My Aerlit shuttles have become very loose

When I bought my Aerlit shuttles earlier this year, they were very very stiff. In fact I remember asking fellow Tatters how to make the bobbin spin easily. Now they have become very loose. In fact couple of them Have become free... I just hang them from my hand and the bobbins start spinning. Any remedy to this on how to inch are the friction?

in reply to jyotika's post:

Members have shared many different ways here in the past.
For my Pony shuttles, I insert a small rubber band in bobbin, then put square bits of cello tape on both ends. The rubber band provides the spring/tension, and the tape holds it inside. It works beautifully. Only, one has to change the tape after several inserts coz the tape tends to crumple in. But it is so quick n easy -- I now have a tape dispenser in my working basket now ;-)

in reply to jyotika's post:

There have been several threads in the past about how to rejuvenate shuttles that have become loose. I'm not sure what keywords to search on, though. So here's what I can remember:

(1) Put masking tape or surgical tape on the bobbin, or on the inside of the shuttle.
(2) Fill the core of the bobbin with silicone glue and let it set.
(3) Put a bit of rubber tubing in the core of the bobbin.
(4) Put a clothes peg on the shuttle to compress it a bit, then dip it in boiling water.

I myself use (1). It does increase the friction between shuttle and bobbin, and you can adjust the friction by deciding whether to tape one or both sides, or trying different tape. The tape doesn't last forever, but then you just put on a new piece of tape.

I haven't tried Methods (2) & (3) yet. I think I once tried (4), very gingerly. The shuttle seemed the same afterwards, and I wasn't sure whether I had compressed it enough, or boiled it enough...

in reply to muskaan's post:

Ah, we replied at the same time! I like your method because I have the same materials to hand! I'll try it one day.

in reply to GraceT's post:

Grace, I tried taping under the shuttle, as you had suggested once, but found it difficult to position properly. Or was it the characteristic of tape?!

I also remember inserting eraser within the bobbin - that works nicely too, once it has settled down. It was my hubby's idea. You know those long cylindrical pencil erasers ?

Then when the wire insert was posted (was it cmhandmade?) I tried that too. However, it requires proper & sharp tools and some dexterity. The tubing is a bit rigid and needs to be snipped just right. There is no 'give' as in other options.

The 4th option scares me ;-P

But every one of the options works or has worked for some tatter(s). So, experiment & play to see what works best for individual.

Thanks. I like the tape method.. Possible to share a picture to understand how it's done?

I use the boiling water method. Put some boiling water into a suitable container, put the shuttle in the boiling water for about 30 sec, remove the shuttle with kitchen/food tongs and hold the shuttle firmly with the tongs on either side of the shuttle where the bobbin fits again for about 30 sec. Don't use too much force when holding the shuttle just enough to compress it a little, if its not right then repeat the process until you are happy with the tension. I have used this method often and have good success with it.

in reply to ElaineR's post:

understood. I'll try this today.

in reply to muskaan's post:

Maybe it was the tape you used? It has to be sticky enough - but then it does wear off eventually anyway, and you don't want too much residue when it does...

This is the first I've heard about the wire insert! But so long as tape serves, I guess I won't be trying that.

in reply to jyotika's post:

I took the pictures, but I don't have time to upload them tonight. Let us know how it goes with the boiling water...

in reply to GraceT's post:

Grace, there were 2 possible reasons , one leading to other
1. I used cellotape instead of surgical or masking tape. (In your answer above)

1. Couldn't reach the inside surface to tape neatly. It seems that a surgical tape would've given me a better grip. Nevertheless, the rubber band + tape works fine for me.

I looked for the wire tutorial. It was by Pop Lenuta Maria (maryhandmade) ! https://maryshandmade.blogspot.in/2016/06/reconditionare-bobine-naveta-frivolite.html
I can't find the bobbin where I used this method, although I did find the tubes.

@Jyotika,
I'm not sure who's tape picture you requested & hopefully Elaine's method has worked for you. In any case I took a composite pic

Bobbin from left to right :

1. Insert rubber band

2. Tape - (on both sides) . See the tape flat against the surface

3. After a bit of usage. . The tape has dipped in slightly

4. After many removals & insertions from/into the shuttle the tape goes further in. Time to remove this and add a new tape. Sometimes I simply tape over. Note that this occurs only after many workings.

