Heddles and shed issue on Leclerc Artisat

[MissWoolly]

Hi!

 

I am having problems with my second warp on this old (but new to me) Leclerc Artisat. I can not get a proper clean shed. The threads float above the shuttle race and are uneven, I keep getting skipped threads incredibly often.

I have asked around, tried so many things, non of the obvious solutions work.

The tension is not too tight (it was even pretty loose in the beginning). There are no twisted heddles or threads crossed in the heddles. I have been weaving for over 1 meter now, so it’s not a startup problem.  Advancing the warp improves it a little bit but does not fix it. The tie-up cords are exactly the same as the previous warp (that did work properly, but that warp was already on the loom when I got it). Nothing seems to be stuck anywhere, nothing has fallen and gotten in between heddles or shafts. The shafts move up freely. Also my tension is very even. The shed threads do not float when no treadle is pressed. I can not move the beater up or down as a temporary fix.

 

The second thing that is happening is that my heddles keep having big spaces between them. I keep seperating them and then after weaving for a bit there’s a big gap again and some tight groupings. What is happening? Does this matter, and could this be related to my bad shed issue? This problem is only visible behind the beater, not when I’m weaving.

 

I hope somebody can help me! I have had so many tips and none of them worked out and I am desperate! It’s my first experience on a floor loom and unfortunately a very frustrating one. Thanks so much for reading through all this! <3 Natalie

[Anne Morison]

Natalie, hello,
From the photograph I can’t see if you have hooks to hold the centres of the bars in place that hold the heddles.
Do you have them; if you do they need to be hooked over the bars.
Also is there a big gap where you have beamed the warp on the left side of the back beam? That could account for the heddles being so far from the centre group.
The shed you have in the other picture looks really good.
Hope this helps!!
Anne.

[MissWoolly]

Hi Anne!

 

The hooks on the heddle bars are in place. There is no big gap in the warp on the beam, I used a raddle and distributed everything evenly. I have no idea why they all want to move around haha:)

The picture with the shed is actually the problematic shed I was talking about. It is definitely high enough on the top threads. But the bottom threads don’t touch the wood and because of that I keep skipping lots of threads.

 

Thanks for your help! Have a lovely day!

Natalie

[kathleen ready]

Hi Natalie,

I think those look like older heddles and they may not slide as easily on the metal bar. You may want to consider buying new heddles from LeClerc. After talking to them, I found out the new heddles are slightly larger so they can slide easily on the metal bars.
Some heddles may need to be moved to the other side of the clip. However if your threads are tensioned evenly then the reed will keep them evenly spaced.

As for shed, place your beater perpendicular to your warp. Are the warp threads at the bottom of the reed. If not you can adjust your beater (raise it up).

A caution for those older Jack looms. When you decide to weave Bronson lace,  with 1/2 of the threads  on the 1st shaft, you may need to weight the shaft as it rides up when lifting the other shafts, due to so many threads on it. I use fishing weights and hang them at the bottom of the shaft frame.

 

[Brenda Reimer]

Are the heddles on the right side of the center clips of the shafts, on both the top and bottom as well. The top looks ok in t(e picture but can’t see the bottom of the heddles under the warp…just a thought. And I would also raise the beater so the warp threads are resting on the shuttle race. Hope that helps?

[MissWoolly]

Yes you are right about the heddles. I thought it was me, but they do slide really badly! I’m glad to know it’s not because of my clumsiness haha.

About the beater, no matter what position I place it it never touches the threads, except when I’m not pressing any treadles. Unfortunately I can not raise the beater on this loom.

Thank you for the tip about the lace weaving!

 

Have a lovely day!

[MissWoolly]

Thank you for your help! The heddle bars are properly in their clips. Unfortunately I can’t raise the beater on this loom. It’s an older model, I guess they didn’t have all the extra’s that newer looms have:)

Have a great day!

 

[kathleen ready]

If the threads are touching the bottom of the reed, when there are no treadles pressed, then your beater is at the correct height. My next thought is adjusting the tie up to the treadle. You might try tightening slightly. Then try loosening slightly to see if this helps.

I had a slightly newer Artisat loom, the wood construction was flimsy and I finally gave up on it. But your loom looks older and made from maple, so a good solid loom. The weaving length is smaller than some looms, so you will have to advance your warp often, such as every 2 or 3 inches. I also find using a traditional boat shuttle such as the ones Leclerc makes, may help. They are fatter and don’t tend to catch on warp threads as much. Not as easy to find these days, but maybe you can borrow one and see if it helps.

 

[MissWoolly]

Thank you that is very helpful! I do find that I have to advance the warp very often. I will fiddle a bit with the tie-up to see if it helps.

I happen to have a basket full of second hand boat shuttles, most of them old and quite big! I will see if there’s something in there that I can use:) I have small hands so I just picked the smallest one I could find to try out.

[Judith Tarrant]

I have exactly the same issue on my 1979 Artisat. The warp from beam to beam runs through the middle of the heddles but just high enough from the beater bar that I get skipped threads no matter how carefully I throw a shuttle. Keeping very tight tension obviously helps. The heddle bars cannot be lowered and tightening the cords to the treadles only raises the top threads of the shed, and does not have an opposite action to lower the bottom threads, as on a countermarch. I would love to know if anyone can devise some way to improve/lower the shed. The only thing I thought might be worth trying on mine (and it is a one way trip) is the remove the breast/warp beam and take a small amount of wood off the uprights, then replace the breast beam and pack with spacers to get the best adjustment. If there is anyone with a better plan please suggest it.

[Diane Walker]

Hi Natalie,

I also have a new to me 1970’s model   36 inch, 4 shaft Artisat and had exactly the same issue with getting a clean and wide open shed. I  have an 8 shaft Baby Wolf with all the bells and whistles, so I have tried to be patient and calm while getting used to this older loom, because I love being able to weave the wider width.

Three things I have done that have helped tremendously:

1. I replaced all of the heddles with inserted eye heddles.

2. I cleaned and polished the heddle bars with vinegar and steel wool

3. I adjusted the treadle cords to make them a little shorter. Just put an extra knot in them to shorten them about 1/2 inch

While the replacing the heddles and polishing the bars made a definite improvement, shortening the treadle cords made my shed so much bigger – it raises the shaft’s higher and I don’t have to stomp like a crazy woman to get them up.

Hope this helps,

Diane Walker

[Judith Tarrant]

Dear Diane
Thank you all for your advice, and it is great to get support from someone with the same issues. I put Texsolv on two treadles today and will do the same on the others, as it makes it easier to shorten them and get them even and the same on each shaft, especially after a re-tie. This is when I noticed how much the shafts varied, after doing an overshot course, but sometimes not seeing the skipped threads until taking the piece off the loom and turning over, and being disappointed to see skips that were not visible from the top side.
It was not until trying out my (new to me) Louet Spring that I found it was not me, or my technique, that was making weaving so much hard work and so unpredictable. So I have now resolved to sort out my Artisat as far as I can. I have put cardboard risers under the reed and this has helped to move the lower shed threads down onto the beater, so this will help with skipped threads. I have no other way of lowering the threads. I hope that raising the treadles will also help to lift the shafts as far as they will go. It does take quite a stomp, doesn’t it?
Good luck with yours. I will give mine a good going over tomorrow and hope to improve it enough to make weaving on it a pleasure and not a sadness.
Jude

[MissWoolly]

Hi everybody!

 

I hope you’ve all found a way to make it work with your looms! I just wanted to say that the tip Kathleen gave about using a bigger shuttle really helped me. It’s not perfect but it definitely goes over the higher warp threads easier!

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