DIY Wool Tumbler

(Being edited...)
I never heard of a wool tumbler until I saw a video recently on youtube and thought...WHAT A GREAT IDEA! Wonder how much that would cost?

TOO. MUCH.

And so I went to work putting one together that would cost a fraction of a commercial one AND be treadle powered.

Since putting this together I have continued to improve it. I've ordered 5/16 enclosed ball bearings to add to the posts, and to the wheel I am adding. More photos of that when it is done. If I can find a used motor, I can upgrade it even further! Need to visit Baraboo for that one.

Original Supplies used:

2 - 2x2" posts
2 - 4ft, 1/4" x 2, oak moldings, cut into 2 ft lengths (Used two short leftover pieces from a previous project to add braces to the cross)
2 - 6" 5/16 hex bolts
8 - 5/16 nuts
16 - 3/16 lock washers
4 - 1 1/2" wide, 5/16 ID washers
Approx 5ft of plastic fencing material, 3/4" or 1" mesh
4 - 1/4 Universal Hex Nipple (air tool supply)
Twine
Pipe cleaners
Size 10 D Sinker nails (2 7/8" long)
2 - 1" x 4 ft pine boards (stabilizers)
1 2x4 cut into 2ft sections
4 - 3/4 x 36" Square dowels
1 - 3/8" x 36" round dowel
8 - 3", small diameter, Hitch Pins (wish the receipt said which size they were, I can't remember)
Bailing Twine or other strong string

(3 - 5/16 Sealed Ball Bearings)
(1 - 10" wheel)

Tools:

Power drill
Scroll saw
1/4 bit
3/8 hole drilling bit
Hand planning tool
Gater bit
Clamps

Video
Oak Moldings (Click to magnify) Take the 2ft oak moldings, find the center, drill 5/16 hole for bolt. Drill 3/4" holes on both ends of all four, for the dowels to sit in.
Cut out a piece of the plastic mesh to fit on the ends of the cross-arms, extending just a bit. Secure with pipe cleaners. I marked the center of mine so I could easily line it up again after being disassembled. Place a 6" 5/16 bolt through the mesh and center of moldings, adjust the arms so they are about equal distance from one another, in a cross. Add one wide washer, one lock washer, one nut and tighten. Set Aside
Hitch Pin Take your 3/4 square dowels and shave down the ends with planer until they are tapered enough to fit through the holes in the oak molding and extends about an inch outside the molding. Then take a 3/32 drill bit and drill a hole through the side of the newly rounded ends. This is for the hitch pins. Take two of the dowels and drill holes just big enough for your nails, 3" apart along the entire length. Glue in place with Gorilla or wood glue.
Posts About 2" down from the top of the 2x2" posts, find the center and drill a hole big enough for the Hex nipples, one on each side, and add them to the post. With the scroll saw, cut out a place for the posts to be inserted into the 2x4 feet, in the middle. Insert into feet and secure with bolts or glue if needed.
Insert dowels into the ends of the moldings, secure in place with hitch pins. It will be very flexible and wobbly at this point. Insert the ends of the bolted cross-arms into the posts. Secure with one wide washer, one nut, one lock washer, another nut and tighten. Don't over-tighten as it will need to be able to rotate freely. (this may change once the ball bearings arrive) Repeat for the other side. Add crisscross stabilizer bars on to posts underneath the barrel, one to each side.
Take plastic meshing, secure to one of the dowels and rotate to measure out meshing. Allow a 3-4" overlap. Secure opening with 3/8 dowel by weaving it into the mesh once at each end. Secure meshing to the dowels with pipe cleaners. Sew the ends of the mesh to barrel using a whip stitch and string/yarn of choice. I used hemp, it's what I had on hand.
Make sure the dowels with the nail "tines" are angled slightly inward. Be sure to turn the barrel so the wool is impaled by them, left or right depending on which way you decide to angle them. They are easily readjusted.
This is the wheel I cut from the old bookcase I got rid of. It's about an inch wide and I am slowly carving out a channel for the drive belt, which just happens to be an old bow string from my stick-bow. It's perfect! It's got grip and strength.
The width of the wheel on the shaft of the tumbler is about 4 1/4" It's a wheel I made some time ago for a DIY, cigar box, Book Charkha.

