# Flax wheel



## Tillysgirl (Oct 21, 2008)

My spinning teacher has this wheel, but she does not know how to use it it is a long story how she got it. I am posting some pics. Her problem is that she does not know what the arm is for. Help would be appreciated. Thank you so much







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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

This is your spinning teacher? And she doesn't know how to use the wheel? Okay, I won't ask any more questions.

The arm that sticks up is what is called a distaff. You dress the distraff with the fibers, wool, flax or whatever you want. This makes the fibers handy for spinning and you spin from the fibers on the distaff. If you do a Google search on distaff I'm sure you will not only get information on them but also pictures of what they look like when dressed. Some distaffs, like mine, has a sort of cage at the top but it isn't necessary.

Good luck!


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## Tillysgirl (Oct 21, 2008)

Marchwind said:


> This is your spinning teacher? And she doesn't know how to use the wheel? Okay, I won't ask any more questions


LOL yes she is my spinning teacher. She was ripped off. She was considering a traded for one of her ashfords for this wheel. The lady with this wheel stoped by when she was not home and took one of her ashfords and left this wheel, with just one bobbin to boot.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Ouch! I think I would contact that person posthaste and get my wheel back. Tell her the wheel will operate just like any other wheel and she does not need to use the distaff and she can spin more than just flax on the wheel. Typically flax wheels have a smaller orifice that other wheels and then to spin finer weight yarns. Does she know who the wheel is made by? Is there a label or name on the wheel? If this was a trade that was NOT agreed upon I think she has every right to get her Ashford back. I love my Ashford and can't imagine a wheel I would trade it for.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Marchwind said:


> This is your spinning teacher? And she doesn't know how to use the wheel? Okay, I won't ask any more questions.


Same questions popped in my head. 

How was this woman able to get access to her Ashford??

As for the original question, Marchie answered it well


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## Tillysgirl (Oct 21, 2008)

Marchwind said:


> This is your spinning teacher? And she doesn't know how to use the wheel? Okay, I won't ask any more questions.


OK, OK I will rephrase that Yes she knows how to use the wheel but was not sure that it was all there. 

Yes the wheel has a name on it. Burned in to the wood, Hallcraft 2710, 1974 Made by Halltec corp, Winona Ohio.

I could not find any thing on it when I googled it.

Thank you all so much for your help.


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## Tillysgirl (Oct 21, 2008)

By the way... Does anyone know where I can get bobbins for it or have them made??:help: It will not do me any good with just one bobbin:bash: 

Thanks.


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## Flwrbrd (Jan 14, 2007)

One bobbin is all you need if you have a ball winder


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I agree with Flwrbrd. Other than that you will have to look at different wheel manufacturers, go to their websites and see if any of their bobbins might fit and work out. That is one of the real down sides to buying an older.antique wheel or one by a not so well known maker.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

The cause of part of the problem is that this wheel should have the driveband set up for double drive. The drive band should be double the length of a single driveband but turned into two loops so that one will go around the groove in the end of the bobbin and the other will go around the groove in the whorl. Here is a website with pictures and explanation of how that wheel should work. http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/wheel-drives.shtml 

It looks like the wheel is intact and with the change of driveband, it should spin well. I just hope that no one has glued the distaff into the hole of the distaff arm as that will complicate "dressing" it considerably. This type of distaff is called a truncheon.

Unless you know this woman very well, I would consider her behavior to be a little--well, I can't spell the Yiddish word I wanted and the other wouldn't be considered appropriate for a genteel forum. 

I wouldn't worry about having only one bobbin--a ball winder is much cheaper and you can use it in other ways, as Flwrbrd suggested.


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