Posted by Kim on Wednesday, 8 October 2003, at 3:36 a.m.:
Hello!
My daughters and I are trying to find "technical answers" for a spinning wheel my grandmother bought for us. It's a horizontal wheel, very much like the one on the cover of "The Whole Craft of Spinning" by Carol Kroll, with a flyer assembly. We've spun with drop spindles, and seem to have the feel of getting the wheel moving, but have several questions. Forgive the dumb ones!
How tight should the drive bands be?
Should the bobbin and pulleys be loose on the shaft? The bobbin does not spin freely, but will turn if we turn it by hand. Should we be able to easily remove the bobbin from the flyer assembly?
In the words of my 14 year-old, the bobbin is not "sucking up" the spun thread. A good spin is on the thread, but we have to hand twist the bobbin to pull the thread on it.
What can I safely take apart and oil?!
Thanks for the help... and if anyone knows of a better place to find information, we'd greatly appreciate it!
Kim :-)