Switching to Texsolv Heddles on the Baby Wolf // Episode 112 // Taking Back Friday

SHOW NOTES: sweetgeorgiaya...
Today, I'm talking about switching out the metal heddles that come standard on the Schacht Baby Wolf loom and switching them for Texsolv heddles. Is this something you've done? Would you do it? Do I recommend it?
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[@susannepyle58]

I also have a Schatt Baby Wolf loom. Interesting idea...I would have liked to hear the difference in the loom with your new heddles on.

[@Beach652]

The first loom I ever used was an old Dorthy table loom and, man, every time you changed sheds on that sucker it sounded like you were dumping out a cutlery tray. It was not a relaxing sound, lol. So I can definitely appreciate the advantage of removing metal components.

[@audreydeneui192]

What a beautiful yoke on your sweater!

[@sweetgeorgia]

Thanks so much!!

[@teacat55]

Yes….is that a commercial pattern?

[@rachelkarcher2565]

Thanks for sharing the wisdom of changing out the heddles, I was considering as part of my loom refurbishment, after hearing your experience I will stick with my metal heddles.

[@kreativekymona]

I finally bought a baby wolf loom yesterday!! I can’t wait to get it!

[@dianem4919]

I had been thinking about doing this to my Schacht floor loom that I recently bought used. I thought like you that I wanted it quieter for the family room. Now I am rethinking. I already have leg pain so maybe it’s not for me, or not until my legs get stronger. Thank you for all of this information. You have been very helpful.

[@fisherjohns]

Thank you. I have weights on my F J Ahrens floor loom. I am about to change from string heddles to Texsolv as I refurbish this loom. Now I understand why the weights are there.

[@catherinebuttrick5678]

Thanks so for sharing this process. I have an Ashford floor loom which came with Texsolv heddles. But it is still pretty noisy when I weave with all the shafts crashing about. It was nice to see that the heddles go onto the shafts much the same as on my Ashford. Bending those rods just enough can be tricky!

[@ncmagyar]

Another reason for Texsolv heddles is they are much gentler on your yarn, being they don't cut or fray the yarn. I also have a Schacht Cherry Baby Wolf (2007) but have so far kept the metal heddles.(I have bought the Jazz bands) Interesting that the new Cricket Quartet comes with Texsolv heddles, but being a table loom, it is not the same as a floor loom.

[@kellipage2858]

Thank you for presenting this modification. My solution is to buy a brand new Louet Spring Loom! ENJOY!

[@karswan]

I used to have a very large Glimakra floor loom. I loved it, but it is large. I sold it and got a Baby Wolf, but do not like the metal heddles. I so liked the quietness of the textile heddles. So thank your for this.

[@sweetgeorgia]

Awesome! I have only heard of Glimakra looms and would love to see one in real life some day! Enjoy your Baby Wolf!

[@mountaincraftsstudio]

I am short as well. I considered doing this with my Baby Wolf. I ended up selling my jack looms and going with the swedish style looms because they are so customizable and easier to treadle. The countermarch system intimidates so many people, but it really is easier all around once you finally do it. My body is much happier.

[@sweetgeorgia]

Yes I love my countermarche loom as well! Thankful we have so many options to find the best fit..

[@AndreaAlexander]

Wow, I've never seen non-metal heddles before! That's super cool, thank you for sharing!!

[@juliemulie1805]

My husband complained about the loudest of my pre-1980 Baby Wolf. For me texsolve created more problems than it solved. Hubby used lithium grease on the frame channels to remedy the sticking, but they stuck with the metal heddles as well. Didn't know about the elastic bands at the time. Was told by "weaving pros" to "stop stomping on the peddles"...grrr. Solved the problem by getting a Macomber which still has noise from the metal heddles but the whole thing is solid enough not to make anywhere near the noise of the Baby Wolf. Had to use elastic bands on my 4 shaft Macomber when doing a rep-weave rug once, so upgraded to a 16. Made me consider switching to a counterbalance, but didn't want to crawl on the floor anymore than I already do. You were smart to get the Spring.

[@sweetgeorgia]

Haha! As a point of reference... I just filmed a video tutorial about tying up my Spring loom and spent over an hour crawling around on the floor tying up all 10 treadles :) I've heard such good things about Macomber looms... I'm so curious, never seen one in person before!

