I think I know why picking up bobbins by the spangle is - from a conservation point of view - a "no-no". Over the last couple of years I've had an ever increasing number of spangles break while working - at first I thought it was just on a few bobbins I'd spangled with finer than usual wire, but then other bobbins (including ones I'd bought ready spangled) started to shed their spangles. It really had me puzzled - the only common factor was that the bobbins had all been in fairly regular use since the 1980's - until I caught myself picking a bobbin up by the spangles!
I realised that the problem started just after I'd changed from using crocheted elastic bobbin holders (slipped over the heads of the bobbins) to laces slipped through the spangles and tied up - the extra tension on the spangles had, over time, snapped some of the weaker wires and pulled apart the joins on others. Similarly, if a bobbin is regularly picked up by the spangle while working, eventually the tension on the wire could lead to it breaking, particularly if acids from sweaty hands trigger corrosion of the wire. I don't think it ought to stop those who can't comfortably handle bobbins by the shaft making lace - it takes a long time to break a spangle, and spangles can be replaced/rewired when they break - but it might be a good idea to watch out for damaged wires and respangle the bobbin before it breaks (I've had several go while working and its a real pain scrabbling around the floor trying to find the beads which have fallen off!, not to mention the difficulty of carrying on with one unspangled bobbin) Beth in a sunny, spring-like Cheshire, NW England with several spangles to repair before winding the bobbins for my next project. - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]
