Kessenich Loom Renovation--Almost There

Kessenich Loom Renovation

My Kessenich 1960's red oak loom is looking good!  It now has new rubber bumpers under the shafts, new shaft and lamm cords, new warp beam cords, a new apron and Texsolv apron cords, a new beater bar, a new wooden board under shaft 3 to replace a warped one, and a new brake cord. It has new inserted eye heddles and new reeds to replace the rusty one.  It has new Texsolv tie-ups for the treadles. The loom has 2 coats of Trewax furniture wax on it, and the metal pieces have been cleaned and oiled.

                                                       Kessenich Loom New Beater Bar

Kessenich Loom: Replacing Apron Strings with Texsolv Cord

I replaced the apron strings with Texsolv cord because it's so easy to make sure each cord is even when you use Texsolv.  The apron has a rod pocket for a stick with 5 holes in it.  I found a long strong upholstery needle to poke holes in the apron for the Texsolv cords.  At the apron, put the end of the Texsolv through itself and melt the end of the Texsolv so it won't unravel.  

To make holes in the cord for the apron stick or rod, simply fold the Texsolv about 5 holes from the end, and place the fold through the first hole in the Texsolv.  This will create a hole for the rod.  Make sure to melt the end of the Texsolv.

                                                 Texsolv Apron Cords for Apron Rod

Kessenich Looms: Removing the Front Beam

Bruce at Kessenich Looms said that the front beam is removable to make threading the heddles and reed easier.  After removing the front beam, the beater bar can be placed on the floor.  He said to make sure to tie the beater bar when folding the loom, but not too tightly because it has to be able to move a little.  Also, when removing the front beam, be careful that the beater bar won't fall.  He said he has repaired or replaced many beater bars because they can fall easily.

 

Kessenich Loom Renovation--Cords, Texsolv, and Apron

My Kessenich Loom Renovation is coming along nicely.  It's almost ready for weaving.

Replacing Warp Beam Cords
I replaced the warp beam old string with nylon cord, 1/16th inch diameter.  It wasn't easy to find strong nylon cord in this diameter, and a thicker cord won't fit through the holes.  Many of the cords from the local stores were too flimsy or too thick, so I bought the cord from Bruce at Kessenich Looms.  It's from McMaster-Carr and is 80 lb. test. In the picture, the old cord is on the right.

                              Kessenich 18 New Warp Beam Cords on Sectional Beam Turned Inward.

                                  Kessenich Loom with New Warp Beam Cords and Brake Cord

Replacing Chain Tie-ups with Texsolv Cord
I replaced the old chains on the treadles with Texsolv cord.  A problem with replacing the chains is that the lamms have holes in them, which originally had cut off cotter pins.  So, I could have installed the Texsolv cord by putting it through itself at the top of the lamms, but then the cord may have been rubbed against another lamm as they move up and down. 

So, I placed 1/4" dowels on the top of the lamms and put the Texsolv cords onto the dowels and through the holes of the lamms.  There are plastic anchor pegs available for Texsolv cords used in Swedish looms tie-ups that I ordered to try for the top of the lamms.  If the anchor pegs are the right size, I'll replace the dowels with the anchor pegs.

                                           Kessenich: Replacing Tie-up Chains with Texsolv Cord

To attach the Texsolv cord to the treadles, I used arrow pegs.  I will cut the Texsolv cord and melt the ends after I'm sure that the arrow pegs are in the right spot.  It's more difficult to have the shafts rise evenly because there are only 2 eyelets on each treadle, so the cords are slightly different lengths, depending on which shaft they are hooked up to.

                                        Kessenich:  Arrow Pegs attach Texsolv to Treadle

Cloth Apron
I also replaced the cloth apron, which I bought from Bruce at Kessenich Looms, but a new one could be made out of canvas or duck fabric.  It's not easy to get the apron on evenly because the holes in the metal pipe were not even all the way across.  So, we first put the apron over the pipe, placed the top and bottom boards over it and made sure the cloth was even at the edge.  Then we used an awl to punch a hole in the fabric and placed the screw in the top board and through the cloth.  We took it off the pipe for a moment to put the pipe onto the loom with the cloth brake and washer on the right side, and the washer on the left side.  Then we had to carefully place the top board, cloth apron, and screws into the holes (which you can't see) and through the bottom board.  It took 2 of us to install it evenly. It looks so much nicer now. 

