Tools of the Trade

I thought I might add some photos of my wheels and things. I started out mostly restoring old clangers but I have moved up a bit with some newer models which I must say are very nice. Now I am not alone in having more than one wheel and for the most part each wheel is used at some stage. Each wheel has it's own uses and name. Not as strange as it sounds. Here are my girls......

The Ashfords
firstly a clanger I restored for the kids to use, she's a lovely Ashford Traditional wheel, about circa 1970's.




My girls, Gertie and Bianca, they are Ashford Travellers, circa 1980's, fully upgraded and pimped




Now to a couple of little beauties I got just cause they are pretty.

The Phillip Poore Saxony wheel. Nicely made but not in production any more. I think Phillip was based in Auckland NZ.

She's the cutie in the front there.

And the John Rappard, Wee Peggy, she was in a shocking state when I got her and I had to completely rebuild her flyer as it was badly broken. She was made in Dunedin NZ.



She's the one on the left, I affectionately call her Princess Piggy, she is what you call a castle wheel, double drive instead of scotch tension.

OK.
Onto the Majacrafts, another well made New Zealand Wheel. Firstly, my wee work horse, the Majacraft Suzie, called Jemima, on account of her looking rather like a duck.

That is her sitting next to Princess Piggy but here she is all pimped up...and no wheel is worth it's salt as a work horse without a cup holder



And here is my latest indulgence. Jemima was getting a bit dinged up going out and about so I got a more portable travel wheel. Introducing, Lucy Goosey, the Majacraft Little Gem.



Maja's are hugely interchangeable. Jemima is sporting a Rose whorl so she doesn't over spin and Lucy has the Suzie whorl on for the same reason.

I also made an electric spinner, just cause I could. It has an Ashford Jumbo flyer unit on it, powered by an old sewing machine motor with a foot pedal for speed control.




And of course no spinner can really get by without a drum carder. Of course this is the bane of my life as it caused my arm injury...



This is my brand new Ashford carder coming out of the box. I am currently banned from carding until my arm heals.