Using electrolysis has really moved the loom clean-up project along. All the jacks are now free of rust, as is every nut, bolt, and washer. While the electrolysis was running I was able to wash all the wooden parts of the loom, so everything is clean now. The wood seems to have come back to life, it looks warm and lustrous now. I can’t tell you how nice it is to be able to touch the loom without feeling as though I need to wash my hands.

The next step is to remove masking tape. The tape was originally put on to mark parts of the loom for reconstruction (as in marking tab A to remember to insert it in slot B), but which has now hardened. When it comes off it comes off in flakes. Today I started remove pieces of it using a hairdryer and a blunt letter opener. The first piece of tape took an hour to remove, the next three took only fifteen minutes each. I guess I got through the learning curve. There still seems to be a little dried adhesive residue after the tape is off. Some of it scrapes off with the letter opener (which does a good job of getting under the tape without gouging the finish). I am going to try cleaning the rest off before I put a coat of tung oil on the wood.

I still have 3 reeds to put through the electrolysis, as well as 40 rods for tying the treadles up to the lamms, and two metal pipes which go through the center of the warp beams. The pipes are too long even for the window box liner, so my husband has offered to jury rig something with some two by fours and plastic liner to allow me to use electrolysis for the pipes as well as the rest of the metal.

I ran across a nice 8-shaft pattern that will work as Christmas gifts if I get this loom set up quickly enough. I ordered the yarn for it, and expect it to arrive this week. I figure if I can’t get them done for Christmas this year, there’s always next year. In the meantime, this is happening on the 4-shaft (Tools of the Trade) loom: