What can I use to finish my spindle or wheel (or loom!)?


Over Mother's Day weekend, I took a trip to pick up a loom. A loom rescue, as it were, as its owner bought it not to weave on, but as furniture... a large butler (clothes horse) in the corner of a bedroom, basically.


When I got it home, it was clear that it needed a good wood cleaning, restoring, and waxing. That was also a terrific way to figure out what might be broken or missing. Here she is now:

Aaaah. All that appears to be missing from this 1936 Bergman loom is a dowel on the cloth beam, two dowels on the castle, and the nut on the warp brake pedal. The tie-ups need some work too, I am looking forward to a test warp to get that all sorted!

So, what did I use?

First, I used a furniture wipe to get the dust, bug dirts, and cobwebs off. Then, I used Howard's Restor-a-Finish to clean her up properly. I finished off with the Howard Feed-N-Wax, thicker than my lemon oils and thinner than my Howard Paste. 

If I'm just re-waxing a good friend like my Jensen Tina II, I'm likely to use the Kotton Lemon Oil.

If it's bare wood like The Bellwether Spindle, I use a paste, like the Howard Paste or another favorite, Wood Beams from Goodies Unlimited

It's always a good idea to talk to the maker if you can before applying a finish, as they know what looks the best on their products. Also, if the wood has a polyurethane coating on it, it doesn't need any wood finish, just a dusting.

If you have a favorite wood finish, let me know - I love trying new things.

This article © 2013 Amelia Garripoli, Ask The Bellwether.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling your new loom will be happier if used as intended, rather than being a dust collector or catch-all. Repairing it might be a bit of work too, but you seem to know what you are talking about, so I assume it won't be too much trouble, and well worth the effort in the end. Enjoy your new loom. :)

Amelia of Ask The Bellwether said...

Hi Sandie, yep, I've played with dowels before so that should be no problem. And the missing nut is easy. Now, setting the lamms correctly, I know already that takes a huge dose of patience, so I will do it on a calm day. I am lucky, Straight of the Goods has done it already (http://trapunto.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/bergman-tie-up-tips/ ) so I know it's possible. Sometimes, that's half the battle! Thanks, Amelia.