Joining a Driveband

Don't be afraid to make your own drive bands and belts for your fiber equipment. Drum carders and many spinning wheels use a poly cord. These stretch over time and can become brittle from exposure to light and airborne pollutants. (When not in use, it's a good idea to store these bands in zip bags and in somewhere dark.) These bands can pretty expensive so buying a length of cord and joining it yourself can save you money.

How to? It's easy. First, get a accurate measure of the drive band you need to replace. Then, cut the band to the desired length. I don't leave extra because these bands do stretch.

Next, hold the two cut ends side by side and heat with a candle or a lighter until you get a good bead of melted material on each end.

Now, press the two ends together. I rest the ends on the kitchen counter so that I can be sure that they ends meet evenly. Hold tight for about one minute. If the join is uneven, pull it apart and try again. Let the join cure for at least an hour or two.

Finally, trim around the join with some nail scissors and all done. And, if you do a little creative searching, you can find various kinds of belting material for very little money.

Solutions

Sometimes the smallest inconveniences are the biggest annoyances. My new to me wheel doesn't have sn on board orifice hook and yikes, what a pain. So, I bought a threader and got some coated copper wire from the toolbox; then I fashioned a hook/ hanger around the rear maiden. Voila.

DIY Lazy Kate

DIY Lazy Kate:

I have three spinning wheels (more about them later) and each wheel has multiple bobbins. The only lazy kate that I own only has room for two out of many (at least 12) bobbins so I've been stewing about a solution.  Not only is storage a problem but it sure would be nice to have a lazy kate that could hold more that two bobbins. I've seen folks use a shoebox and a knitting needle but I needed something a little more elegant.

So, a trip to the craft store, two pair of size 7 knitting needles and a basket later and voila:

The bobbins spin easily and the set up is heavy enough that it should work well enough for a lazy kate.   It definitely is a great storage solution for spinning wheel bobbins and all for only about six dollars!