Spinning Article
Words of Wisdom about Spinning
by Ester Benedict
ESTHER BENEDICT has some good advice on taking care of your spinning wheel, especially after a hot, dusty summer of outdoor spinning. She has kindly given permission to share her words of wisdom with you.
It's time to give your wheel a little extra TLC. Dust and grit wear down your wheel and impede smooth operation. Wipe everything down (use a q-tip to get at hard to reach places), and oil all the moving parts. If you're not sure what to oil, see my notes below on "A Few Drops of Oil."
The wood of your spinning wheel didn't like the hot dry weather any more than you did, and gritty dust is damaging to the finish. After wiping off the dust, treat your wheel to a rub down with whatever maintenance product your manufacturer recommends. Just be sure not to get oil or wax into the grooves of your wheel, flyer and bobbin.
While you're at it, take a look at the drive band and break band. Are they worn, stretched or dirty? Maybe it's time for a replacement. Give yourself a soak in some bubble bath because you'll spin better if you're relaxed.
A FEW DROPS OF OIL can make spinning on your wheel more pleasant. Like any machine, the moving parts on your spinning wheel need lubrication. You can buy special spinning wheel oil, but other household oils can work just as well. Avoid oils with dye in them just a little can stain your fiber; also sewing machine oil doesn't hold up well. I use 30 weight motor oil the cheap kind that doesn't have any special additives. I keep it in a little plastic bottle with a fine metal tip so I can control the amount of oil I’m using.
The most important part to oil is the flyer mechanism. Say you treadle 88 times a minute (that's what my husband, Bruce, clocked me at), and you're using a whorl with a 16:1 ratio: that means that the flyer is going around 1408 times a minute, and that's a lot of revolutions and a lot of friction. To lubricate the flyer, remove the assembly from the bearings; remove the flyer whorl and the bobbin. Wipe the flyer shaft and the ends with a cloth. Did the cloth get black marks on it? That's a combination of old oil and microscopic particles worn from your flyer, with a little dust and fiber thrown in. Now replace the oil: put a few drops on the flyer shaft and spread it around, then replace the bobbin and whorl. Finally, put a drop of oil on each end of the flyer where it sits on or fits into the bearings.
The treadle mechanism needs periodic oiling as well. If I don't oil my treadle often enough my wheel tells me about it: it starts to make all sorts of interesting creaking noises and becomes increasingly difficult to treadle up and down. The pins where the treadle attaches to the legs of most wheels are constantly moving (remember the 88 times a minute), so put a drop on each of these. Also put a drop of oil where the footman attaches to the treadle and one at the top where the crankshaft and footman meet. These attachments are generally made of leather and need oil to keep them supple. I also put a drop of oil on the crankshaft where it meets the maidens (both front and back).
Two places never to oil: The axle on most modern wheels is packed with (you guessed it) axle grease. This lubricant can break down if it is mixed with other kinds of oil; so don't even try to get oil into the axle of the wheel. The grooves on the flyer whirl, bobbin whorl and wheel depend on friction to turn the drive band: never, ever oil or wax those grooves.
How often should you oil? I oil my flyer after every couple of hours of spinning time. If your wheel has sat around for a week or more, lubricate the whole thing before you start to spin. If you've had the wheel outside in the dust (say at an event), clean and oil everything well when you get home.
Frequent oil and lube jobs on your spinning wheel will make spinning less work, more fun, make it possible to spin finer and more even yarns, and extend the life of your wheel (say for two or three generations.)
Author note: Esther Benedict is Mistress Astra Christiana Benedict in the Society for Creative Anachronism, with honors for teaching as well as volunteer service. Her areas of expertise are Italian costuming, needlework, dance, spinning and weaving. Esther/Astra specializes in heraldic garb and blackwork embroidery and is a founder of the Right Noble Company of Clothiers. She can be contacted through Griffin Dyeworks.