Getting the Loom Ready To Weave

Most looms require some assembly. My loom was assembled at the shop that I purchased it from, but generally you are going to have to assemble the loom yourself. I did have to assemble the stand that I purchased with my loom. This article is specific to Kromski looms but there are downloads and videos online to assemble Ashford and Schacht looms as well.

Assembling the loom and/or the stand is not difficult and requires no more than a screwdriver and sometimes a hex key. The hex key which was required for my stand came with it.

No matter which loom you have purchased you will need to make a bit of room in the area that you are going to assemble it so that you are not cramped and have room to move. There will be detailed instructions that come with your loom and it is important that you read the instructions all the way through first and then follow them step by step, paying attention to the direction that parts face and that moving parts are not tightened to the point that they don't move.

One thing that I found right away with the instructions for the Kromski loom assembly is that they were not very clear and I was glad that it had been assembled for me. It is not hard - but the instruction in the box could have been better. Then I discovered that there are much better instructions available and these were readily available online. The video is great to be able to see exactly how things go together. If you are going to assemble a Kromski loom or a Kromski stand there here are a few documents to download and print out - and a video that you will want to watch.

KROMSKI LOOM AND STAND ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS WITH COLOR PHOTOS

KROMSKI  STAND ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS - these are the instructions that come in the box with the stand.

KROMSKI LOOM ASSEMBLY VIDEO

You can watch this video right here - 

 

VIDEO THANKS TO KROMSKI NORTH AMERICA AND  NEW VOYAGER TRADING

There is something to note about the assembly instructions linked here and the assembly video. When you look at the instructions that NOW come with the Kromski loom, the cord that is attached to the warp and cloth beams and dowels is put on the loom much differently. It is no longer cut into individual strands with candle burnt ends to form individual loops. It is attached so that it is one continuous cord on each beam that forms openings that the dowel will slip through. The former method is more like what is used on other rigid heddle looms, but Kromski has decided that this new method is much better. You decide how you would like to attach the cords after reading this article. There are some that like the new method and some that like the older method. Both work. After weaving several projects I was not happy with the continuous cord. This is perhaps just my opinion. I found that it was difficult to insert the dowel and have it remain at a consistent distance from the beam while warping or tying on the warp on the cloth side. I was thinking that cords of a consistent length would be much better - which is what was done by Kromski in the past. I, however, was not certain that I wanted to cut the cord that came with my loom up to form these loops and saw that having to melt the ends and get them to stay together - and consistent in  length could be a struggle. I learned that some looms use a special cord for this called TexSolv. TexSolv cord is the same material as the cord that comes with the loom but it is made into small loops along the length. By taking one end of the cord and passing it through a loop you make a moving loop that will hold onto the dowel and by doing the same with the other end of the Texsolv after passing it through one of the holes in the warp or cloth beam you attach the cord to that as well - and as long as you have the same number of the little loops that make up the Texsolv cord you will have exactly equal length cords. TexSolv is not sold everywhere. It is primarily sold in stores that sell weaving supplies. There are various types and it is not cheap. I decided to purchase a small spool from a weaving retailer's website at almost $35 for the 22 yard spool. It can also be purchased by the length from some retailers. You want just the cord and not Texsolv heddles which are used on a different type of loom. This is just the way that I went and I have been happy with it. Here is an article that will show you and tell you all about Texsolv. From the linked article you will also learn that the dowels on your loom are called "apron rods".

Older Kromski looms had nylon ratchets and pawls as other looms use. You will see those in the instructions and video linked here. The new Kromski has metal ratchets and pawls. They assemble the same way - but do rely on the instructions that came with your loom in the box to attach the metal ratchets and pawls. These are much stronger than the nylon. Kromski renamed the loom the Harp Forte instead of just Harp when they began including the metal ratchets and pawls. For not very much money an older Kromski can be converted to metal with a conversion kit that includes all that you will need. THIS video is a good video on how to install the conversion kit if you have an OLDER Kromski. 

