You Get What You Pay For

One of the disadvantages of doing a craft that people don't do that much is that when your tools break, you have to find a way to fix them on your own.

Sometimes, this is easy. When my Ashford Traditional wheel breaks (the drive band snaps or something similar) I can get an Ashford basic repair kit that will have the parts that commonly need replacing. It is a popular wheel, so there are others to help with common problems.

Ashford Traditional in working order

Not so with my mystery wheel.

Mystery Wheel

I have mentioned before that I bought a mystery wheel off of Craigslist. The seller (an antique shop) said it was from the 1920s, but there is a strong possibility it is from the 1970s, based on wear and tear.

It has been a learning experience, and has necessitated many trips to the hardware store.

When I first got it, it needed some serious oiling. It also has a large crack in the foot board that needed to be glued and clamped. I had the glue, but had to go out and buy the clamp.

I got it working, but I didn't really know what I was doing. It was my first wheel. I didn't have spinning wheel oil, so I improvised with olive oil and later carbon dust (which is advertised for locks. It works, but it makes a mess). I didn't have an orifice hook, so again, I improvised. I made something-or-other out of hanging wire that is a bit like a sewing needle threader.

I started making some (funky) yarn.

But then, as it got later in the spring, and the heat turned off, it mysteriously stopped working. The treadle would turn, but the wheel would just not turn with it.

This is when I threw up my hands and bought my Ashford.

But I also stared at it, and thought, and thought, and stared, and asked people on message boards, and... I finally found a little hole in the side of the wheel. There was no screw in it, so at first I thought that the screw had come out. But no matter what I poked in there, I couldn't find the hole in the drive shaft. I looked really closely, and discovered that the hole had some metal. Ah ha! Maybe it would tighten with an allen wrench? (it helps that I had been looking at Ashford manuals to try to figure out how to fix my new wheel)

Success! Now I have two working spinning wheels.

The one problem is that my mystery wheel only has one bobbin. If I want to do any plying, I need to wind everything onto a drinking straw or other bobbin.

Bobbin from the mystery wheel

So, I did what any sensible person would do, and put out feelers on Craigslist for people willing to do a wood turning job.

I got two hits. Both seemed competent. One had a professional shop, but would charge more than I had offered and was 40 minutes away (I would have to go there to bring him the old bobbin). The other was closer and would do the job for less money. I chose the cheaper option....

and I got what I paid for. They look beautiful, but only one of the new one really works. The middle hole is crooked, so they don't spin freely. I'm not sure it is worth it to contact him and drive 20 minutes to get him to do it again.

Original bobbin on the left, copies on the right.

The maker did send me a number of cool photos of his process though.

Bobbins in progress