# I got a spinning wheel!



## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

My fiance found it and decided that I needed it. I don't know how to spin, and I'm not sure what I'm really looking at. I know some of the names of the parts and it works but needs a belt... Does anyone have a place I can look that can tell me what the different parts do? Like the part around the bobbin, the flyer? And the little hook things on it? And where does one get a belt for it? I don't know what kind/brand of wheel it is. Only that it's supposedly 150 years old and was this lady's great grandmother's wheel. I can try to post pictures tomorrow, if that will help? 

Thanks in advance for anything.


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## DragonFlyFarm (Oct 12, 2012)

Woo Hoo! Congratulations on your new wheel! Pictures would be good, I don't know squat about antique wheels, but there are some very knowledgeable folks on this site. Do some You Tube video searches, you will get alot of info. Two of my wheels have "stretchy" drive bands, one has a piece of knotted twine. I think for the antiques you would use twine or something similiar. Yes, it sounds like you are describing the flyer, the little hooks on the arms are to help guide your yarn onto the bobbin. Where are you located?


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

http://bethsmithspinning.com/your-drive-band/


google "beginner spinning" videos for help getting started


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

DragonFlyFarm said:


> Woo Hoo! Congratulations on your new wheel! Pictures would be good, I don't know squat about antique wheels, but there are some very knowledgeable folks on this site. Do some You Tube video searches, you will get alot of info. Two of my wheels have "stretchy" drive bands, one has a piece of knotted twine. I think for the antiques you would use twine or something similiar. Yes, it sounds like you are describing the flyer, the little hooks on the arms are to help guide your yarn onto the bobbin. Where are you located?


I'm in eastern Washington. I just took a peak at the wheel and the little hooks on the flyer look like bent finishing nails. There's some cracking along the holes that hold them in but I think I can get the holes that are there to hold new hooks... I'll take pictures tomorrow. There's a hole through the flyer for the wool to go through but this baby needs a bit of cleaning. The big wheel has a bit of chipping on one side and there's two grooves for the belt. My boyfriend was told ones for faster and ones for slower? I'm still going off what he was told, lol. But I know it spins. Would a piece of cotton or acrylic yarn work for a belt in lieu of twine? I can get ahold of baling twine I think. But it seems like it'll work with a little love.


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

I'll definitely be searching Google. My wheel looks like the one you posted, more or less. Only one treadle though...


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## Rosepath (Feb 18, 2011)

Congrats on your new wheel, and on selecting the perfect fiancé  If you have lots of time, get on ravelry (www.ravelry.com) it's free to join, and there are several groups dedicated to spinning, wheels, etc. One group is called Working Wheels, and another I think is Antique Wheels, there are lots of knowledgeable people contributing and they're happy to help new spinners.
Cotton twine, like Sugar and Cream from the hobby/fabric store, will do nicely as a drive band. YouTube will be quite helpful.
Enjoy!


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

Yay! I have some Sugar and Cream! I'm afraid I don't have much free time, mainly because I'm on Ravelry!! Lol, StoneyMommy on there. But I will check those groups out. I joined one today but I'm still reading. 

He's pretty perfect. We were discussing alpacas. What I know and don't know about them. I told him I read you can keep ten on an acre with supplement feedings. He says, so I should get you ten? Then the conversation about how that's too many of something I don't know a lot about. I was thinking three...


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## MoBookworm1957 (Aug 24, 2015)

Heather77 said:


> I'll definitely be searching Google. My wheel looks like the one you posted, more or less. Only one treadle though...


Might contact Romy here on HT.
She's under fiber arts forums
She answered a bunch of my questions about weaving looms.
I think she spins too.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

Heather77 said:


> We were discussing alpacas. What I know and don't know about them. I told him I read you can keep ten on an acre with supplement feedings. He says, so I should get you ten? Then the conversation about how that's too many of something I don't know a lot about. I was thinking three...