[@juliemulie1805]

@@sweetgeorgia If you haven't checked him out, Curmudgeon66, has a KZbin channel and a Spring. He's even older than I am, yet he has no problem tying up. The Macomber Loom group on Ravelry has lots of information.

[@stephaniethomas8858]

Thank you!!! I will just keep the metal!

[@Sara-uj4xw]

Thanks for talking through the pros and cons. I'm getting to bring home a borrow a 8 shaft wolf pup today to see how I it compared to my 4 shaft CB Glimåkra ideal. The noice is one dimension i need to evaluate for sure

[@LisaHolloway-u2w]

I appreciate the idea but I wish you had included more visuals of the process.

[@saraclevering1419]

Thanks for this video. I am really on the fence about trying to switch and this explained everything I should consider really clearly. I have a newer wolf so it already came with a version of the "jazz bands" so it's just a matter of if I want to invest in the heddles.

[@karadods]

Hi Felicia! Happy Friday! I went looking for this video on KZbin and could not find it. Going back to the Newsletter and using that link worked, since you have this video published as "Unlisted" (only people who have the link can view). Your other videos are public, so I wanted to point it out in case you didn't mean for this to stay unlisted. :) Great video, as always! I am excited to someday have the time to weave, but for now I am thrilled with the final colors in my SGY-made Waiting for Rain shawl! Really loved the BFL+silk yarn.

[@sweetgeorgia]

Doh! Thanks Kara! I have always upload as Unlisted and then forget to switch it on Fridays... thank you so much for letting me know! I just fixed it. :)

[@sweetgeorgia]

Have you modified a weaving loom to fit your needs? Have you switched heddles for Texsolv heddles?

[@johngregory920]

Hi Felicia. I have an “older than me” 45 inch counterbalance loom that I switched to Texsolv heddles. The main reason, for me, was that the original heddles were flat steel. I found our the hard way that the eyes of the flat heddles had sharp edges and would shred Tencel yarn for something to do. So, I decided to take the plunge and switched. The texsolv is very easy to thread. It’s also nice to work around as it is flexible. The only downside, I find, is that after everything is fed through the reed, I can’t just grab a bunch of threads and tug on them and watch all the heddles line up for me. Now I reach in and manually place the heddles where they need to be. Beyond that, I’m completely happy. Little side note, you can get texsolv in lengths of loop chain ( in 2 weights). My loom uses a LeClerc style treadle/shaft system and the chain makes a great connector. Basically, all the cords on the loom have now been switched to texsolv chain and it made an amazing difference. Love your posts, keep up the good work. Thanks, John

[@kohchenchen]

The recent batches of Schacht Baby Wolf have the shock bands as part of their design. At least mine does but Schacht still doesn’t recommend changing to texsolv although they do allow you that option during ordering.

[@jstallings2070]

I was thinking on switching to Texsolv on my Fanny counter balance loom but it actually isn’t very noisy at all. It might be because it is not a sinking shed loom which the Baby Wolf is. I weave with a lot of silk so I have wondered if the Texsolv would be easier on the yarn. This is all good information, thank you!

[@sueannesullivan3827]

Thank you for this! I wondered about whether or not to do this, also. I got the same answer you did from Schacht. I decided I am going to keep my metal heddles and here is why. I agree that the noise is not really that loud. It doesn’t bother me or anyone else when I am weaving. Also, all new Babys are now shipped with treadle aid cords. I actually got the Jazz Bands just because I like how they attach better (the treadle aids attach with rubber bands) , but they are the same thing. I find I need to attach them sometimes when a treadle is tied up to more than two shafts. Knowing that, it makes me worry that it would be even more of an issue to have shafts not returning down if there were lighter Texsolv heddles in a similar tie up. So.... I’ll stick with metal!

[@laurahayden5000]

Hi and thanks for these wonderful and informative videos. I had a floor loom years ago and there were 2 things I disliked (I have a couple of rigid heddles now). The first was warping. Not so much the length of time - tho that was a factor - but the discomfort of sitting or kneeling on the floor, leaning and stretching for hours. My back was so sore from the process. The second (and I had forgotten about it until seeing this post) was the noise of the heedles as I’m pretty sensitive to noise. So now I know what I’m looking for - a smallish floor loom that has texsolv heddles. It sure helps to identify what I want before buying something online. It’s so hard when you can’t try such a big purchase before you buy.

