Version 3 of Sectional Warping for my TC2 is complete and for the Cliff Notes summary, it went really well. There are a few minor tweaks for Version 4 (maybe should be 3.5) but provided the warp weaves well, I am getting close.
I am still using the supplementary back beam slots and hardware from my Louet Delta loom. Check this post for more about how I set that up.
Recap: In V1 I warped onto my Delta sectional beam and then transferred it to my TC2 beam extrusion. In V2 I made adapters for my Louet “U”s with my laser cutter and beamed directly onto the TC2 beam extrusion (with added hardware) from a Warping Square one 2 inch bout at a time.
V3 Goals: In V3 I was trying to get back to a round profile on the beam (V2’s profile was more of an octagon) and wanted to give the spool rack and tension box a go.
Vibeke sent me a shop drawing for the beam extrusion. With it I created a disk shape that is the same diameter as the white beam end caps with little blobs that fit into the tube slots in the beam. My plan was to slide the disk down the beam then add dowel rods in each of the slots to hold the disks apart the desired dimension. One of the dowel rods has a long leading string already attached and ready for the bout. The disks are made of 3mm acrylic which cuts really cleanly in my laser cutter – wood would have had the characteristic char and I was not sure that my little blobs would be strong enough. Here’s a picture of the parts:
One of the benefits of using the dowels is that you can change the length to change the width of the section – the disks remain the same. I have a 3 unit wide (and 3 modules deep right now) TC2 so I opted for 22 two inch sections of 90 threads each. Another benefit is that the system takes up very little space and was easy to make.
My spool rack made by my husband (bless him) had, alas, room for 72 spools. I needed 90 so a trip to the hardware for additional rods and a 90 degree drill bit adapter. In no time I had created additional holes to accommodate 12 rods and my 3D printed tubes to match a collection of Brassard tubes I had available. See more about winding the tubes here.
Here’s a quick video of assembling the beam and warping disks. The blobs are a little different to match the size of the beam extrusions so you will see me looking for a little etched “e” so I kept the orientation the same. Also, I made sure to put the dowel with the leading string in the same slot – I marked the end of the extrusion to keep it simple. In the video I had clamped on the white end cap and slid a disk onto the tube to start – without that, the dowels would slide out!
In no time, the beam was ready to be mounted on my makeshift holder on the Delta. There are 22 sections with each end including a white end cap and a disk.
This is what the beam mount looks like on the loom without the TC2 extrusion:
Here’s what it looks like after the beam mount has been slipped inside the TC2 beam extrusion and remounted to the Delta supplementary beam holes. Just a quick second to celebrate the 2 most under appreciated tools in the weaver’s toolbox – Irwin Quick Grips and blue tape.
From this point, the process looks a lot like sectional warping with a tension box. I am sure there are better ways to do this but I’m just feeling my way along. I aligned my TC2 section disks with the “U”s on the beam above to aid in guiding the yarn to the bout. Here’s an overall picture of my setup (messy though it may be).
I am beaming on 17 yards x 1980 threads of 30/2 Euroflax Linen from Lofty Fiber. I love linen and we will see if I love linen on essentially a jack loom – my Delta is a countermarche and my Megado acts like one 🙂 Anyway, I just can’t get enough of that color. The TC2 is set up for 45 EPI so this will be another doubleweave or double width experience. Looking forward to working with the layer tools in AdaCAD.
The renovated spool rack is just in front of the Megado which has been pushed back to maximize the distance between the spool rack and the tension box and beam – this may be irrational but it seems like the tension would be more even over a longer distance. The feet on the spool rack pivot so I can hang this beauty on the wall. Thanks William.
The tension box is mounted on the front beam of the Delta – the profile is square which fits my tension box best.
The beep you hear on the videos is my EEW Yarn Counter made by Dreaming Robots. I mounted it to my tension box and set it to beep at 17 yards (should have done 16 as you will soon discover).
Threads travel through the castle to the back beam where my tiny hero Irwins bracket the bout above the section. I stopped using the Irwins at about this point as they were not needed (this time).
Here’s a video showing the whole process:
Unfortunately I lost at yarn chicken with 5 yards to go on the final bout. I think I just didn’t account for the little bits I added to each bout fiddling with the tie on. Anyway, lesson learned (I hope) as I ended up needing to wind some yarn on 90 tubes and tie on (good practice for the next step) – a few hours just for 3 minutes of cranking at the end.
All finished on the Delta, time to head to the TC2.
Ready to tie on to my black and white cottolin warp! Only 1980 knots to go…
What are the revisions for V4 (or 3.5)?
- Unrelated to the setup but I will NEVER lose at yarn chicken on sectional warping again.
- Add a way to bury the bout knot – check to see if eliminating a dowel is still workable (concerned the disk may not be supported enough), if so, the knot can be stuffed in the slot (this was my original plan but when I started putting it together, I forgot). If not, maybe a 3D printed ramp to hold the knot and smooth the yarn – this will create a slightly not-round section so not ideal.
- Think about ways to get a thread-by-thread cross on the bout. My tension box doesn’t support this and folks use blue tape successfully but I think it could be better.
Stay tuned. V3 is the best approach so far – fast and easy provided you don’t run out of yarn.