Antique spinning wheel hub repair

Hello I have a question, I don't know if this is the area to ask it. I am new to this page.

I have an old antique spinning wheel that is over a hundred years old. It was in one family handed down.

The hub on the wheel has cracks in it, I would like to fix it ! Glue it. So this is all new to me, and I have no idea what I'm doing. Can anyone help me with how to do this. I am a fish out of water.
I would like to post a picture but I don't see that option.

Could you show a photo of the full spinning wheel?

Is the goal to match the original methods,  like for restoration,  or is the goal to get it to work while looking good?

r ranson wrote:Could you show a photo of the full spinning wheel?

Is the goal to match the original methods,  like for restoration,  or is the goal to get it to work while looking good?

I want to repair this wheel so I can use it.
Not replace it just fix it

Beautiful wheel.

You've come to the right place.

I've done both restoring (used period techniques to make it look like new) and repairing spinning wheels.

One of the hardest things to repair is an old repair - so, my preference is for a light touch.  Try the least invasive (and least work) fix first, and if that doesn't work, then try something stronger.  


Looking at your wheel, the cracks aren't very bad.  Ugly, but everything is holding together.

my first test would be to find out if it needs repairing.  Does the wheel fit on the uprights?  (i know this is obvious if you've been spinning a while, but I'll say it just in case for future readers - the crank will be toward the 'back' or if we look at the picture of the whole wheel, towards the photographer)

If so, does it spin?  If you take your hand and give the wheel a spin, how many revolutions does it make before it slows?  Or does it jump off?

What about when you add a drop or two of sewing machine (or better yet, spinning wheel) oil?  (please don't use anything heavier, that can make the wheel harder to use)

How much wobble does the rim have?  Less than 2 inches from side to side is good for moving forward with the next tests and no changes.  


From here the choices are
- to keep going with the tests (a lot of times old wheels like this don't need repair, they look broken by modern standards, but still function)
- decide not to fix for now (in that case, several generous coats of a furniture oil like linseed or walnut followed by a wax coat would do a lot to help close up the cracks and protect the wood)
- or try a fix.  This has risks, but if you want to go that path, we can make suggestions.

r ranson wrote:Beautiful wheel.

You've come to the right place.

I've done both restoring (used period techniques to make it look like new) and repairing spinning wheels.

One of the hardest things to repair is an old repair - so, my preference is for a light touch.  Try the least invasive (and least work) fix first, and if that doesn't work, then try something stronger.  


Looking at your wheel, the cracks aren't very bad.  Ugly, but everything is holding together.

my first test would be to find out if it needs repairing.  Does the wheel fit on the uprights?  (i know this is obvious if you've been spinning a while, but I'll say it just in case for future readers - the crank will be toward the 'back' or if we look at the picture of the whole wheel, towards the photographer)

If so, does it spin?  If you take your hand and give the wheel a spin, how many revolutions does it make before it slows?  Or does it jump off?

How much wobble does the rim have?  Less than 2 inches from side to side is good for moving forward with the next tests and no changes.  


From here the choices are
- to keep going with the tests (a lot of times old wheels like this don't need repair, they look broken by modern standards, but still function)
- decide not to fix for now (in that case, several generous coats of a furniture oil like linseed or walnut followed by a wax coat would do a lot to help close up the cracks and protect the wood)
- or try a fix.  This has risks, but if you want to go that path, we can make suggestions.

Thank you  my wife spins wool  on another homemade wheel.
My wife sings this on marketplace and loved it. So I told her  if you want it I'll restore it not knowing what I was about to get in to. LOL

Yes it fits into the uprights and was spinning wobbly. I replaced the leather pieces in the uprights. That helped, but still spins a little wobbly. My wife thinks it's because of the cracks. When she lightly pushes on the wheel you can see the cracks spreed open a little.

What do you think?

Ken Rosloniec wrote:

Yes it fits into the uprights and was spinning wobbly. I replaced the leather pieces in the uprights. That helped, but still spins a little wobbly. My wife thinks it's because of the cracks. When she lightly pushes on the wheel you can see the cracks spreed open a little.

What do you think?

Can you share a photo?

r ranson wrote:Beautiful wheel.

You've come to the right place.

I've done both restoring (used period techniques to make it look like new) and repairing spinning wheels.

One of the hardest things to repair is an old repair - so, my preference is for a light touch.  Try the least invasive (and least work) fix first, and if that doesn't work, then try something stronger.  


