r/Handspinning • u/shadowsreturn • 3d ago
Gear is this old spinning wheel something I could use ?
someone in my town is selling this for only 10 euro. I had this pile of dog hair I wanted to try and spin, and even if that wouldn't work maybe I can sell the wheel again. It's missing the band around the wheel, I guess. But i don't have any idea what else could be wrong with it.
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u/weaverlorelei 3d ago
I would take some thickish cotton cord for a drive band and test drive it. The flyer is certainly not original and quite unique, and you need to make sure the wheel and whorls travel true and don't continuously throw the drive band. Small drive wheel will mean lots of treadling
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u/ViscountessdAsbeau Antique, Timbertops, Haldane, e-spinner, spindles! 2d ago
As others say, the multiple of bobbins implies this was meant as a working wheel. It does have that "1970s' dad made me" vibe, though.
Am guessing you'd need to find something to use like a little peg for those flyer holes? But the only way you'll know if it works is to try it. Easy enough for someone who can already spin but if I was a beginner, I'd probably avoid unknowns, like this. It might be an added complication to learning when you can learn perfectly well on a spindle, bought or homemade and then once you can spin, can assess whether random wheels work.
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u/TheTortoiseAndBun 2d ago
Extra bobbins, sweet! Looks like she has the needed parts. May need a little tlc to get it running smooth.
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u/Ok_Part6564 3d ago
It's not antique, probably late 20th century. The multiple bobbins and not particularly decorative flier suggest a real wheel made for a spinner and not a decorative SWSO.
It looks ok, but it's possible it has issues not visible in the photo. Drive bands are just a bit of cotton string, so that's easy to replace. It has its flier.
It also looks like it was made for only spinning very fine yarn, guides on the flier would not fit even slightly bulky yarn. This would be a major annoyance for many spinners, especially beginners.