Author Topic: Drop spindle - any experts? (Read 10328 times)

JulieWall · « **Reply #30 on:** September 08, 2013, 11:46:22 am »

I got really lucky a week ago because on the local freecycle a man was giving away a bag of rubber gromits - just the thing for making the spindles

What an odd thing to find though.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #31 on:** September 08, 2013, 12:48:39 pm »

Are lamb castration rings too bulky? They are perfect for all sorts of things and cost barely anything.

JulieWall · « **Reply #32 on:** September 08, 2013, 12:53:27 pm »

The thing with grommets is they have a grove in the outside edge which is perfect for holding the cd in place. I guess you could cut a grove into an elastrator ring, it would be fiddly but not impossible.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #33 on:** September 08, 2013, 02:25:31 pm »

Ah - I was thinking of one above and one below but I can see that a grommet would be neater, if you have them.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #34 on:** September 08, 2013, 06:02:15 pm »

Quote from: Fleecewife on September 08, 2013, 02:25:31 pm

Ah - I was thinking of one above and one below but I can see that a grommet would be neater, if you have them.

Oh, I'm going to try that

I use castration rings all over the place - I just sold a spinning wheel with one doing sterling service as the e-clip that holds the crank in place

! (I gave the new owner an e-clip as well, in case they preferred it.

)

Fleecewife · « **Reply #35 on:** September 08, 2013, 10:45:41 pm »

They're great aren't they

We have used a line of them on the catch of the back gate to stop it rattling in the breeze and setting the dogs off at night.
I usually have some in my pocket - you can always tell the shepherds in the supermarket when they are looking through their pockets for small change - out come the castration rings in amongst the fluff and bits of old baler twine

We hardly use them for their designated purpose any more as we leave most of our tup lambs entire and we don't dock tails, so there are several half-used packets about the place.

Bionic · « **Reply #36 on:** September 09, 2013, 08:22:29 am »

Never thought of using castration rings for anything else. You can only buy them in big packs and we only did 4 lambs tails so have lots left. It sounds like a few deserve a place in my pockets along with my bailer twine

JulieWall · « **Reply #37 on:** September 10, 2013, 06:22:58 pm »

There's a topic for a 101 uses for thread, lol.

Hubby gave me a handful of those disks that protect the bottom DVD in a multi-pack and asked if they would be any use. At first I thought they might be a bit floppy but after giving it a wee think, I reckon being see through, there's scope for making customised drop spindles by sandwiching nice paper or fabric between them. I'll give it a try and see how it goes.
A couple of nice things about the cd/grommet/dowel spindles are that they dismantle for popping into your bag when going somewhere boring with a bit of something to do, and that slipping off the CDs makes it easy to slide the spun wool off as a ball to pop into a jam jar for easy plying.