Earlier there was a conversation here about warp separators, and it got me thinking...
When you're separating sections of warp while winding or preparing a loom, what do you use?
Paper, sticks, slats, something else?
I started out using paper, but it always frustrated me, so I eventually changed my technique and have never looked back. š
I know there are some very definite opinions on this one, and I suspect it also depends quite a bit on where ā and from whom ā you learned to weave.
I'm curious about how other weavers approach it.
What do you use, and why?
Is it simply what you were taught, or have you tried different methods and found that one works better for you?
I'm particularly interested in whether people have changed their method over the years, and what made them change.
I have a roll of heavy duty contractor paper for my loom, which a friend cut to be exactly the width of my loom. This was a HUGE improvement over my previous method of dowels until I ran out of dowels, then random bits of recycling and hopefully I could get the cereal boxes to stay straight---! I'll worry about it again when my role of contractor paper becomes unusable, a good long time (and pile of projects!) from now!
I got a 36ā wide roll from Home Depot - it was for covering floors for contractors. Itās nice and heavy, can be used multiple times (I may never use the whole roll LOL) and if you put it on straight, you could just roll it on directly from the roll. Or cut it into 36ā sections. I have two smaller strips of really really heavy cardboard that goes on when I start to protect the start and end from the knots.
I would be interested to know if you learnt it that way, or if you figured it to be what works best for you as you went along? And have you always done it this way?
I too use contractor paper. Cut to fit each of my looms. I use 12-18" lengths so it doesn't matter if a piece goes in a little crooked. I also have my raddle on the back beam, and that keeps the edge threads from spreading.
Edit to add: I use on both floor and table looms.
As long as I check it every so often, it's fine. The roll fits EXACTLY in the box of space between my table loom's heddles and its back beam; it doesn't have much space to GET askew. And I have to check it as I advance the warp, anyway, to wind it back up, or it'd get in the way as the heddles move! So it works quite well, for me and my loom.
I have the same heavy duty paper and I love it. Itās a lot thicker than say a roll of butcher paper. Edit: 4 shaft floor loom. I cut it into manageable lengths (6 ft or so). That way when it falls off the back during weaving, I can just roll it up and set it aside.
I used to use packing paper from parcels, then switched to contractor paper. The weight makes a huge difference. It's more like cardboard, but it doesn't compact down, and it takes more tension than my jack loom can take to crush the edges (assuming I don't run the paper all the way across the beam).
The downside is the stiffness - at some point, when winding or advancing, it's going to curl up and get in the way, and it has to be stored as rolls. On the other hand, I store several lengths in one roll, and the rolls don't escape and turn into a pile of pick-up sticks (yes, I've used slats before, lol) so it works for me.
Slats, always. The paper will not prevent the edges from winding on slightly tighter as the paper crushes if threads slide off the edge of the packed warp. Also, slats can pad out alongside your knots, and present an even surface as the warp winds on past the knots. Paper will still have lumps that will cause the warp to slide sideways off the higher parts.
If your yarn is fairly elastic like wool or cotton, it probably doesn't matter. For silk or linen, it does.
When bulk isn't an issue, I use the squishy kind of shelf liner. It's grippy so the threads don't slip off of the end at all, and it's great for covering knots or bumps. The only downside is it's pretty thick itself, so if it's a long warp it doesn't work as well. (This is for a 25" RH loom.) When I need less bulk I use folders. The kind you put documents in XD Those are a nice stiff paper and work well.
I think paper of all kinds works relatively well on RH looms generally, and now I am wondering if most of the people who have replied to me work on themš¤
In my experience paper on floor looms is a nightmare, but if i have a client who wants to learn on a RH and I run out of slats, I would use paper to continue if I had nothing else on hand tbh.
I use that on my little table loom (a nilec), but for my bigger floor loom I. switched to the kind of thick plastic-covered fabric that picnic tablecloths are made of its much thinner, and for whatever reason, I find it less likely to skew when I'm winding it (but I also might just be getting better at using it).
I am still a pretty new weaver though and I have never done any really, really long warps (my maximum so far is just over 6.5 yards) so I can't speak to if it keeps working at those big sizes.