         Kessenich: Apron temporarily installed to make sure apron is even before putting on loom

Testing the Shed
Before putting a warp on the loom, Bruce at Kessenich Looms suggested doing a test first.  The test is important because you don't want your shed to be so big that the top threads will interfere with another shaft.  Also, you want to see if the sheds appear even.  If they're not even or the shed is too large, you need to adjust your tie-ups to your treadles.  The shed should be about 1/2" or so below the top where it would interfere with another shaft. If your shafts are crooked, then the shaft or lamm cords need to be adjusted (the knots). 

                                                  Kessenich:  Testing the Loom Shed

To test the loom shed, put at least one thread through a heddle on each shaft and through the reed.  Clamp the threads to the front and back beams.  Tie up the treadles and press each treadle to check the shed.  Bruce said that holding the threads will not be accurate; you do need to clamp them to the front and back beams.

                                                       Kessenich:  Loom Shed Test

I think the Kessenich 1960s loom will be a really nice loom for weaving!

Kessenich--Replacing the Shaft and Lamm Cords

Replacing the Shaft and Lamm Cords
I'm documenting how I'm replacing all 16 cords in case I need to do it again, and it might be helpful to others who also need to update their old Kessenich loom, if it's the same. Bruce Niemi, the owner of Kessenich Looms, is very helpful and his advice should be followed though.

Cords
I'm using Oregon #4  1/8" starter cord made in Germany because it's available by the foot from Dickey Bub.  I bought 60 feet and used most of it. I used about 30" long pieces for the lower cords and 50"+ for the top cords.  It does kink up a bit, so it's helpful to have the old spool to wrap it on.

Replacing Lower Cords
We started with the lower cords which attach to the lamms.  Do not make tight knots at the bottom of the lamms because they will probably need to be adjusted after replacing the top cords.

The lower cords are wrapped on my loom about 1 1/2 times when the shaft board is all the way up so you can see the pipes easily and have room to work.

Shafts 1 and 3 wrap toward the front of the loom (lower cords only).  Shafts 2 and 4 wrap toward the back of the loom (lower cords only). The wraps for the lamms are closer to the inside of the loom.  Shafts 1 and 3 go down in front of the pipe to the lamm; shafts 2 and 4 go down in back to the lamm.

The pipes for each shaft have a large hole and a small hole for both the lower and upper cords.  Make a knot near the end of the cord, about 1/2" away, and burn the end to seal it.  Feed the cord through the large hole and down into the small hole and pull through, making the knot stay inside the pipe.  Take the cord and wrap it the correct direction 1 1/2 wraps (my loom) and then down to the lamm.  Tie a knot loosely under the lamm--it will be adjusted later. Do all 8 cords: 4 on each side, to the lamms.

Before tying the knots, make sure to clean and wax the end of the lamms well and into the castle wall.

Shaft 1 pipe has new cord wrapped around it (white/blue cord).  You can see the other hole of the pipe where the old upper cord knot is and the old cord that wraps 3 times and goes up to the pulley.

Upper Cords
Cut longer pieces of cord for the upper cords--about 50-60" so you have room to work with it.  For each shaft, the upper cord will be wrapped in the opposite direction of the lower cord on the same pipe.  This cord goes closer to the castle wall, so wrap so the wraps go toward the castle wall.  I used 3 1/2 wraps per cord for my loom. It then goes along the inside of the castle wall up to the pulley.  If the cord wraps toward the front, the end goes up the back side of the pipe; if it wraps toward the back, the end goes up the front of the pipe to the pulley.  Make sure the shaft boards have the "cut-out" part where the cord will run.  We took out all the boards and will wax them and the inside of the castle before replacing them.

         You can see the 1st shaft (left pipe) and the 2nd shaft with the new cords in place.

Pulleys
Taking the cord up into the pulley isn't easy.  It needs to go up the side of the pulley closest to the outside of the loom and down the other side.  We took a thin piece of string or thick thread and fed it down the pulley (the side toward the outside of the loom) until we had a long enough piece to tie to the end of the cord.  We pulled on the string and it pulled the cord up the pulley.

                                                Here's the thread ready to pull up the cord.
Then take the cord down the other side of the pulley and down through the shaft board and knot.  I am waxing all the boards first and the inside of the castle and will tie loosely until I am ready to adjust all the knots.

From what I understand, when the lamms are up, the shafts will be down, and there shouldn't be a gap larger than 1/2" of the lower shaft hanging down.  I really don't want the shaft boards to hit the top of the castle board, though, each time the shaft is raised, so I am going to aim for it to be about 1/4" lower from the top board when raised.  I'll consult with Bruce about that, too.

