Adapters for Winding Cones

During a discussion on the WeaveTech list about what folks do with empty cones. I mentioned that I reused them. I find it much easier to wind a warp from cones than from either balls or skeins.

DH made a set of lathe-turned adapters that let me mount the cone on my AVL pirn winder and wind from either cones (to make multiple packages for warping) or skeins (to wind hand-dyed thread onto cones before winding onto warping wheel or pirn).

For the standard "wide-mouth" cardboard cones, it takes two adapters - one for the base and one for the small end. Here are the components:



I place the cone on the base, put the small piece into the neck of the cone, and put it on the winder:



For the cones with a pointy top end, there's no need for the second adapter piece. I just place the cone with the pointy end engaged on the winder's pointy end. At the base of the cone, I use a smaller adapter, because these cones are usually narrower at the base than the "wide-mouth" type.



At one time, DH made several more sets which I sold to other weavers at Convergence or CNCH. But with the move coming up in 2 weeks, it's unlikely he'd be able to make more for several months. If you really really want a set, and are willing to wait, send me an email and I'll put you on the waiting list :)

Or, you could contact AVL and suggest that there's a market for these gadgets. I've mentioned them to both Peter and Bob, who said they'd keep it in mind for a future product release, but so far no news. I'd rather get AVL to manufacture them than ask DH to keep churning 'em out.