The stand is assembled in a way so that it is easy to take apart. If you are going to pack up your loom in its carry bag to take to a class or a demonstration or a weaving guild meeting, you will be disassembling and reassembling the stand a lot. It is made to go together and be taken apart just for this reason. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREWS. DO TIGHTEN SO THAT THEY HOLD THE STAND STEADY.  Tighten by hand and not with a power screwdriver or drill. Follow the instructions that come with the stand - linked above, if you don't have them - and the stand will go together quickly and easily.

Some Ashford looms do not come to you with the wood finished. The wood is raw when you get the loom. You could leave it this way but it is generally a good idea to finish raw wood to preserve it. Ashford sells a wax to finish their looms. You can stain the wood before using the wax. There is also a locally available product in the US that many weavers like to use to finish their looms. This product is called Howard's Feed N' Wax and can be found in the paint/wood finish sections of both Home Depot and Lowes. This is a wipe on, let sit, wipe off finish that dries fairly quickly. This does smell like oranges while the finish is first put on, but this smell goes away in a couple of hours to days. This finish is good for raw or finished wood and it buffs to a nice shine. All Kromski looms and Schacht looms come finished out of the box.

Once the loom and the stand are assembled you are going to put the loom on the stand. Have someone help when doing this. Let them hold the loom as you attach the screws that hold the loom to the stand. There are many adjustments that you can make as to the angle the loom sits on the stand. This is personal preference. I decided that I wanted the front of the loom to come up against me at about stomach level as I sit in front of the loom. This puts the loom at a downward angle but allows my body to stop the loom from moving when I beat the weft with the heddle. I find this to be a comfortable position. If you like you can adjust the loom on the stand to sit completely flat and parallel to the floor.

If the loom is to be used on a table and not a stand you can clamp the loom down to the table so that it will not move. If the table is too tall for you to weave comfortably like this, man put the back of the loom on the table and hang the front of the loom down to them to their lap.

The loom will weave the same no matter what angle it is sitting at. The heddle stays in place with the tension of the warp.

Now that the loom is assembled and on the stand it is almost ready to weave with. It will help when you are going to warp the loom to know where the center of the heddle is. To do this count the number of slots from one end to the other. You should come out with an odd number. You need to mark the center slot. Divide the number of slots by 2 and subtract `1 - count from the end to the answer to that division and you should arrive at the center slot. From that slot there should be an even number of slots on each side to the end. Take a pencil and mark the frame of the heddle on the back of the heddle under the middle slot. I use pencil first just to make sure we have the right spot. Consider that middle slot as SLOT 0. Double check now by counting out from Slot 0 to the right end of the loom - do not count Slot 0. Then do the same counting out from Slot 0 to the left end of the loom and do not count Slot 0. If both counts are the same, take a permanent line marker (like a Sharpie) and make a small line about a quarter of an inch long down where the pencil mark is. It is also helpful to mark inches out from Slot 0. Again use a pencil first. This is easy to do. Start counting slots to the right - not counting Slot 0. If you have an 8 dent heddle every four slots is an inch. Mark each of every fourth slot with the pencil. Do the same going to the left of Slot 0 and mark every fourth slot with the pencil. Put a ruler down and you should see that you are right. Once you are certain, put a marker dot on each pencil mark. Why have you done this? You always want to warp in the center of the loom. You do not want to put on, for example, a ten inch warp starting on an end and warping in ten inches. You want the center of the ten inches in the middle of the loom. With these marks this is now easy to determine. Why mark on the back of the heddle? You will be warping from the back to the front. The Kromski heddle has a back and a front. Some other companies heddles do not. You can tell the front of a Kromski heddle first by looking at the plastic that forms the slots and holes and the front is pushed out and the back is flat. The name "Kromski" is also on the front. If there is no difference from front to back on your loom's heddle it does not matter which side you mark - but always put the side you have marked to the rear so that you have your measurement markings visible when you warp from back to front. (Warp beam on the back. Cloth beam on the front.)

Now you are ready to weave!

 Now the fun begins!