I won't adjust all the knots until I can replace the rubber bumper pads that the shafts will rest on.

Kessenich Floor Loom Updating

                                              Other Updates to My Loom
Apron Strings, Tie-on strings, Brake cord
I'm going to make other updates to my loom.  I'll replace all the tie-on strings, apron strings, and the cord to the back brake.  The tie-on strings are min-braided 1/16th" diameter.  I'll leave this chain because it's kind of interesting to have the old chain and fishing swivel here since it never has to be taken off the pin.

Pulley and Lamm Cords
This old Kessenich has cords and pulleys to lift the shafts up.  When the shafts are down, the lamms should be up so they are close together--about 1/4" apart is ok.  But, the cords have stretched on this loom, so the lamms are hanging down and are crooked.  The lower knot next to the lamms can be moved up, or I can replace all the cords.  If I replace them all, I'll use Stens 1/8" starter rope for small engines, commercial or professional grade.  In the past, they used Venetian Blind cord, which isn't made well now.  Stens is made in the U.S. and is very good quality cord.

If the lamms are hanging down too far and are crooked, the shed will be narrow and not even.  It will be a job to replace them all.  I'll have to take a lot of pictures to be sure I'm putting the cord on and wrapping it the right way, or it won't work.  The steel roller has a large and small hole--the knot of the cord goes through the large hole and is caught by the small hole.  Use a candle to make sure the end won't fray as you're feeding it around, but don't let the end "mushroom" or it will be hard to feed. There will be 8 cords above and 8 cords below (4 on each side) to replace. The left and right sides are mirror images of each other.  Take lots of pics!

Furniture Paste Wax
I'm going to use furniture wax for all the wooden surfaces that I can reach. I'll use Trewax.  Bruce said to put several tablespoons in an old sock and use it to wipe it on the wood.  He said to especially wax the edges of the shafts and anywhere the wood touches wood like inside the castle.

Updating my 1960s Kessenich Floor Loom

  My Kessenich Floor loom was made in the late 1960s by the original Kessenich loom maker in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.  It's made out of red oak.

  It needs some loving care and renovating.  The first problem is that the top of the beater bar is cracked in 2 places, so it will be repaired or replaced.

Apron and Cloth Beam
  The apron is very old and stained, so I took off the wooden pieces holding the cloth beam and washed the apron.  It's still pretty yellowed, so I will replace it.  I took the cloth beam metal rod off that holds the cloth brake, and there is a worn spot from the handle, so I'll have to look at that when I get it back on to see if the handle is still rubbing, or if it happened long ago and is no longer a problem.

Ancient Tie-up Chains
The tie up chains will be replaced by Texsolv cord and arrow pegs.  This won't be traditional to the loom, but it will be much easier to change tie-ups when weaving.  I took the harnesses out to see the tops of the tie-up chains where they connect to the lamms.

The old tie-ups were made of a chain that is called toilet chain because it's similar to that kind of chain.  The top of the tie-ups at the lamms were cotter pins that were cut off and bent to hold the chains at the lamms.  The lower part of the chain had the hook of a fishing swivel to attach to the treadles.  They are very old and very difficult to open, so Texsolv will be much better.  The current Kessenich loom maker has used Texsolv since 2004. Texsolv cord is available by the spool from weaving shops so I'm getting it and the arrow pegs from Yarn Barn in Kansas.

Here's a picture of the old tie-ups with the fishing swivel, which were used until the mid-1970s.

The fishing swivels:

Oiling the steel rollers 
The loom has spots where you need to oil the roller at the pulleys and on the inside of the castle at the steel rod.  To oil the top pulleys, I took off the 2 screws to the left and right top pieces of wood and oiled the rod so the pulleys will roll very freely.  I used sewing machine oil.  Bruce said to use machine oil or sewing machine oil.  It looks like there is some wear from a cord that must have been too big at some point by the right pulleys.

 These are the top pulleys after taking off the wooden piece on the left and right top of the castle.

These are the  holes where you squirt in 6-8 drops of machine oil.  Or you can oil it from the inside of the castle after taking the shafts out.

Black Pads--Replace
The 4 black pads that the shafts rest on and the lamms rest on (above the lamms) will have to be scraped off, the glue removed, and the pads replaced.  Bruce said you can use sponge rubber from a supply house that cargo haulers use.  I believe he said 1" wide and the strip should be 1/2" thick.  Use a little bit of coarse sandpaper to rough up the spot a little bit and glue the rubber down or get the pads from Bruce.

More loom renovation in my next post!