(And a few other things). Lots of loom developments this year! Soon after the first set of adjustable spindle units was finished I became aware that an unusually narrow chain wire spacing is being used by at least one paper maker. The chain wires that I saw were only 15-16 mm or 5/8″ apart. ThisContinue reading “#64 Some Improvements to the Adjustable Chain Spacing System”
Category Archives: Tools (specialized tools appear in these posts)
#61 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 10, Making Parts for the Twisting Mechanism
Note: This information may be obsolete as explained by Post #63. This post will try to convey information needed to make the most complicated part of this mould maker’s loom. It’s very long but the amount of detail should help the aspiring loom builder. For those not interested in actually making a loom skimming theContinue reading “#61 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 10, Making Parts for the Twisting Mechanism”
#56 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 9, Working with Wire
This doesn’t include straightening laid wires or sewing with wire. Both have been covered in earlier posts. In some ways this is a continuation of the last post, #55: Configurations of Laid Wire. The wire used here is phosphor bronze. It is corrosion and fatigue resistant, stronger and much better for mould making than copperContinue reading “#56 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 9, Working with Wire”
#55 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 8, Configurations of Laid Wire
The Structure of a Laid Facing Mould facings vary in how closely the laid wires are packed together. What is perhaps an average proportion is represented above with the spaces being a little wider than the wires. A 53%/47% split is shown between the size of the openings (spaces) and the size of the laidContinue reading “#55 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 8, Configurations of Laid Wire”
#54 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 7, Some Other Important Parts
The larger structures and functions of this loom have been described in the last six posts. Some small but essential parts have not received much attention and these are more fully explained here. Spindles and Spindle Drive Weights Spindles A spindle is required for each pair of chain wires so a lot of them areContinue reading “#54 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 7, Some Other Important Parts”
#53 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 6, More on The Wire Twisting Mechanism
Most of this information is good for understanding the way this loom works. But you should look at posts #63 and #64 for recent improvements in the loom design which make some things here obsolete. This is a self contained mechanism that is fastened to the front of the traveling beam of the loom. TheContinue reading “#53 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 6, More on The Wire Twisting Mechanism”
#52 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 5, The Wire Twisting Mechanism
Assembly of the Mechanism Note: Parts of this post may have been rendered obsolete. See Post #63. Examining the parts as they are put together may be one way to understand its workings. I don’t usually assemble the parts on the loom as I will do for this post. Normally the various spindle racks (aContinue reading “#52 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 5, The Wire Twisting Mechanism”
#51 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 4, The Lift Mechanism
The purpose of the lift mechanism is to repeatedly lift the wire facing so that laid wires can be added at the bottom. A treadle and lift lever (not pictured, at the bottom of the loom) pull down on the middle of a “V” of rope. (The top ends of the V are visible here.)Continue reading “#51 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 4, The Lift Mechanism”
#50 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 3, The Indexing Mechanism
The purpose of the Indexing Mechanism is simply to control the downward motion of the Traveling Beam (above). This beam is supported at both ends by square nuts; each fits into a notch created for it. These in turn are supported by a pair of Lead Screws, which are just full length pieces (3′ long)Continue reading “#50 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 3, The Indexing Mechanism”
#49 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 2, The Frame
Designing and building a functional loom requires working out details of how all of the mechanical parts interrelate before starting construction. This post is limited to decisions and dimensions that must be incorporated into the parts of the frame. Many of the dimensions used are somewhat arbitrary but I will emphasize those that directly affectContinue reading “#49 Mould Maker’s Loom Part 2, The Frame”
Timothy Moore Bookbinding Tools 