Friday, July 16, 2010
Another Ad, Another Hope
I found this ad and am going to see her on Saturday. The husband of the weaver doesn't know anything, his wife the weaver is suffering from Alzheimer's and a few other ailments and could not answer even the simplest of questions. I'm excited and hopeful that it's a loom I can use. My questions to you all what should I be looking for to make sure I can actually weave on this one? Thanks I appreciate it.
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8 comments:
The great thing about most older looms is that you can be creative and fix just about anything. I bought a 30 year old Loomcraft that need the brake fixed and other repairs. My husband was able to work on it and now it is a great loom to weave on. I've seen a couple of Macomber looms and they are well made. The ones I saw were really heavy, sturdy looms. I hope that it works out for you!
Check for rust on the reed and heddles and other places. These can be replaced, but it will be an added expense. Make sure the loom is square (most likely it is)
See if it comes with extra other reeds (most people have more than one), warping board, bench, books.
If it is 8 harness, the price is probably about right as long as there are extras and what ever rust there is is manageable (IMHO). If it is a 4 harness, I might offer a bit less.
Macomber makes a good sturdy heavy loom and is still in business in ME should you need parts. I'd say for the loom, bench and materials that's a fair price but it's always worth trying to see if they have a little wiggle room or other weaving items he hasn't listed. Be kind, sounds like this family is going through some hard times. Good luck and bring a couple extra people with strong backs for that Mac! ;-)
I paid $600 for much the same thing (same size & make) last year, although it included at least 3 reeds and a bench. Macomber *is* still in business & is very responsive to parts orders. My loom came with only about 3 tie-up rods, but they are originally manufactured with about 4 per treadle--I should have had 40, but they were inexpensive to order. Sarah Haskell's (?) Macomber Looms and Me blog has very helpful info, too.
I bought a used 40" Macomber last year. I'll second the suggestion to bring some strong backs. Husband and I took off all the shafts and warp and cloth beams and it was still a bear for us. It was worth it though, I love how sturdy the loom is. If I could only keep one of my looms, the Mac is the one I'd keep.
If there's rust on the heddle bars, fine steel wool and WD40 worked well for me. For the heddles I've used Krud Kutter Rust Remover to soak them in for about 20 minutes.
Hope it goes well for you!
Around here there are a lot of weavers so the market demand for good used looms is tremendous. Here, that loom would be offered for about half the current retail price, so to me, it is a tremendous bargain.
A Macomber for $450. Seems like a great deal to me.
Isn't it sad when some one had to sell their weaving equipment because they're unable to use it any more? This loom needs you to buy it so it can continue being woven on.
Good luck!!
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