Parts for a rigid heddle loom
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We have an vintage rigid heddle loom, but it's missing some small parts/accessories. Here's a quick write-up of some of the things I did to get it producing textiles again!
3D printing a heddle set
As received, the loom had it's original rigid heddle. It's old enough to be made with wire reeds, as opposed to modern looms, which typically have injection molded reed 'plate sections'. The heddle is in good condition, but the wires often catch and snag on the warp threads.
I was able to find an SCAD design for 3D printable heddle sections on thingiverse. After editing the file to match the dimensions of my loom, I loaded up a roll of white PLA and got to printing.
The reed plates were extensively de-burred to eliminate the possibility of them catching the working material. I sued some strips of old maple flooring to make carrier strips to hold the plates. After tying it all together with braided fishing line. The new heddle was ready to use.
designing a Warping clamp
A warping clamp is a small tool that the warp threads are wrapped around while they are being strung on the loom. I designed and built a simple one over a single weekend. It's a little rough around the edges, but it gets the job done.