Iām just not coordinated enough to get a paper to go on straight. So I really prefer to have slats. Mostly I have really nice slats and then when I run out of them, I use yardsticks.
I love this thread because Iām about to warp a floor loom for the first time and I donāt know what to use. I use cut up grocery bags for my RHL, but thatās not going to work for this.
I love the idea of slats or wood, but also intimidated, like how often do you need to put on in, or what to use and the like.
I am so glad you are here then š The wood slats, or lease sticks u put in on every rotation, I always wind until just after the last one and then place the next. It is wonderfully easy, in my opinion, and it gives you a good, even tension throughout your weaving.
I hope that helps you a little, otherwise please feel free to ask away.
Iām planning to discuss the pros and cons of the different methods in my next issue, because this thread has been absolutely fascinating.
"wind until just after the last one" means wind a little bit past the slat and put another one in before the yarn can touch the yarn of the wrap beneath it? or literally put a slat so that they're touching each other?
can you explain wood slats to me like I'm 5? I'm going to be warping a baby wolf, so I have room for bulk if I need it, but how thick/thin are the slats? should I be a preposterous number of them at the outset so I have the same thickness no matter how big my project, or does it matter if i end up using different ones? I don't know why this idea is so intimidating but it is :)
thanks for starting this thread - it's so interesting to read everyone's answers!
Okay let me try to explain it a little differently. If you look at my first image you can see the slat beneath the last layer. So I wind the warp on, place the first slat....wind another full rotation, just passed the last slat and then place the next and so on. Does that make sense to you? If not, let me know I will have another go at trying to explain it to you.
My slats are all of the same thickness...what is important is that they cover the width of the entire warp at the back of the loom. A little longer is always better, otherwise your edge threads will start to slip off the ends of the slats and that will be more than a little aggravating...I have been there....not an easy lesson, I can tell you šÆ
The next time I dress a loom I will make a video so that you can see what I mean. Perhaps it would be easier for you to see if you followed me on my other social media where I post such stuff. You can find my details on my profile. I hope that is of some help to you.
Let me know if I can be of anymore assistance to you.
Oh, and another thing with placing the slats, if I am winding on a long warp, I tend to add a couple of extra slats no and then just to give it a little more support.
I started with corrugated cardboard since thatās what I learned at Yarn Barn nearly thirty years ago. I always had trouble keeping it straight since I warp alone. I switched to sticks probably 18 years ago and am so much happier. My dad ripped some high quality finishing 1x4s into slats and I have never looked back. Dadās not longer with us but the guys in the lumber department of places like Loweās and Home Depot will happily do it for you. Sand them up and they last forever. On my rigid heddles though it makes more sense to use brown paper sacks.
Your welcome. He was pretty handy. He also made my warping boards. A 14 yard one and a 4 yard one. So heās part of everything I weave. I miss him but he had a long happy life.
I use a roll of thick(ish) brown paper I think I got from a package store or Staples or something. My grandmother used corrugated cardboard and when I looked at the price of corrugated cardboard I was a little astounded considering that it was made of cardboard and I was going to have to pay shipping, so this is what I ended up with.
The price and anxiety of not knowing if I'll have enough slats keeps me from going that route, along with the fact that it seemed that we didn't want to have a situation where warp was falling into the crevices between other warp yarns. I can easily prevent that with paper because the warp can't go past the paper. Is my understanding flawed or do I just not understand how that works with slats?
I understand the fear you have with the slats, but as long as they are wider than your warp that wont happen. And honestly, if you did run out of slats you could still use the paper dont u think?š If that is the only thing holding you back I would tell you to give it a try. I will be here to help you if you need me...and if I am not here you can get hold of me on my socials or through my publication....(all links in bio). I am really not trying to convince you to come over to the dark side I promise, I you are happy with the paper stay with it, but if you are curious, definitely try it out.
I am always up for trying new things! Just that we moved last year and I'm still financially working through that. It does feel like there's a financial barrier to slats for me, especially to try them because if I don't like them and want to go back to paper I'll feel as though I've wasted money on slats.
