Where do I begin? How did I end up with this loom? I wasn’t searching for a floor loom since I already have a 1920s 36-inch Leclerc Mira that works well for me. But when I found out that a 45-inch Leclerc Fanny was available for free, I couldn’t resist. I saw pictures of it and imagined what might happen if I didn’t save it. The loom was a bit worn out, but nothing that hard work couldn’t fix. The important parts were intact; it just had some cosmetic issues like scratches and dents. While I don’t mind a few scratches, there were too many for my liking, especially since this loom will be in a prominent spot in my home. So, I decided to take you along on my journey of refurbishing this 45-inch Leclerc Fanny.
Step 1: Identify what needs fixing and make a list of tasks to complete.
Here is the list I have to date. This list may change over time during the process of refurbishing this loom.
- Remove the scratches and minor dings by sanding the old varnish.
- Varnish wood with 2 coats.
- Replace the rusty heddles with new wire heddles or possibly texsolv heddles (made from polyester and lightweight in comparison to wire heddles)
- Scour and clean rusty reeds
- Replace friction brake (metal circular band)
Step 2- Tackle the most important and biggest job first!
At this stage, I’m focused on sanding. With the summer weather, it’s perfect to do this messy work outside. I’m not new to sanding, having started a coffee table project before, though I didn’t finish it. I learned from a Sweet Georgia YouTube video that I need three grades of sandpaper: 60 grit to remove old varnish, 120 to smooth the wood, and 220 to sand between coats. I’m using a Black and Decker mouse hand sander for larger areas and sanding by hand in tighter spots. Ideally, I would remove all the hardware first, but I didn’t want to fully disassemble the loom, so I’m doing more hand sanding. As I strip the old varnish, the original light wood color is revealed, while areas like the logo will keep the darker aged wood color. I’m not aiming to make the loom look brand new, just cleaner and more polished. I’ll see if my approach was the right one once the project is complete!
I’m still sanding and haven’t kept track of the hours spent, but I know it’s taken a lot of time. My next task will be scouring and removing rust from the reeds or varnishing the loom, which I’ll cover in another blog post. As you can see, there will be a series of posts about refurbishing the Leclerc Fanny, and I’m excited to share this journey. If you’ve ever refurbished a loom, feel free to comment below!