# Ashford flyer help. I'm losing it!



## MoVikingSheep (Oct 12, 2013)

Hello, in Feb. I bought a new Kiwi 2 wheel with the sliding hook flyer. No matter what I do, what I try, the spun fiber collects on the rear of the orifice, next to the front of the spindle. It's maddening. I've tried: Whacking the bobbing and brake holder thing together so I have less of a gap between the brake holder thing and the bobbin since the bobbin seems to slide forward and back. I've tried taping a leader yarn to the bobbin. I've tried spinning with the leader yarn in the cup hooks, in one cup hook, in neither cup hook. I've adjusted the brake tension to both ends of the scale and everything in between. I really need help and there's no local spinning group.


----------



## DragonFlyFarm (Oct 12, 2012)

Good Morning Mo! I'm sorry you are having troubles....it can be quite frustrating at times, but you will figure it out! There are gals here with tons and tons of experience, I'm sure one will chime in soon. I spin on a Kromski not an Ashford, but I also have the sliding hook flyer. Are you able to get any take up onto the bobbin at all? Does your leader yarn wind onto the bobbin? Taping the leader to the bobbin is good, you know it's not slipping. Treadling very slowly can help with take up. Can you try putting on a very long leader yarn and playing with your brake to see if you can improve take up...it might help if you are not concentrating on controlling your fibers AND trying to figure out take up. I have no idea about your bobbin sliding back and forth. Don't give up!


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

Take a deep breath - no more caffeine for you - :grin: and step away from any sharp objects. 

A couple of questions for you: 

1: Have you or anyone else successfully spun anything on this wheel with its current setup? 

(trying to ascertain IF the wheel is complete and properly assembled)

2: Is the leader on this bobbin properly and securely tightened down and or taped down so securely that it cannot slip? Is this your only bobbin? Let's try another bobbin!

3. What kind of orifice do you have? Have you REALLY oiled the axle (assuming you are instructed to with this wheel's components) and the inside of the bobbin? 

4. How much space and back and forth do you have between the front of your bobbin and the back of the flyer front? (there should be no need to do any whacking of any of the parts! ) 

5. Are you sure the whorl is tightened down and maybe not switched around backwards? Check the threads to make sure they are screwing down completely. 

6. Are you spinning a hairy fiber that is catching on the sliding hook preventing take up? 

7. Is your drive band new? old? worn out? and is it properly attached and of a proper length? Is this a poly band?

Pictures would REALLY help. We can get you through this. I promise. 

For now ,forget about spinning FIBER and just tie on some commercial yarn - about 5 feet to get you started. Once we get THAT taking up on your bobbin we will get back to spinning fiber. :grin:


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

assuming this is your flyer, is it set up like this and your scotch tension is set up correctly?

There is no reason the cup hooks or sliding hooks should be in any way interfering with take up (unless the fiber is extremely hairy)

Have you checked on ravelry on the Ashford group to get help? I am sure they are more experienced with your wheel's design than I am- but we can likely get you through this. 

Gone-a-milkin' had a Kiwi and she may come on later tonight!~She is a bit of a night owl. :grin:


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I will be with my spinning group today and my good friend has a Kiwi. I remember when she got her the seller set it put for her and they did a strange thing with her tensioning. I undid what they did, she was having very similar problems. I was able to spin on her wheel but she was having a lot of troubles. The tensioning on was finiky, or it was just her getting used to and understanding how tension works. I will take pictures of her wheel and her assembly this morning and post them for you. In the mean time, go find something else fun to do. We will get it worked out. 

Can you take a few pictures of your wheel and the flyer assembly, and tensioning decvice for us. It really makes it easier if we can se what it going on. Take one from the top looking down onto the flyer, one from the side and any others you think will help.


----------



## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Does the bobbin spin freely on the flyer rod if there's no tension on it? It sounds like a lack of take up of some sort. The bobbin and the flyer have to spin at different speeds on order for the bobbin to take up the fiber. If you can't spin the bobbin separately from the flyer, it won't take up.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Here are a few pictures of my friends flyer set up. As she began to spin she started having the same problem you are describing. I took a look at her set up and realized that she had her break band and drive band crossed. The first photo shows how things should be set up. The drive band should go over the whorl, the break band should go over the bobbin. The second and third photos show the side vies and how the break band set up should look. The spring should be barely stretched out. Okay it only seems to let me post one photo at a time. This is photo number 1.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Number 2


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

And number 3


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

where'd he/she go?


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

:shrug:


----------

