I've been weaving with a Bluster Bay end-fed shuttle (EFS) for close to a year now, and recently bought two AVL EFS's at an estate sale. If I'm doing a one-shuttle weave, I usually use the Bluster Bay. For the most part, I like it and it does what it is supposed to do.
I think I'm winding the pirns correctly, but I still sometimes get sections of the weft that pull more than other sections.
I'm now weaving with a Jaggerspun merino/silk blend for the weft and I've found that when weaving with a yarn like this that is a little sticky, I have to put a lot of tension on the warp for everything to work correctly. I also have quite a bit of tension in the shuttle and when I throw the shuttle, there is sometimes quite a pull on the selvage and I have to remember to release that tension before beating. If I do that, everything seems to be ok. I may get a little more draw in than normal, but I'm not even sure about that.
I have really good selvages even with boat shuttles, but I do still like weaving with EFS's. I don't, however, think they're the cat's meow as some weavers seem to think. With a bit of care, boat shuttles can do just as well.
I haven't tried the AVL's yet because they are quite a bit longer than the Bluster Bay. Next time I have something wider on the loom, I'll give them a whirl.
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2 comments:
Oh, you lucky dog... (no pun intended about your pic!) To find AVL shuttles at an estate sale!! All we have here in my part of the country are double-wides and I have to travel a ways to even find another weaver! And do you think there would be estate sales with shuttles around here? No Way! Even my friends on the Left Coast have to pay the new prices for theirs because people just don't let go of them.
Hi there, I just finished weaving with Zephyr yarn myself. I use AVL end feed shuttles as I have a AVL loom with flyshuttles. However,for the Zephyr, I used the fine threads EFS. It uses a different tensioning device than the standard AVL endfeed shuttles. I have been using these for eleven years now. My loom is 60" wide so I tend to put on wider warps. If I weaving anything smaller than 20" I use a hand shuttle, sometimes EFS sometimes not. Good score on the estate sale! -Renee (who did post her picture on her blog but is hiding behind a tapestry bobbin.)
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