Ten to the acre is pretty heavily populated. The conventional wisdom as I have been taught is more like 7, preferably with room to rotate pastures. It would be a good starting point if you would share with us what you already know and what you don't, but since you haven't done so yet, I will share some basics:

In my experience they aren't terribly picky about hay, but do need good quality hay. They need at least some copper in their diet for their coats. If possible feed the hay in a suspended feeder that does not have a solid bottom, and in any event, do not put their supplemental feed on top of the hay. I learned the hard way what blister beetles are and if they are fishing in the hay for pellets, they can eat the beetles which induce massive bloating leading to death, and there is no cure for the poison; However, if this happens, you can take gas-x chewables, crush them into powder, and put them in one of the ball-tipped syringes you use for force-feeding liquids, and then draw it not quite all the way full with water. Pull in some air, shake with your finger over the end, and feed. Repeat as necessary.

Make sure they have their ivermectrin shots once a quarter. Watch for worms and make sure you already have Panacur on hand as it is available from the vet only and may well not be in stock, and when you need it, you don't have time to wait for shipping.

A lot of their behavior depends on how you handle them. Mine all eat out of my hand, answer to their names, and my females flutter their ears when I tell them they are pretty girls. Other people have alpacas that appear almost wild, and everything in between. Your mileage may vary.

Be aware that crias can be very fragile and you do not want to breed for birth in extreme weather. Breeding in either October or May/June will typically be the best for a September or April/May birth, that is unless you like either snuggling with crias or sharing your A/C with them.


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

MoBookworm1957 said:


> Might contact Romy here on HT.
> She's under fiber arts forums
> She answered a bunch of my questions about weaving looms.
> I think she spins too.


I need all the help I can get!


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

IndyDave said:


> Ten to the acre is pretty heavily populated. The conventional wisdom as I have been taught is more like 7, preferably with room to rotate pastures. It would be a good starting point if you would share with us what you already know and what you don't, but since you haven't done so yet, I will share some basics:
> 
> In my experience they aren't terribly picky about hay, but do need good quality hay. They need at least some copper in their diet for their coats. If possible feed the hay in a suspended feeder that does not have a solid bottom, and in any event, do not put their supplemental feed on top of the hay. I learned the hard way what blister beetles are and if they are fishing in the hay for pellets, they can eat the beetles which induce massive bloating leading to death, and there is no cure for the poison; However, if this happens, you can take gas-x chewables, crush them into powder, and put them in one of the ball-tipped syringes you use for force-feeding liquids, and then draw it not quite all the way full with water. Pull in some air, shake with your finger over the end, and feed. Repeat as necessary.
> 
> ...


I know next to nothing about alpacas! Lol. I won't be getting any in the near future, maybe a year or two I think. But I did read about the copper. There's a family nearby worth alpacas and I was going to ask at the feed store about them and if they would be willing to chat with me before any purchase or thought of purchase. But I'm definitely going to keep all the info you gave on file too! Not that I think I'd mind snuggling a cria or sharing the a/c but the dogs might be freaked about them being in the house.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

Having knowledgeable neighbors close to you who are willing to share their knowledge is a huge help. I was originally introduced to alpacas when a lady and her daughter (who is roughly my age) operated a festival booth. Prior to this, I had never heard of an alpaca, and now I don't think I could live without them. Julie has done much to foster my growth in raising alpacas as well as making truly life-changing differences in other ways as well. The best way I could describe her is being the mom I wish I could have had. In addition to this, her husband is pretty awesome too. I always feel like I have grown a bit after spending a little time with Mike. Hopefully you will find people like this near you.


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## pasotami (Jun 1, 2006)

I'm a spinner and Weaver, a look will be your next gift! LOL Both are very addictive. 
Your wheel has 2 grooves on the wheel itself or on the flyer? Some have the cotton cord wrapped twice around and yes you can adjust your speed by moving your cord. Cuphooks will work to replace the flyer hooks if you are not trying to keep it traditional.
Have fun!


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

Volumes have been written about restoring old wheels. It has quickly become my hobby and I advise going VERY slowly before proceeding further. Google is your friend.

First, find a spinner - someone with experience with antique wheels and a working knowledge of wheel mechanics. There are oftentimes quiet little groups of fiber artists known as "Guilds" that can be of much more help than a local yarn store.

Then, have that person look at your wheel and let them ascertain its "restorability" and whether or not it is actually a "spinner". Many old wheels are just too far gone and there may be some aspect of their current condition that make them too costly to repair, i.e. warped drive wheel. Just because it HAS spun in the past does NOT mean it can still function as a spinner.

Then, CLEAN and restore that wheel and when it is clean, restored, and well-tuned and fully operational, LEARN to spin.