[@laurahayden5000]

I just found what could be the one..the Ashford Jack Loom. I’ll let that simmer for a while, but am chuffed to find what could be a fit for me. Thanks again for helping me get that ball rolling.

[@borganista]

I would love to hear the difference in the sound. Do you have any videos of you using the loom both ways?

[@sweetgeorgia]

Haha I don’t think I have footage of just the sound of the loom... either way, there will be the sound of my kids in the background 🤣

[@kathrynleroux9693]

Thanks so much for this video! What is the exact millimetre size of the Texsolv heddles you use on your Baby Wolf? Here in Germany, they are only sold in millimetre sizes. Are the eyes at the same height as in the metal heddles? I brought my Baby Wolf over to Germany with me about 15 years ago. Am now using it for the first time, only to find out that I need more heddles to supplement the metal ones. Texsolv is easy to get here in Germany. Steel heddles for the Baby Wolf have to be imported from the US - involving weeks of waiting 🙁

[@cmaur811]

I would like to do the switch on my new Harrisville 24 inch.

[@katespin99]

You said that the bungee cords made it harder to push treadles down, but since you lost a bit of weight by changing the heddles, is the weight about the same or lighter? I do realize it was mostly the sound you were trying to change. I have thought about making this change so this video was great.

[@sweetgeorgia]

I thought switching to Texsolv would make it quieter, but while the jingle of heddles is gone, the sound of the shafts dropping is still loud, no matter what. Sooooo it’s not quieter. Lol. When I weave on this loom now, I always have ear buds in with noise cancelling on to protect my hearing. Looking back, it probably would have been easier to keep the loom as is and just use ear protection. 🧐

[@katespin99]

@@sweetgeorgia Thanks for your reply and sharing the experience. Even though it didnt't fix the noise probem, I imagine the threading would be more comfortable for you as it appears that your other looms all use texsolv heddles. As a side note I recently joined the school and it is fantastic. You are doing such great work in the world. I particularly like the phrase "Take time to make things." That is so important.

[@PeaceLoveAndRico]

hello! love your content... i recently bought a 'toy' loom from the 70's on ebay for a fraction of an ashford model . it's a fully functional 20 inch rigid heddle, just with cheap wood and some screws and washers. also, the heddle is 10 dent but small (i think). the shafts are unpleasant to work with. i should mention i am a cheapskate. i wont allow myself to purchase something if i know i can make something functionally similar for less money. i wonder if i would be more productive by using diy string heddles and swords to get me a wider shaft and just ditch the heddle bar that came with 'the toy'...

[@stephaniethomas8858]

So....here is a question, if one runs out of the metal heddles and needs something right away, how would using a Texsolv heddle do in a pinch, here and there?

[@sweetgeorgia]

Hmm unfortunately the texsolv heddles are “set” so you can’t just pop one in. You have to slide them on the ends of the Heddle rods. I did film a tutorial (not yet released) about making a repair heddle in the middle of your work, if you make a threading error. Maybe I should finally edit and release it 🤣

[@sweetgeorgia]

Oh I also misunderstood... you mean adding more heddles to the end as an addition... yes that might be possible but you just need to make sure the position of the heddle eye lines up with the heddles you currently have.. otherwise the shed could be inconsistent.

[@stephaniethomas8858]

SweetGeorgia So, I am assuming that the heddle eyes would line up, if I had the size of each type were correct for the baby wolf. Should I throw out that assumption?

[@catherinemorgan2080]

I am five-foot-four in height. What brand and model of loom should I pick for me?

[@sweetgeorgia]

Thanks Catherine! I'm about the same height (at 5' 2") and I've really enjoyed working with the Schacht Baby Wolf. It feels like the right size for me, while I know that taller weavers will modify it to raise it up higher for them. By contrast, I wove on a 45" Leclerc Nilus II jack loom and it was too tall for me... but the 45" Leclerc Mira II counterbalance loom I'm using now is perfect. Best thing to do, if you can, is to sit at different looms to try them out. That's ideal...