Wednesday, February 24, 2010

One for the Wheel Geeks.

Okay, my beloved fellow wheel geeks, something interesting for you today.

Mystery wheel...






Is it a Haldane Orkney, like this one I had a couple of years ago?






Is it an Ashford Traveller? (First picture swiped from the web, second picture from the Guild wheel down in the utility room.)







I tell you, I looked and puzzled. Table of a Traveller, uprights of an Orkney, mother of all and maidens similar to an Orkney, flyer and bobbins clearly Ashford. But it all fitted together with good clearances. So what is it??? Hybrid, made from parts of two wheels? Something different altogether?


Well, after much hunting round the net it turns out to be a Mark 1 Ashford Traveller, made between 1977 and 1979. I did not even know there was such a thing. I thought the standard Traveller had been around in the same form forever. But no, right there on the truly impressive New Zealand Spinning Wheel Index there is a picture, about half way down the page.


Bingo....possibly the only picture of a Mk 1 out there on the web. Till today.


Thoughts though. I still think it looks part Haldane Orkney, especially the upright/MofA and especially one of the maiden adjustments. Lookie....

Haldane Orkney....



Mk 1 Ashford Traveller.



The top of the maiden turns and there is a screw adjustment system inside that tensions the drive band as it stretches with age. Utterly unlike the modern Ashford system of tilting the whole mother of all to tension the drive band.


So... when was the Orkney first produced? Around or after 1979-ish? Anyone know? And did Mr Haldane borrow a few design features from the Mk1, or was it the other way round? The Mk1 almost seems like a common parent, doesn't it? I wish Haldane hadn't gone all quiet about the history of their spinning wheels since they stopped making them.

I do like spinning wheels. All of them, though some I like better than others. I have preferences as to design, material, looks...I don't necessarily prefer old over new or any one material over another, but some spinning wheels just grab my interest and some are terribly ho-hum. I have to admit the two most common Ashfords, the Traditional and the Traveller, both leave me cold as to looks. I hate the flyer and mother of all position on both. Ugly. But they are both amazingly good wheels as to function, utterly reliable, easy to use, sturdy and have lots of accessories available. Good wheels and ones I recommend all the time. But I've never wanted one, oh no.

But a Mark 1 Traveller is a wee bit special. Different. And it hasn't got that offset mother of all either. I quite like this wheel. Also, I feel sad for it. It has a lot of rust, paint dribbled on it, it needs a good dust and oil and the footman connector is broken but you know what? I bodged up a footman connector last night, put some oil on the crucial points, put a string drive band on it and it spins like a dream. Judging by the dirt layers, the squeaks and the filthy, mouldering yarn I pulled off the bobbins no-one has spun on that wheel for the last twenty years or so but ...that wheel is a real old trouper, a class act. I tell you, it's possibly the only Ashford I've ever really wanted to own.

Got to give it back though. (It belongs to a friend who I'm trying to lure along to The Spinners.) Eventually. Once I've cleaned it up. And spun a bobbin or two on it. And taken it round to meet my other wheels. Might even take it to spinning group next week....

11 comments:

Janet said...

Thanks from a budding wheel geek. I used to have an Ashford Traditional acquired in mid-1970's but not used very much. Now I have a Louet, sitting waiting to be tested.
Janet in Seattle, formerly in Dublin

オテモヤン said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Always enjoy your wheel lore Posts!
I finally got a new drive band for my Ettrick Windwheel and persuaded my husband to video me treadling. This is the link to my Post about ithttp://bookmarked.typepad.com/ms_textual/2010/02/treadling-on-the-ettrick-windwheel-at-last-.html
Thank you for steering me to the other YouTube clip in the first place. I really relied on it to get the treadle action.

Lisa Tregenza said...

I have just bought one of these on eBay! Took me a long time to figure out what it was, but when I did (and posted on the Online Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers to ask for people's opinions before I spent my hard-earned cash) it turns out lots of people had one of these in the 70s and loved them, and generally regretted selling them when they 'upgraded' Where are all these wheels now, I wonder? I am looking forward to giving this one a good home, and spinning lots of lovely yarn on it.

Margaret said...

Fantastic blog and what a help. I have just bought one of these wheels from eBay and am so pleased to know a little more about it.

Unknown said...

Thanks for helping my identify my Haldane as an Orkney; and for making me think again about Ashfords, too.

Unknown said...

I recently acquired my grandmother's spinning wheel. After doing my own web research, I found that it is also an Ashford Traveller, likely from 1977 since that is when she started spinning. I am new to spinning and excited to be learning on my grandmother's wheel.

Dimmie said...

Hahaha! Hello! I also have one of these :) I was scouring for it and came across the Traveller Mk1 on NZ Spinning Wheels, and a Google image search led me here.

Sally K said...

I lent my Mk1 to a friend over 20 years ago! She returned it last week which got my spinning juices flowing again. I ordered a maintenance kit and downloaded the mk1 instructions from Ashford, as I had totally forgotten anything I ever knew about spinning. I replaced the brake band and springs, the drive band and also the leather conrod connector which was broken. Although I could get the wheel to spin a bit, it kept slipping and the flyer would not spin. I was at a loss. I contacted Ashford, but the only responce I got was to watch their videos, which did not cover this problem. In desperation I googled Ashford Traveller Mk1 and Spinning Fishwife came up. After carefully reading this post I was able to work out the problem and wind the Maiden knob to get the tension required! So thank you Spinning Fishwife I am now back on the wobbly road of learning to spin!

tatjna said...

I ran across this looking for info about another wheel and recognised it. I inherited my Traveller from my Mum. She learned to spin on it and so did I Is my only wheel and I use it most days. Its a cherished part of my life.

erika husselmann said...

Hi! I have a Mark 1 Ashford Traveller too... bought it from the lady who started me on spinning 2 yrs ago. Rather special. The regular Ashford stamp is missing though, hence the search to find the info. :-)Erika, New Zealand