loom - mostly for reasons of the weight of the shafts bothering them with the metal heddles. I haven't heard anyone mention difficulty sliding Texsolv heddles on their jack looms - but that doesn't mean they're not having trouble.
Good luck getting it sorted out!
Sue
Over time they will stretch just a bit and while they will never slide like a metal heddle, you will get use to them. I find them much less frustrating than my flat steel heddles which bind up when trying to slide them.
The flip side is, they are much kinder to your warp and even if there is a little pull due to being slightly off, they won't abrade the warp.
I'm planning on some day changing the Murphy CB loom over to Texsolv I like them that much.
They don't slide well, but that's the only downside, as far as I'm concerned.
I started coloring the eyes of the heddles on the counterbalance loom - sharpie pens work well - a different color for each shaft. Never quite finished it (look - a chicken), but it does help, particularly with white on white.
Thanks for the post about Texsolv heddles. I still haven't made up my mind as to wether I want them or not. I don't needed them but am thinking they might be easier to weave with since they much lighter than medal heddles.
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