Still Scrubbing

There's at least one more day of scrubbing to go - the main body of the loom, the rectangle consisting of the castle pieces and the box that holds the jacks, which will be done tomorrow.

In the meantime, the dining room is filled with loom parts drying and waiting to be shortened and/or reassembled. The hardware for each assembly is stored in plastic containers next to the assembly's wood pieces.

It's a good thing I have an abundant supply of rags - you would not believe how filthy the loom was. There are no signs of years of actual weaving use, just many signs of rough handling and abuse (cigarette burns, dog pee, fur balls, grime, water damage, insect cocoons, etc.). I'm delighted I can give this almost-40-year-old loom a bright, shiny future. Francois Bressard at Leclerc confirmed via email that it was built in 1975, based on the serial number; even though the office is closed for the Christmas and New Years holidays he's answering emails.

They made good looms back in 1975 - the wood is all fine-grained maple, and much of it is tiger maple, as you can see in the piece 2nd from left in the photo immediately above. All solid wood, no laminates or plywood, just good honest solid hardwood. DH is drooling: the 12 inches he cuts off the horizontal pieces may yield some wood for turning into small items like bottle stoppers or needle cases or ...?...