Looking at your wheel, the cracks aren't very bad.  Ugly, but everything is holding together.

my first test would be to find out if it needs repairing.  Does the wheel fit on the uprights?  (i know this is obvious if you've been spinning a while, but I'll say it just in case for future readers - the crank will be toward the 'back' or if we look at the picture of the whole wheel, towards the photographer)

If so, does it spin?  If you take your hand and give the wheel a spin, how many revolutions does it make before it slows?  Or does it jump off?

How much wobble does the rim have?  Less than 2 inches from side to side is good for moving forward with the next tests and no changes.  


From here the choices are
- to keep going with the tests (a lot of times old wheels like this don't need repair, they look broken by modern standards, but still function)
- decide not to fix for now (in that case, several generous coats of a furniture oil like linseed or walnut followed by a wax coat would do a lot to help close up the cracks and protect the wood)
- or try a fix.  This has risks, but if you want to go that path, we can make suggestions.

Thank you  my wife spins wool  on another homemade wheel.
My wife sings this on marketplace and loved it. So I told her  if you want it I'll restore it not knowing what I was about to get in to. LOL

Yes it fits into the uprights and was spinning wobbly. I replaced the leather pieces in the uprights. That helped, but still spins a little wobbly. My wife thinks it's because of the cracks. When she lightly pushes on the wheel you can see the cracks spreed open a little.

What do you think?
Not sure how to post a video

The wobble is only an issue if
a) it throws the drive band(s) or
b) it makes the wheel vibrate and isn't fun to use.

Probably best to decide if you need to fix it later on in the assessment.  Generally, if the wobble is less than two inches (one inch from center at the rim), it won't cause a problem.  Unless it does.



In case I forget later, here is a list of Wobble causes - in order of likelihood.

0.1. not enough oil, or too thick an oil, or old oil build up.  Spinningwheel oil or sewingmachine oil will often loosen this as the wheel is used, but you can also clean out the old oil if it causes a problem.

1. wheel uprights are out of alignment or loose - easy fix, twist the uprights to line up correctly and if loose, split a bit of wooden toothpick or matchstick into a shim to stiffen up the hole for the uprights.

Legs being too loose can also make it feel like it's wobbling or hard to treadle.  Good to check this now too.  

glue is popular, but I prefer shims as it's easier to adjust as the wood adjusts to your house's climate.  

2. axel not lined up front to back or bent.  There are lots of ways to bend it back, but the key is to be extremely careful of the wood of the hub.  Bend it in a way that doesn't use the wheel as something to hold the metal.

Last time, I set up a system with two anvils on two tables.  Hung the wheel between them and gently hammered the axel into alignment.

You would have to judge what would work for you.

3. wheel uprights are worn so the grove the axle sits in is uneven.  This requires something to fill in the gap.  Resin is common.  Traditional could be old leather soaked in oil.

4. the wheel is too wobbly.  This usually requires dismantling and rebuilding the wheel.  I try to avoid this as much as possible.  



Before all that, let's find out if it throws the drive band.  

It looks like a double drive designed to have two drive bands (a lot of modern double drives have a single drive band looped twice).  

If you ever want to geek out about the details, The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning: Being A Compendium of Information, Advice, and Opinions On the Noble Art & Craft is an excellent book.  Your local library should have it and if they don't, they SHOULD and you can tell them I said so (and ask for an interlibrary loan)


where was I?  Could we see a picture of a drive band on the wheel and how it lines up with the flyer?  

This is how the wheel spins, my wife thinks it is because of the cracks in the hub


 https://youtube.com/shorts/iCNx4DeG5ds?feature=shared  

Ken Rosloniec wrote:This is how the wheel spins, my wife thinks it is because of the cracks in the hub


https://youtube.com/shorts/iCNx4DeG5ds?feature=shared

It could be.  The solution for that is to disassemble the wheel and reglue it together.

This is also a common symptom of a bent axel which is easier to fix.  Can you check that first?

I don't think the axles bend. It looks pretty straight but here's what I think is happening. Showing 2 videos.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lCDCWcz62dI?feature=shared

https://youtube.com/shorts/9F6ve-bmDw0?feature=shared

Your videos are extremely helpful.  

(skip a bunch of boring troubleshooting - and a thank you for sticking with the troubleshooting so far)

Could you share your experience level with woodworking?  Especially chair repair.  

I'm thinking about clamping the circle and using a syringe and needle to glue it.  It would be easier to do than rebuilding the wheel from scratch.

