A video showing how I use a warp chain (measured on a warping board) to warp sectionally. You need a tension box, but no spool rack or warping wheel/square.
I will probably never do a sectional warp again from a chain. I'm dealing with a 20 ends per inch on a 36 inch warp...720 ends.... You still have to strum , stroke and comb tangles out as you wind the warp..... I will probably wind up bobbins for each part of the section and put them on a spool rack and run through a tension box and then to the warp beam like you are doing.... I'm dealing with a 40 yard warp, a 5 or 7 yard warp might be good from a chain but not a long warp...I had ties at every yard and the warp chain was only made for each 2 inch section, it still wanted to tangle
Ouf, that sounds like a tough warp! Try a tangle teaser brush, it works wonders on tangly yarns. I do 30+ yard warps pretty frequently from chains, and it makes it go a lot more smoothly.
How much effort do you put into sorting the threads evenly in the reed? I am new to sectional beams and tension boxes and am nervous not using a cross. I have a Macomber tension box with a 2-inch 12 dent reed and found it very awkward to try to thread a 40 thread 8/2 cottolin warp chain with the tension box attached to the loom. I guess it would be easier to take it off the loom for threading.
If you mean the reed in the tension box, then yes. I put the threads as evenly spaced there as I can. The reed in the tension box helps to spread the section evenly on the beam, which is very important for even tension while weaving.
I have a question! Do you make a new chain for every section? Mine has 1” sections, so would I make a new chain for each or could i get away with separating them off one big chain?
Theoretically you could measure one large chain, and then separate 1" sections off to measure one at a time, but I find it easier to measure individual chains from the start. You CAN beam a sectional with a single large chain, but it is akin to beaming a plain beam, and requires some mental and physical gymnastics, and a friend along for the ride definitely helps.
Sometimes. I generally do not, but if the colour order is important, I will secure the order of the threads on the beam side (where the starting knots are) of the tension box when I get to the end of the chain/section length. That keeps them mostly in order. Then when I thread, I will have a chart/list nearby to double check my colour order while I am threading.
