Starting a Great Hobby

Weaving can be an enjoyable hobby and one that can be very productive as well. If you like to weave, you may want to have your own floor loom so that you can weave whatever you want and whenever you want. The problem is that buying a floor loom can be a costly proposition. Depending on the size and the maker, you can spend thousands of dollars on a new one. That may be out of your budget, which is why buying a used floor loom can be a good idea. When you start looking at used looms to buy, you need to know some things to look for. 

Maintenance Record

You should check what kind of maintenance records the current owner has for the loom. It might not be the same kind of detailed records you should see for a car, but they should be able to tell you when the last time it was serviced in any manner was and what happened to it then. You should also check with the owner and find out who has been doing the work on it so that you can find out more about them to make sure that they do reputable work. 

All the Pieces

When you go to look at the loom for sale, it may already be disassembled. If it has been taken apart, you want to make sure that all the loom pieces are there. That includes all the heddles, the shafts, the mechanical system, the front and back beams, and the cloth and warp beams. You should also check to make sure that all the hardware you are going to need to reassemble the loom is there. That includes all the nuts, bolts, washers, and handles. It may help you have a basic diagram of the type of loom you are looking at and a checklist of the parts. That will let you look at the parts and check them off to know that they are present. A basic diagram may also let you guesstimate how much work it will take to make all those pieces and turn them into a working loom again. 

If you are going to buy a loom, you might consider buying a used loom. If you are going to buy a used one, there are things that you should look for so that you buy the best one for you and your needs.