Spin on a Dime Part 1 - Frankencombs! (Edited!)

Well, my bit of R & R got railroaded...surgery went great and just a short time after my right hand was healed enough to use again, I broke my left hand! Long story so I'll save it for another time LOL. Home repair and improvement then commenced in earnest once both hands healed. I somehow found time in between the onslaught of life's happenings to work on my crafts and that is what has brought me back to my blogging.

  

Two pitch combs -
a.k.a. Frankencombs

One of my greatest passions has been learning to spin wool into yarn! Its relaxing, rewarding, and expensive! I wish I could say my budget readily accommodated my newest passion, but no such luck so I have found cheap alternatives for processing my wool stash. I started with two handmade drop spindles and cheap dog combs and slickers I got at WalMart. These work great for the most part, but I have 26 lbs of Icelandic-Jacobs-Navajo fleece to process and the pet groomers only handle a little bit at a time. Hubby helped me build a spindle wheel, then bought me an antique Scandinavian wheel that I named Ingrid and have been restoring and learning to spin on. As I can now spin faster than I can prep, I needed to upgrade! 

I cannot take full credit for this idea as a wonderful lady on Facebook shared her solution for needing wool combs, but not being able to afford the very spendy commercially available ones. I could kick myself for not making better note of her name! If she reads this, I want her to know what a great gift she gave all of us poor spinners and I for one am very grateful!

Oak Dowel for handles

I also didn't take pictures of my work, but I hope what I have will be helpful enough. I put a parts list at the bottom of the instructions.

I bought 4 Ace brand hair combs at WalMart for about $2.50 each and a 7/8" x 36" oak dowel at Menard's for $3.48. I used screws (4 short and 2 longer ones) and quick set epoxy I had on hand. (Note: I had originally tried lock washers, but they didn't hold up to some very tangled wool and the wood stripped.) It is very helpful to have a Dremel™ tool, a cordless drill, and a drill press. I don't have the drill press...yet...

Start by carefully cutting the handles off the combs. Clamp them securely and try to get the cut as even as possible. (I also used my Dremel to smooth the edges off a little bit as they are rough after cutting.) Cut 2 - 6" pieces off the oak dowel and sand the ends smooth. 

Close up of the screw placement

Line two of the combs up as best you can. I managed to get one pair off-set just a little better than the other, but this doesn't seem to make a big difference in performance. 

Clamp the combs together and drill 3 holes in each set in a fairly straight line. The holes need to be a little smaller than the screws. (I also tried epoxying the combs together, but the epoxy I have didn't hold.) I used short screws on either side and ground off the points that were sticking through with my Dremel tool so I wouldn't get hurt on them while using the combs. Drill a hole into the cut end of each dowel. To attach the handles, screw the longer screws into the middle hole until it is just poking through the back side. Mix up a small amount of epoxy and put some on the head end of the screw and a fair amount on end of the pre-drilled wooden handle. Finish driving the screw into the handle and let the epoxy set up according to the manufacturer's directions. This will prevent the handle from twisting loose during use. And, voila! Wool combs!!!

PARTS LIST:

•  4 hair combs (also known as piks)
• 1 - 7/8" x 36" dowel (I used oak for strength)
• 4 short screws (length isn't important if you plan to grind them off) Small bolts and nuts would also work
• 2 longer screws (long enough to securely hold the handle on the combs)



Combed...

• 4 lock washers

  

Washed...

 

And ready to spin!