Upon further research and meditating on how to smooth out and improve the overall function of the tumbler and treadle, I bought some ball bearings off Amazon. They haven't arrived yet but I will update when I have them installed.

I recently got a new bookcase to replace a wobbly one, and I reused the old one to cut a couple 10 inch wheels from. I am in the process of turning one into the main treadle wheel. Since it's particle wood, it's been fairly easy to carve out a grove for the drive-band, which just happens to be an old drawstring to my stick-bow. Yes, I have a stickbow, and a recurve. I've also made my own arrows to shoot at the local SCA. Unfortunately I am no longer strong enough to draw either one. LOL! Working on it!




Until next time...
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Lovin the Fall weather!

I was outside plying the singles for this wonderful natural color Border Leicester lace yarn for the Secret of the Stole KAL Sunday. The KAL starts Friday with the first clue being released. It took me a full two weeks to spin a bobbin almost full with singles and I only got 550 yards when plied together...that is HALF of what I need! EEP! *faint*
I am not spinning this again until I need it. WHEW! I have other projects to spin for along with some roving for a friend.

I am finally getting around to carding up some more alpaca/merino yarn for the Kimono wrap while at the same time dyeing more targhee for the Mystery shawl as I have run out of several colors.

The yarn shop gave me another shawl to knit. My feelings are mixed about it, but I have to knit something for the shop if I am gonna work there I suppose. I also want to make some thrummed slippers for Mum out of some blue, turquoise, and black Karaoke yarn with merino thrums. I haven't decided what color yet to use. Maybe green for contrast. Those shouldn't take me too long. Then I can send them along with her Bday socks and card this weekend.

The Pipers in the Prairie is this Saturday evening. I hope I have enough to pay the couple charge of $125. I've missed it so many times and I really have this urge to start doing things instead of putting it off till "maybe next time" which I have had to do so often in the past couple of years. I wonder if this is forewarning of a major illness?? Fingers crossed knock on wood nothing drastic happens. I will be turning 30 next year....and I know Saturn is far from done with me. This is just a little hiatus from the chaos for now, I believe. Nice that Saturn gives me brake in-between crisises aye? Is that a word, crisises?

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Natural Dying Results with Walnuts!

First the Festering Dye Pot which is essentially just a pot of soaking walnuts from nearby trees. This has been sitting and festering in the sun for about three weeks. I read that walnut dye needs no mordant because of the tannin in the walnuts acts as the mordant. I am not much for natural dyeing. I don't have the patience to wait for the results once I get into the mind set of wanting to dye. This is essentially the lazy ass method! LMAO!!







Here is a picture of a sample spun up of a batt I blended with Merino and Alpaca. The Festering Dye Pot smells like brewing mead and has a sweet and sour smell. Needless to say I hate getting it on my hands, but squeezing out the liquid is the best method I know of to gauge what the yarn will look like dried.

And here are the results after only 24 hours of sitting in the Festering Dye Pot WITH NO HEAT. I wonder how much yarn I can plop into this Festering pot before the dye exhausts? We'll find out. I am gonna test this sample to see if the dye washes out. I just love the bronze coloring! The odor of the Festering Dye Pot did not linger in the yarn after it was dried so that was a pleasant surprise.

Until next time...

***All content is Copyright year and date of posting, and are the sole property of C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this website(text, photo's, etc)is strictly prohibited(linking to the post is OK).***

Captured Emergance and dyeing roving

I got up just in time to watch one of the monarchs emerge from it's chrysalis. Soooo coooool!!

My order of Merino roving came today and I went to work on trying my hand at roving dyeing. OOOOoooo....dyeing fun!! It's the only time you will hear someone say dyeing is fun....and mean it without being a depressing EMO. LMAO


MMMMmm look at the permanent staining....OOOoo...even on my fingers!

