The Bottom Spring Kit and Do You Need It?

The bottom spring kit is not included with every loom because there are people who simply will not want a spring at the bottom of their loom.  There are others who will want it sometimes (and when they don't want to use it, it won't get in the way as long as there is no spring in it).  And there are those who will want to use it all the time.

What does it do?  It has the same function on the bottom of the loom as on the top of the loom.  It allows you to put a warp coil on the bottom of the loom to separate the warp threads.  But once you've woven that first row of either beads or tapestry the coil on the bottom of the loom no longer has a function.

So why would you want it?  The most common reason for wanting that coil on the bottom is:  you are weaving a fairly wide bead piece using the shedding device (three or four or more inches, depending on your tolerance!) and you don't want to deal with trying to keep those warp threads neatly divided on the bottom while installing the shedding device.  Can you do this without the bottom coil?  Yes, you absolutely can.  Would I recommend the bottoms spring kit for those who are attempting wide pieces?  I probably would.

For tapestry weavers weaving in fine setts, this bottom spring kit might make the process easier.  I personally never use the bottom spring when weaving tapestry and only use it when weaving a wider bead piece.

Can you rotate the weaving to advance it with the spring on the bottom?  You will have to loosen the tension on the loom and actually remove the spring in order to do this.  Once the spring is removed, you will have no problem rotating your weaving.

Do extra coils come with the bottom spring kit?  No, you have to order those coils in addition.  Carefully consider what coils you will actually be using.  You don't need to buy all the coils to match the ones that come with the loom because chances are you will not be using all of them.