Don't get in a hurry. 
It is an ongoing process.
Educate yourself.











Be careful when proceeding with repairs like adding hooks to the flyer arm because some are missing. Oftentimes they are missing because the wood is split beneath them and adding MORE hooks will only split them further. When restoring an old wheel, remember "First, DO NO HARM." I spin on several old wheels that are missing hooks and it is not a real problem that effects "function"- it can be purely an aesthetic concern. Also, remember that the balance of the weight along the flyer arms is the important thing for function. A broken flyer arm can result in one of the costliest repairs of all - the meticulous making of custom replacement flyer!

The drive BAND moves the Mother of All closer to or further away from the DRIVE wheel and that is what determines the TENSION of the drive band and that in turn determines how aggressively the bobbin/flyer takes up yarn. SPEED is only adjusted by how fast you treadle - and treadling VERY VERY slowly is important.

The drive band is placed on the wheel in a figure eight. Ignore the part about the polyurethane drive band - that does NOT to antique wheels.





The CPW Lovers Group on ravelry is the best group for wheel restorations I have found.
If I can be of further help, please let me know.


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> Volumes have been written about restoring old wheels. It has quickly become my hobby and I advise going VERY slowly before proceeding further. Google is your friend.
> 
> First, find a spinner - someone with experience with antique wheels and a working knowledge of wheel mechanics. There are oftentimes quiet little groups of fiber artists known as "Guilds" that can be of much more help than a local yarn store.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the great information and videos! I haven't joined that Ravelry group yet but I will, even though I'll probably lurk for a bit! I love to lurk! I did join a local Facebook yarn group and posted just to see and there's a few local spinners! I think we'll try to meet up once everyone's schedule can coordinate. I've even been offered a bit of practice wool which I just think is a lovely thing. I dusted the old girl off yesterday and popped a bit of yarn on just to see if things would turn. I'd love to post some pictures but I'm having trouble getting them to show up from Flickr... I did put them on my Instagram though. Maybe that'll work? I'm planning on going slow since she's an old girl and clearly was very loved at her old home even if not used recently.


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

I missed your post earlier... the big wheel has two grooves as does the flyer. And one on the bobbin? I think. Here's the link to my pictures on Instagram, they aren't the best. Let me know what you think, if it's a single or double? Please and thank you! 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXKKiy0Fiv9/


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

Heather77 said:


> I missed your post earlier... the big wheel has two grooves as does the flyer. And one on the bobbin? I think. Here's the link to my pictures on Instagram, they aren't the best. Let me know what you think, if it's a single or double? Please and thank you!
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BXKKiy0Fiv9/


The "big wheel"? I assume you mean the DRIVE wheel. Some have NO grooves, some have TWO grooves, and I have seen some with THREE grooves. This does not seem to have any bearing on how the wheel spins or how the DRIVE BAND (not "belt"  ) behaves. Some people believe that the design was meant to help insure that the drive band "tracked" perfectly.

Technically, the flyer itself does NOT have ANY grooves - it is the WHORL that has two grooves and the BOBBIN that has one groove. Here is a diagram of the parts of the flyer:










You have a lovely SINGLE treadle DOUBLE DRIVE wheel.

Here is relatively simple explanation of what constitutes a double drive wheel. http://kromskina.com/double-drive-description/


HOWEVER I did notice that whoever put this wheel together has done it wrong. The "Maidens" are facing backwards. The leather bearings holding the metal flyer axle ends should face toward the drive wheel, and not toward the tensioning screw on the end of the bench of the wheel.

Simply remove the flyer and then turn the Maidens 180º so that the leather bearings face towards the drive wheel like this:


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

This is how the leather bearing should look facing the drive wheel.


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




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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

Okay, that all makes sense. I'll get the terms sooner or later. Lol. I'm still new.  I'll turn the maidens around because that does make more sense. And get a drive band... or is it bands? One big long one or two not so long ones? 

I'm so glad you all are willing to be helpful! Thank you so much!


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

Heather77 said:


> Okay, that all makes sense. I'll get the terms sooner or later. Lol. I'm still new.  I'll turn the maidens around because that does make more sense. And get a drive band... or is it bands? One big long one or two not so long ones?
> 
> I'm so glad you all are willing to be helpful! Thank you so much!



