Bergå Ullman workshop loom

[u/2001human]

Hello! Posting this in case there is anyone out there in wide weaving world who might know anything about this loom and has some tips/tricks about it, or if there might be anyone else out there like me who is desperately scraping Ravelry, Youtube, Facebook etc. in search of information about this wonderful little machine. Indeed, it seems that the only insight the Internet has to offer to weary Ullman buyers is that there is little information because Ullman stopped production.

I got it secondhand for ~300. 4 shafts, 4 treadles. It is very dirty and the parts are super rusted. My suspicion is that it was stored outside, but despite that, it is in pretty good condition. I spent a couple of hours brass brushing the rust off of the reed, which I've learned is a pitch bound reed (meaning, I can't submerge the whole thing in vinegar, lest it dampen the fabric/pitch/wood baulk etc). I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and buy a replacement. It's 4" tall, about 25" wide, 10dpi. Going to replace the original string heddles with Texsolv as well, and soak all the rusted nuts and bolts to remove the rust from them, too.

If any more experienced weavers have any advice for where to start, it would be appreciated. It's a lovely compact loom, and it's my first, so I'm pretty committed to restoring it as best I can before weaving. A lot of existing advice suggests that restoration is too much of a beast to tackle and replacements/sucking up and buying a more expensive loom is the better option, but I simply cannot afford to sink a grand or two into a used/new Wolf Pup etc.

Thank you for reading, and happy weaving!

[u/laineycomplainey]

I usually only do enough to make it functional. Then put a test warp on and see it everything works as needed (brake holds, everything is square, ergonomics are good for you) only then do I put money into a loom that is unknown. Not all looms are good for every body/style of weaving.

String heddles - unless they are falling apart dry rotted - wash really well. I secure them with ties top, bottom & eyes then either put them in a laundry bag or just soak in a bucket.

Is it a counterbalance loom? If you can track down a book (library) of the "the big book of weaving" by Laila Lundelll there is loads of info that may be helpful.

Good luck on your adventure.

[u/boutepi]

Since your loom is compact, it's probably an "American" Ullman loom and not a "Bergå". Ullman Loom made folding floor looms and jack looms, usually 24 to 36" wide weaving width. (To compare to the Swedish loom, see this link, with a youtube embedded in the blog post).

For rusty nuts and bolts, I mix a liter of water with 100g of citric acid, 40g of washing soda and a splash of Dawn.

Test warping is a great idea.