Spinning Solutions
It’s amazing what a few emails can do. I’m so impressed at the speed of response to my drive band issues!
image source:rose-kim.com
Quick Spinning Wheel Lesson: The pedal is pushed with the right foot which causes the large wheel to turn in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The drive band is the connection between the spinning of the large wheel and the spinning of the flyer (around the bobbin). The speed of the flyer can be adjusted by putting the drive band over the larger, middle, or lower setting on the flyer (see right side of bottom photo). The flyer apparatus can be raised or lowered to take up the slack in the drive band which will stretch over time.
image source: lotsofyarn's flickr photos
The drive band is flexible rubber that needs to fit in the grooves on the wheel and flyer. It needs to be strong under tension, and have enough grip to stick to the big wheel, and to the flyer.
The fiber enters the orifice (far right of the above photo) and comes out through the hole in the metal piece (easily visible above), goes under the metal hoop, and through the sliding loop on the arm of the flyer (top of above photo). The bobbin (middle of the photo) has the fiber attached to it, and it is kept relatively stationary while the flyer spins around it, laying down spun fiber with each pass.
My possible solutions:
I have located a local spinning supplier who has Ashford drive bands, which may work. These are over 6 feet long, and need to be cut and melted to fit together.
Also the local weavers and spinners guild have replied saying that there’s also an option of using similar tubing from a hardware store and heating up the ends to fasten it together. It looks like I may get to use a blow-torch this weekend!
I measured my broken band, and it appears that I need 5′ 6″ of tubing.
Hopefully I’ll be back in spinning action by nightfall.
Tags: knitting olympics, ravelympics, spinning, tutorial, vancouver 2010