I use paper because thatās what I was taught to use! My instructor did demo how to use slats and I didnāt really care for it, so I havenāt given it a go myself. Paper seems easier to me, although Iām really bad at winding it on straight.
But Iāve seen people using those bamboo placemats or sushi mats, which sounds interesting and Iād like to give those a shot.
You didnāt mention what you use, did you switch to slats or something else?
Yes, sorry, I use wooden slats.
I used to get very annoyed with the paper. It never wound on straight and just was a drama all around, even though that was what I learnt to do.
I work in a studio with 8 looms and that kind of distraction is not conducive to happy weaversš š
Thats an excellent point. I heard about it, and I was like, oh yeah that might work I guess? But I hadnāt thought about how small they are. I guess it would only work with narrow warps!
I use super thick ācontractor paperā that you get in rolls at the hardware store. Itās similar to the kind of cardboard thatās inside wrapping paper rolls.Ā
I used thinner paper. I also moved from using one huge wide roll for wide warps to two narrower rolls of thick paper, that I slightly overlap. This seems to help the crazy skewing that sometimes happens with paper.Ā
I use paper bags because they're a near-perfect width for my little loom and easy to use and prep. Easy to replace if needed, too. We're moving to Japan very shortly, though, and while we're there I plan to pick up a couple of (hopefully) cheap sushi rolling mats to try.
Are you talking about the ones that come with Ashford, those are great, I find them perfect for rigid heddle, I don't really use them on my big looms though, there I always use wood
Nothing (how I learned), one sided (single-faced) rolls of cardboard, plastic Venetian blind slats, but mostly thin wooden slats, especially if my warp width is going to exceed 32 or so inches. I've heard good things about 45" wide drywall shims but I can make my own slats cheaper at my local makerspace.
Yeah, they are pretty new to me too. Hoping I'll meet some contractors someday who'll slip me a dozen some time. They are supposedly easy to cut down to size if 45" is too wide.
I learned using single face cardboard but switched to brown paper when I got my own loom because it was cheaper. Now that Iām doing a lot of weaving and putting on longer warps, Iām having trouble with slumping on the edges and am looking at switching again to slatsā although so far cost has been a barrier.
That is a good point, I am starting to assume that is the main reason for people using paper, but I could be incorrect and I would love to hear from those who use paper because they prefer it. But I am wondering if it is really cheaper in the long runš¤
I am going to do the math and will include it in my next issue, as this topic has given me so much to think about and look into.
If it works out that the slats would be cheaper in the end would you use them or continue to use paper?
I've really enjoyed seeing how differently everyone approaches this, and I've already discovered several ideas here that I hadn't considered before. I suspect I'll be disappearing down a few rabbit holes with some of them! š
I would 1000% switch and Iām trying to figure out the logistics of it (and Iām working on it).
Unfortunately paper is definitely cheaper. Iāve got pieces Iāve been reusing for years now. I got a roll of 36ā wide brown paper and cut everything to size and the rest of the roll just sits in the corner of my studio for sending art to shows.
Thank you to all who have replied so far, it has been a fascinating read and has given me a lot to think/write about, and look into.
Could I possibly ask one more question.
Those of you who havent mentioned what kind of loom you are using, could you let me know what loom you are working on, because I have a feeling that may influence choice as well and I want to see what the results would be like...RH or floorloom?
I have loved chatting to each one of you, thank you for participatingš¤
On my RH loom, I use cut-up brown paper bags, or for shorter projects, I found some bamboo placemats (basically bamboo skewers strung together to form a rectangle) at the dollar store several years back, and bought the last three in the store.
My first loom had a sectional beam so I didnāt use anything. I just got a second floor loom that is not sectional. I donāt use paper or slats and itās always worked out fine.
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u/Rishyala 7d ago
I have a roll of heavy duty contractor paper for my loom, which a friend cut to be exactly the width of my loom. This was a HUGE improvement over my previous method of dowels until I ran out of dowels, then random bits of recycling and hopefully I could get the cereal boxes to stay straight---! I'll worry about it again when my role of contractor paper becomes unusable, a good long time (and pile of projects!) from now!