In other news, we are starting to learn "flying" kicks at karate class. I am concerned because I do not want to hurt my ankles and I came home with both of them aching from the last class. Any idea on how to strengthen the ankles? You'd think carrying 200 plus pounds would be strong enough...but noOOOOOoo....twisted ankle here I come!

Until next time...






***All content is Copyright year and date of posting to C4G/CCW unless otherwise noted. Reproduction without permission in any form is strictly forbidden. Violators will be shut-down.***

Felting experimentation: Lincoln longwool

OOOh this wool creates some thick felt...perfect for a durable all weather bicycle handle bag!
I found a pattern I like at knitty.com . I want to make mine turquoise, royal blue, purple, with a touch of golden yellow. I'm not sure how it will turn out if I navajo ply it. *scratching head*

This was some lincoln that I spun up months and months ago that was navajo plyed and about worsted wieght, knit on size 13 needles. It lost about two inches when felted (which I did by hand and BOY are my hand cleaner than they have ever been!! Squeaky clean!!). This one will get dubbed a dish washing cloth since it is still very large and thick. I plan on using the pattern at knitty, but making the bag more box like than bag. I want a wider bottom and shorter sides. SO I will just add more rows to the bottom and stop when it is two inches higher than I will want. Then when it is felted and dry, I will spritz with mineral oil to make it water proof. I could not think of any other kind of oil that would be suitable to waterproofing felt.

Dinner time!!

Until next time...

Went biking to the library and then some...

Whew! Am I tired!


I bike around 3 1/2 miles this afternoon going to the library to return a majorly overdue book and to drop in on the BF doing laundry at the Mart down the street (where the W icon is). This is part of the "scenic" bike route in Monona. Not very scenic to me...just a bunch of flippin houses that are blocking the view of the lake!! I guess the number balloons are mile counters. You can track your biking/running/walking too at http://www.mapmyrun.com/ .

I did register my back for a "license" just in case it gets stolen or something bad like that. Crossing fingers. Now I need to look into bike insurance...yes there is such a thing.

Right now I am dying some lincoln longwool to spin up into worsted yarn to knit a saddle back with and eventually felt it. I am dying the wool then spinnin it for once. I want some color on the wheel! I am doing turquoise, lilac purple, and a bit of golden yellow splahed in between color changes. Why? It's pretty. Yemaya strikes again!

Until next time...

Monster Wool Combs!!

With the help of the BF-Mike who was happy to horse around with the new pointy objects as long as I didn't show his face (he's wierd that way), and with me behind the camera making all those wierd sounds. :)

Until next time...

Turquoise with Black, Dyeing times Part 2

Well, it came out WONDERFUL! I love how the black is interspersed and randomized all over the yarn! Some pics of the finished yarn, and one of right before the pot started to boil to steam set the black. I love the different shades from black to gray where the black half absorbed around where it initially hit.

And some more pictures of the dyeing flop yarn. Once it dried, I actually love the way it colored! from blue-violet, to red voilet and back! I figured that the silk did not tak eup as much dye because there was not enough vinigar in the water. Apparently, it needs a little more than wool. So now I have two very indvidual hanks of very soft handspun "exotic" yarn! I think I will make a pouch out of one, or both of these either in strips or using a motif.

Until next time...

OH BOO! Dyeing flop!

It was fun mixing the colors together...I had such high hopes!

This is what I was shooting for...at least in one segmant of the yarn. Note how the silk took up only the lilac dye, while the wool took up the black cherry color what was made by mixing the lilac and a bit of red. Pretty!!!






The dyepot looked promising. I pour turqoise in the middle, violet-blue up one side, and the cherry-red color at the very end.













But this is what I got. The blue-violet over powered everything else...and my skien is mostly a dark colbolt blue with hints of black cherry here and there. *pout* Not what I was hoping for. The silk ply took up less color than the wool, which gives the whole skien a tweed look, which is interesting.

Next time, I am using this technique. I was turquise, blue-violet, and red-violet in three CLEAR sections and have them all blend and meet in the middle.

Oh well...live and learn!

Until next time...