Our tools need to be able to do the jobs required of them. Sometimes that means changing them to make them work better.
The Leclerc Fanny has breast and back beams that lift off. This is very useful if you need to sit closer to the shafts for threading. Since I have long arms, I never remove the breast beam, anyway, so when I started using the warping valet Doug added a piece of wood that fixes the beam to the loom. In this photo I have just inserted the rough sleyed reed into the beater. The third lease stick is still taped to the back of the reed, holding the loops. The warp has been centred in the beater, using the measuring tape affixed to the bottom of the beater for that purpose.
The next step is to move the third lease stick to the back beam and transfer the loops to the apron rod. Then the warp will be passed under the breast beam and over the warping valet, the loops smoothed and equalized. Then the warp will be beamed.
The photo below shows the ‘bumpers’ he also added to keep the beater further away from the shafts. At rest the beater was so close to the shafts my fingers would get jammed into the heddles which was not only annoying, but meant I had to weave more slowly. A block added to the castle with a furniture ‘foot’ did the job quite nicely. When the ‘foot’ wears out and needs replacing it will be a simple matter to replace it, and the loom will continue to function as I need it to.