Your wheel needs ONE long drive band that goes around the drive wheel TWICE. It will go around the bobbin whorl and it will go around the flyer whorl (also known as the flyer "pulley".) You just need to MAKE your drive band from cotton crochet yarn, packaging twine, cotton string, etc. Here is a good article by a GREAT spinning instructor for beginners.

http://bethsmithspinning.com/your-drive-band/

Tying your first drive band on will take some help and some study - but believe me, thousands and thousands of us all began right where you are- you can do it.

Here is a good tutorial copied from the CPW Lover's group on ravelry:

First off, make sure your flyer/mother-of-all assembly is as close to the wheel as is practical. Stretching is a normal part of belt wear. If you start off with your MOA all the way back, you’ll have to cut and re-tie your belt after a while.


Take your belt material. Make a slip knot and hook it to the rear maiden (the flyer support farthest from you as you sit in spinning position.
Bring your string UNDER the flyer whorl.
Guide it forward to the FRONT groove (the one closest to you when you’re in spinning position) of the wheel. Go UNDER the wheel with the string in the front groove, then up over the top of the wheel.
Guide your belt (still in the front groove) OVER the bobbin whorl.
Bring your belt from under the bobbin whorl and go UNDER the string that’s coming from the flyer whorl. Guide it to the OUTSIDE (farthest from you) groove of the wheel, going UNDER the wheel, up around front, and over the top.
Unhook the end you slip-knotted to the rear maiden, and tie the two ends together.
Turn the wheel by hand gently a few times and make sure the belt is tracking correctly.

The biggest aggravation is the string falling off the wheel. If you have a second pair of hands there, your workload is thereby lightened.  Or you can use a piece of painter's tape to hold it in place until you are ready to tie it.

The slip-knot of the string on the rear maiden lets your keep a little tension on the string, and that helps to keep the belt from falling off the wheel.


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

You might be one of my favorite people right now!


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

Heather77 said:


> You might be one of my favorite people right now!



Oh, and the big knob on the end of the bench (to your far left) is the tensioning knob - the other end of it (buried in the bench) is a big wooden threaded screw. That "screw" is what pushes the "Mother of All" closer to the drive wheel - RELAXING the tension - or conversely, moves it further away from the drive wheel - toward the end of the bench - thus ADDING tension to the drive band.

Sure hope this helps. I know its a lot of information to absorb all at once- so don't.  Just keep reading it and rereading it and playing with that wheel and one day it will click - I promise. Or, send me a plane ticket and I can make a house call!


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## Heather77 (Jul 15, 2017)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> Oh, and the big knob on the end of the bench (to your far left) is the tensioning knob - the other end of it (buried in the bench) is a big wooden threaded screw. That "screw" is what pushes the "Mother of All" closer to the drive wheel - RELAXING the tension - or conversely, moves it further away from the drive wheel - toward the end of the bench - thus ADDING tension to the drive band.
> 
> Sure hope this helps. I know its a lot of information to absorb all at once- so don't.  Just keep reading it and rereading it and playing with that wheel and one day it will click - I promise. Or, send me a plane ticket and I can make a house call!


If I could I'd totally fly you in! You could fly into SeaTac and then into Yakima, I'd pick you up there. Lol. We could haunt the fruit stands since it seems to be cherry, peach and apricot season right now. 
It's a lot of info and I feel like I should be taking notes... but I keep reading, rereading, go stare at the wheel, read some more... it's a process! I'll get it! I can help with my uncle's cars, I can do this, right? And I won't get nasty under my nails! Or at least not the same kind of nasty... And, yes, all the info is definitely helping!


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

With that positive attitude, you're gonna do just fine!


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## Amanda_W (Jul 5, 2017)

Heather77 said:


> If I could I'd totally fly you in! You could fly into SeaTac and then into Yakima, I'd pick you up there. Lol. We could haunt the fruit stands since it seems to be cherry, peach and apricot season right now.
> It's a lot of info and I feel like I should be taking notes... but I keep reading, rereading, go stare at the wheel, read some more... it's a process! I'll get it! I can help with my uncle's cars, I can do this, right? And I won't get nasty under my nails! Or at least not the same kind of nasty... And, yes, all the info is definitely helping!


Ya'all are great! This is an excellent thread.


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