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Be a FanSwift FAQs
Pick the topic of your question below. Please contact us if you need further assistance.
Drum Carder FAQs | Ball Winder FAQs | Hand Cards FAQs | Swift FAQs | Other FAQs
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How can I prevent the floor Swift from tipping?
What is the purpose of the holes in the upper end of 3 arms?
Why is there a Teflon disc between the knob and the arm support disc?
How do I use the ball winder and Swift together?
How do I pull the yarn off the Swift while winding a ball?
How should I mount the table Swift?
Can older Strauch Floor Swift/skeinwinders be upgraded?
When the floor swift is used as a skeinwinder, as more and more yarn is wound, the winder becomes top heavy. To prevent tipping you can:
- Make sure the Swift/skeinwinder in is on a non-slip surface such as a carpet.
- Place your foot against one of the legs to keep the winder in place.
- Place a heavy weight on the base.
You can use any one of these hole to tie your yarn onto one of the arms. This makes starting winding easier.
There are actually two Teflon rings. One is between the knob and the arm support disc and another one is between the adjusting ring and the lower arm support disc.
As yarn is wound it gets tighter and tries to force the arms together. These two discs are placed to minimize friction and binding of the arm support discs.
Both the table and floor Swift/skeinwinders are designed to be easily used with the Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder. Set up a special area in your fiber room and have the Swift and jumbo ball winder work in tandem:
The yarn should flow evenly from the umbrella swift as it feeds through the eye rod onto the ball winder. Keep the winding speed reasonably constant. The yarn should be under a consistent tension, such as running through your hand, as it winds onto the ball winder. If you're forming a misshapen ball (a "bee hive" shape, for instance), hold the yarn tighter to increase tension. Winding too fast may cause the swift to get ahead of the ball winder, followed by too much tension when the ball winder has caught up.
To more easily use the table model as a skeinwinder, mount it on a shorter table so the top crank is lower and more accessible.
Units built before March 2007 can be upgraded to be collapsible and convertible. The entire Swift/skeinwinder has to be sent back to us since many of the parts need to be replaced or modified. When returned to you, it will look and function the same but will now have the added versatility of being collapsible and be able to attach to the optional table base. The cost of this upgrade is $28.50 (plus shipping).