06 August 2008

Leclerc Tissart Tapestry Loom

I have not posted on here for a few days - mostly because I was busy getting some things done. There is this thing about doing and/or writing about doing that I sometimes struggle with. It is the residue from graduate school. I want to do the work. I do not always want to document it. However I realize that I can get pretty lazy intellectually if I do not work at documenting the work.

However, that was not the reason I have not posted lately. The reason was that I have been all wrapped up in the new tapestry loom. It is a 60" Leclerc Tissart loom, probably made in the 70s or 80s (still need to do more research).

We drove to Chicago in the new car (2007 Pontiac Vibe - more about that later) on August 1st to spend the weekend with Eileen at her new place, go to some museums, visit Loyola where Abelisto went to grad school and just hang out. On the way back we drove to Krakow Wisconsin (an hour or so north of Green Bay) to pick up the loom.

We took it apart and put it in the Vibe. We had to fold down the wider section of the back seat and the front passenger seat to get it all in there. Some of the pieces are around 6' long. Abelisto ended up sitting behind me in the narrower section of the back seat.

When we got it home late Sunday night we piled the loom in the front room and went to bed. Monday night I cleaned and oiled the wooden parts and steel-wooled the brake assembly and the harnesses (slight surface rust). The heddles are wire with inset eyes (maybe stainless steel - I did not look that closely at them) and are in really good condition considering the loom sat out in a barn for a few years.

Then Abelisto and I put it back together.

Step one: Side pieces and bottom piece with treddles.


Step two: Added the front and middle back beams and the beater assembly (which is backwards in this photo - we discovered that pretty quickly and turned it around).


Step three: Added the cloth beam (or whatever it is called on a tapestry loom) and tension arm.


Step four: Here we turned the harness assembly around the right way and added the warp beam. All that is left is the top back beam.

Once the loom was together we decided to move Sheba's desk and put the loom in front of the big window.

Tonight I plan to start dressing the loom.
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9 comments:

  1. JenniferAugust 7, 2008 at 4:42 AM

    That's a really nice loom! I saw it on ebay and hoped it went to a good home.

    I have a Pontiac Vibe, too. I love it. :)

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2009 at 3:05 PM

    I also have a Tissart loom and look forward to watching you warp it. Please say that you are going to document this, because I don't really know how to do it. I was lucky enough to have someone give me this wonderful loom (mine is 60" wide, Is yours?). But no one had ever warped it and could not help me.

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  3. AnonymousAugust 10, 2009 at 11:03 AM

    hi
    I just received a 48" same loom Tissart. Can someone tell me how many yards of warp this loom can handle? I have no one here to give me instructions.

    Thanks!
    Soulfiresb@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownOctober 28, 2010 at 2:21 PM

    Hi, I just bought the same loom. You did a great job at showing how to put it together. THANKS! Could you do the same thing with pictures and words on how to dress the loom? Your tutorial was the easiest and the best I have found on the web.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 21, 2011 at 5:56 PM

    My wife bought a Tissart new in 1984, we assembled it, but then moved, and she has never had a chance to use it. In other words, it's new "old stock". Now, she has arthritis so bad that she has admitted she will never be able to use it. Can anybody tell me what it is worth?

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  6. CaristionaOctober 25, 2011 at 6:36 AM

    Hi I have an upright loom similar in style to this one but I think even older. I am unable to figure out what needs to be done to move the heddles on my loom as I think it has been altered over the years. I would like to get it to work again. Are you able to take a photo of the back of your loom and put it up showing the mechanism that moves the heddle frames for me.
    Thanks for your help.

    ReplyDelete
  7. textartApril 8, 2012 at 5:30 PM

    I wonder if you know that LeClerc has available on its website all of the information and drawings for its older looms. The Tissart manual is 15 pages including all the parts and assembly information. http://www.leclerclooms.com/draw_inst/tissart.pdf
    The staff at LeClerc is also very good with email correspondence and answering questions.
    Have fun!
    ~ Janet L Sponagle Hopper
    Fibre Fixation
    Fibre and Yarn Importer and Weaver

    ReplyDelete
  8. textartApril 8, 2012 at 5:42 PM

    Iwonder if you know that the information and parts lists, including drawings, for older LeClerc looms are available on the LeClerc website in .pdf format. The loom you are talking about is at
    http://www.leclerclooms.com/draw_inst/tissart.pdf
    LeClerc builders are also very good with responding to email enquiries.
    Have fun with your looms!
    ~ Janet

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  9. NancyApril 26, 2012 at 6:06 PM

    Thanks for the tip about the drawings. I am trying to sell my 60" Leclerc Tissart. Loved it, did many commissioned tapestries on it but now it is time to clear out. It is in good working order with all necessary accessaries. Any idea of it's worth?

    ReplyDelete