And do you have this tool?  https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/workshop/tool-maintenance/59452-clamptite-tool

I'm thinking about clamping the circle and using a syringe and needle to glue it.  It would be easier to do than rebuilding the wheel from scratch.

My wood working skills are basic.

That's What I was thinking, the only clamps I have are would clamps, but I'm not sure if it would get a good grip on the edge of that help.
So would I use a girl? headed up and Squirt it into the cracks?

I don't know if stream or rope would work.

The tool you show in the link looks pretty cool like that would work.

There are lots of ways to do this.  What follows might not be the best for you, so make sure you are comfortable before you begin and if you want to try a different way, that's okay too.  It's hard when I can't see the wheel in person.

I've been able to buy chair glue that comes with a needle-like applicator.  This is my preference for this kind of thing because I can get the glue right in there.  If not, wood glue and a syringe with a blunt needle (wood working shops might sell this if not try a crafting shop).

Clamping is the tricky bit.  Some of the more successful repairs I've seen (and oldest ones) involve applying glue in the cracks, then using wire to hold the hub together - and leaving the wire in place (thus the tool I linked to above).  Then wipe off any glue that might have escaped.  



Trying to think of other ways to clamp in a circle.  Multiple clamps run the risk of it being out of true.  

Is anyone else able to chime in?  

Sitting in a hospital waiting room, but I am game.  I am thinking cheap.  Trace the circle on a piece of wood.  Drill holes around the outside of the circle.  Insert hub. Insert dowel rods into holes.   Insert wedges between dowel rods and hub to tighten.


Or

Wrap wired around hub. Tighten by twisting wire.

Thank you for all your advice and tips, you have been most helpful guiding me.

When I get it done, I'll post a picture.
I'm so happy I found this site.

I would love to hear how it goes.  Thanks for sharing your wheel with us.  

Glue and clamp that hub.

Carmelo Panucci wrote:Glue and clamp that hub.

The question now is: how to clamp in a circle for someone who isn't accustomed to woodwork?  Suggestions?

It looks like you can get a few clamps on that.  Something to protect the hub from the teeth, like a piece of leather. Work from minimum gap out to maximum. Doing it cleanly may take some craft. Structurally,  it will hold forever.

Although not the same brand, here's a link to a previous thread on Permies.com dealing with a similar issue:

https://permies.com/t/136716/Ways-repair-hub-Ashford-spinning

Carmelo Panucci wrote:It looks like you can get a few clamps on that.  Something to protect the hub from the teeth, like a piece of leather. Work from minimum gap out to maximum. Doing it cleanly may take some craft. Structurally,  it will hold forever.

The problem with just using clamps is they put force in one direction.  It makes it very easy to get the hub out of true.  

Better to clamp in a circular direction, but most strap clamps won't fit on a wheel hub like this.

This is why the traditional method involves wire as a permanent clamp.  Older repair methods for spinning wheels treat glue as optional.

I appreciate all your tips and help on this.

This is what I came up with. It was the only way I could wrap the hub. Décor round the hub side. There wasn't it enough of an edge.

After you all stop laughing, let me know what you think.

If it works, you did well.

Well, we shall see going to leave it for about 24 to 48 hours. 😂

What were the results?

I'll post some pictures tomorrow like I have a few other questions too but look for them tomorrow.

Okay, here's the wheel. I glued up. It looks fine for the cracks, but it's still has that wobble. As you can see in the video, not sure how to get that out.

The other issue we have is it is  a double drive wheel. And we were trying to use, I guess single drive bobbins. I guess

I didn't know there was a difference in bobbins, so we got the new bin. And we put it on the flyer, but apparently this is longer than the rod. Because I can't put the Whorl. on there. It won't screw on to tjr end of the rod not enough threads?

Any thoughts

Forgot the photos lol

Forgot the photos lol

the video of the wheel spin.

https://youtube.com/shorts/6yPWlCFlutQ?feature=shared

Lambing season so I'm not online much this week.

Wobble,  have a look at my troubleshooting list from before.  

Bobbin looks like an Ashford double drive.   They were one of the first in the world to make a universal bobbin.  Before that, every bobbin had to be turned specifically to fit the individual wheel.   This is sadly the biggest problem with antique spinning wheels.

I usually get someone to turn me one (it’s amazing what people will do in exchange for not having to cut the lawn - aka sheep rental).

The flyer assembly (motherofall) is the part that needs to be most balanced,  so I will give some thought to some alternatives to getting a new bobbin custom made.  Do you have any of the old bobbin?

Yes, I have a few older antique bottoms. They appear to be a little smaller than the Ashford one.