Twisp of Fate

After spending a fair bit of time and effort cleaning up and trying out the Herald loom that is for sale up at our guild meeting room, I decided it just wasn’t what I was looking for, mainly because it turns out the brake mechanism isn’t original and I couldn’t get it to work properly (this is the mechanism that allows you to release the warp beam at the back to advance the warp).  Also, I am used to my Macomber loom here at home, which is so rock solid and sturdy.  So then I got to thinking, maybe I should just look for a smaller Macomber to keep up at the guild room as a “second loom.”

A friend had recently sent me the link for a Craig’s List search tool that lets you search all Craig’s lists within a specified mile radius of your zip code:  Search Tempest.  I was looking for a 32″ or 40″ Macomber.  There weren’t many, in fact the nearest one I found was in Colorado.  I was starting to promote a “vacation” trip to Colorado when all of a sudden a new one came up in Port Orchard, near Bremerton in western Washington.  It was a 40″ weaving width with 12 shafts (twelve!!) and 16 treadles, both a plain and sectional warp beam, a bench, a 72-spool rack and some other nice features.  Our “fearless leader” at the guild told me to GO FOR IT so I did.

The Macomber Loom company has been in business since 1936 and is still making looms back in York, Maine.  Don’t bother trying to find their website, because they don’t have one.  The closest thing you can get, and it is a good one, is the blog of a fiber artist in York, ME who is a big fan of their looms, and is also a sales rep for the company.  She lives practically next door to the workshop, and visits them frequently.  She has posted a lot of useful information and maintenance tips on her blog:  Macomber Looms and Me.  In fact, I think I will add this to my links in the sidebar.

But you can also call them directly to order parts, etc.  (207-363-2808).  They have records of just about every loom they ever made, because they are all identified with a model and serial number on a metal plate on the side of the loom.  So I called them to find out about B5-1046 before we went to Port Orchard.  Eddie there told me it was built in October 1954, the original buyer was “Mother Mary” (no record of location, though), and verified all of its original specifications – 40-inch, 12 harness, 16 treadle, sectional and plain beam, warp separator, etc.

So I am now the proud owner of Mother Mary’s loom, and in the next posts will show you how we spent this last week bringing the old girl back to life.