So, I don’t know what made me think that making a video about restoring a loom was going to be a one-video process. I think this is going to be a series. This might end up being a whole summer series of fixing up this loom.
On today’s Lo Meets Loom video, I want to tell you about my beautiful Leclerc Fanny loom and why I’m sitting underneath it. I got this loom a few months ago, in the dead of winter, and I had bought it used online from Ottawa. It was taken apart, disassembled by the owner and then packaged and travelled all the way across Canada, here to Vancouver. My intention was always that when the weather warmed in the summer, I was going to disassemble the loom once again, refinish everything, and then put it back together. Now, I’m looking at that entire process and… um, I just want to say “welcome to my woodworking channel”!
I wonder, what would you do in this situation? Would you just wash the loom, try to make it un-sticky and just keep going. Or would you sand it all down and make it super nice and pretty, refinished and gorgeous? Let me know in the comments!
I think a palm sander will be your best friend. Looks like it is mostly flat pieces which won’t take that long it’s the rounded ones that would be more challenging.
My dad is a big woodworker so this stuff inspires me!
You’ve got this!!’ Go for it. It will be something that you will look at after with pride and accomplishment ♥️♥️
Thank you so much Kathy!! Yes, I get super inspired by woodworking projects too… I think the fondness for fibre translates over to a fondness for natural wood as well. I’m excited to get started!
Sounds like the tail wagging the dog :)
Pull out the pins on the sections and refinish those four parts. It’s a tool, not an antique Steinway, lol. You could spend months refinishing a loom, months not spent weaving.
I’m sympathetic—I have an old Nilus with 2″ sections and I wanted 1″. I found an unmatched set of Louet sectional bars and dithered around for years not using them because they didn’t match. Then I discovered how easy it was to just pull those hoops out and bang em into my existing sections .
“Pretty” looms can slow you down. I have a gorgeous Norwood that I’m afraid of scratching up. It definitely affects the way I use it. After seeing a lot of really old beat up workhorse rug looms from the 1920s rigged up with baling wire and any old funky parts that worked — still producing rugs on a daily basis — I’ve gone over to the “it’s a tool, use it” camp.
Thank you Ellen! Yes!! I’m worried about making the loom so pretty that I’ll be anxious about actually using it and yes… it would be GREAT if the refinishing didn’t take months… there is weaving to be done! Thanks for your input :)
Is it a piece of furniture or a good looking tool that you want?
I would just give her a good wash down to clean off the old dust and sticky stuff. My husband would call it “Chi-ing” to make it yours. Maybe some non-sticky type re-conditioning oil if the wood is dry. (You live in VAN…it won’t be dry for long, right?).Then get busy and weave!!!. Who is going to notice the colour differences when there is beautiful yarns on the loom?
No matter what you decide, do enjoy getting to know your new best friend….
I vote for taking it apart and sanding. If you try to improve the finish with it assembled you will never get a great result in the corners and that may nag at you. Also taking it apart means you can use a power sander which will be much faster than you think. My big recommendation is to use good sandpaper (3M is my favourite) so much better than the others and use 80 or 100 to strip the finish, 180 or 220 to prep for finishing
i’ve refinished old furniture using denatured alcohol, grey (fine) scotchbrite pads & the blue paper shop rags/towels. an old furniture man told me this process. you wet the scotchbrite pad with the denatured alcohol & lightly rub the old finish off wiping as you go with the shop towels. this method allows you to remove a little or a lot depending & it also allows you to reapply some of the old finish. the scotchbrite pads have the advantage of not depositing steel wool bits into your wood. i finished my wood pieces with the howards feed ‘n wax.