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Shuttles


So, this is the picture from ebay. i bought this shuttle, and i won't tell you how much i paid for it. it's described as "vintage", which i doubt greatly, and has a "diamond wood" mark on the bottom of it as well as the letters "USA", which gives a clue to it's origin. which is funny, because i bought it from someone in lancashire, which was one of the main areas where the textile industry of britain was concentrated, back in Ye Olde Times.

I've looked up Diamond Wood on the internet, and apparently it comes from China and is really rather dense, thus earning it's name. this shuttle however apears to be made of two types of wood, making it a compound shuttle. Genghis Khan conquered half of Eurasia with the compound bow, what can i do with a compound shuttle i wonder?

Now, as you may notice, there is no pin for putting the pirn on, which you'd think would be essential. these things usually pivot on a hinge or something and are fixed in place. not here. no, it jams in at the end, there's a wax mould fitted in the end with the slot for jamming the butt of the pin into. Now, i'll have to make one. hmm, woodworking skills? i don't have many. oh well.


also, i also got a little stainless steel shuttle. after i bid for it, it occurred to me that a stainless steel shuttle might be a little too heavy, but i didn't bother thinking about it too much. anyway, i got it, and it's 3 inches long. it is soo cute. i'm going to hang it on a cord and wear it round my neck like a christian would a cross.

i don't have my camera with me today, so i can't show you.

this is also a good time to point out that i have been buying up used shuttles, mostly end-feed shuttles from old mills. I shall be restoring these and selling them. I have been developing also a line of scarves that i can sell at a reasonable price to the masses. Watch this space. Watch, indeed, for the launch of Humble Woven Products, your solution for reasonably priced handwoven scarves and restored vintage end-feed shuttles.

No, really, I've bought the labels and everything. Exciting eh?

Comments

bspinner said…
Interesting shuttle. Good luck on your new business. And yes it is exciting.
23 February 2009 at 18:09
Anonymous said…
Way exciting!! "Compound shuttle" made me laugh. Sounds like your stainless steel one would make quite a projectile weapon though. Yesterday I read that King Gustav of Sweden was assassinated by a pistol loaded with rusty nails. Somebody wrote an opera about it. He's the one they named the furniture after.
4 March 2009 at 16:15
Andrew Kieran said…
the stainless steel shuttle is just over an inch long. it's cute. i'm thinking of turning it into a neckpiece or something.

some of those old shuttles would make excellent clubs it has to be said. i have one chunky thing that you can't get a hand around. and it's as long as my arm. there's quite a weight in that. the thing that's really nasty is they've all got metal points on the ends. i don't know if you're familiar with reclaimed industrial shuttles, but they all have metal noses. wouldn't like to get attacked by a shuttle wielding maniac in a dark alley, oh no
5 March 2009 at 01:03
Anonymous said…
Diamondwood came up on a search I did a few years ago. Apparently, it's wood dust mixed with plastic glue and very strong, but a compressed composite rather than from a certain tree. If you can find a pirn to fit your end-feed shuttle, you'll find it lovely to use: great selvedges!
6 March 2009 at 16:33
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