5.This bobbin has the pencil eraser, with the remaining eraser on the extreme right.

in reply to muskaan's post:

Yes, I find surgical tape or masking tape to be a bit better. It's a bit sturdier and stickier, and it has more friction to provide some resistance to the turning of the bobbins. Thanks for your excellent picture and the link to the blog! So if I have electrical wire of the right diameter I can try it in my bobbins.

@jyotika, I managed to take a picture of the surgical tape stuck to the inside of my shuttle. Hope you can make it out.

I use a bigger piece first, then after sticking it down as well as possible, I trim off the excess so it doesn't catch the thread. Depending on the thickness of your tape and the amount of friction you need to add, you can do this on one or both of the insides of the shuttle. Or one or both sides of your bobbins.

There is another method to keep the bobbin firm - using a narrow strip of the non-skid rubber-like (silicone) matting that some place under heavy articles. There is a thin quality which will fit over the post as you insert the bobbin.

in reply to JudithConnors's post:

Does this go in the centre hole of the bobbin, then?

in reply to GraceT's post:

Wherever you need resistance, Grace, as it tends to 'grab'. As I don't use shuttles with bobbins (for this very reason), my advice is not subjective. I know that some tatters in the US and Canada use this fabric.

In the case that my shuttles became too loose I act in this way: 1. I remove the bobbin 2. I put the shuttle on the table 3. I press in the center of the shuttle extending the touch a little bit towards the extern for three/four times 4. The same on the other side of the shuttle 5. I insert the bobbin again and try if it's ok 6. I repete from the beginning in the case that the shuttle is to loose yet. I use the same shuttles from over one year and this method is perfect with me. I hope it can be useful for you

My blog post about firming up the bobbin shuttles.

Thank you @Muskaan and everyone else. Pressing the shuttle after putting them in hot water seemed to have worked for me! :)

in reply to ElaineR's post:

This worked for me :)

Glad to know that the boiling water does work!

I don't use bobbin shuttles for this very reason. But when I used to overwind my post shuttles, the ends became sprung, meaning the tips no longer meet, so the shuttle can spin when dropped. I've used the boiling water technique to readjust the points with mixed success. I hold the shuttle with a pair of chopsticks and insert into the boiling water, holding the points together with the chopsticks. Have to be careful about how much pressure to apply, as it is easy to warp the shuttle. I still have the first shuttle I ever did this to. It looks like a mutation, with a smashed in end, but it tats just fine. This Is a Chicago Boye shuttle, so I'm invested in preserving it at any cost. The boiling water "bleached" some of the colour out, too. But the shuttle works like it's supposed to.

@Lynn, at least you had the courage to say what I was thinking. The worn out bobbins is why I quit using the bobbin shuttles. When my post shuttles are overfull, I squeeze the shuttle at the thread to compact it. It usually will let the points go back together.
My favorite shuttles are sterling, so when I wind them, I spring the tips, wind the shuttle with the tips open, then put the tips back together. I do that with a steel crochet hook handle, using it the same way that you curl paper. It does work to put the tips back together.
I have been looking at other type bobbin shuttles, namely the GR-8 shuttles, wondering if the way they work would keep them bobbin from getting loose. Their tension is provided by a screw.

@Lynn & @Tim, I like bobbin shuttles for two reasons - the built-in hook, and the ability to pull as little or as much thread as you want. But yeah, that's only when the tension is just right!

But now I use Moonlit shuttles almost all the time. They have twice the capacity of bobbin shuttles, and they have built-in hooks! I've also gotten used to unwinding two clicks of thread every time. Sometimes it's more thread than I want, but I can usually cope with it. I still use bobbin shuttles for small projects, though. With the right amount of tape on them, they still work pretty well for me.

Interestingly, @GraceT, that hook on the end is the main reason I don't use bobbin shuttles. But there are all different styles of tatting just as there are all different tatters, so I'm grateful for the amazing choice of tools that we have these days. There's a FaceBook shuttle addicts group that I joined back when it first started up, mainly because I cyber-know the lady who started it. The different styles of shuttles out there is simply mind blowing. And people are coming up with new ones all the time.

But getting back to @jyotika's original post: with all the various and often brilliant minds that are constantly fussing over the next shuttle design, surely there must be someone out there who can design and produce a bobbin shuttle that won't have this problem of getting loose. I've never used a GR-8 shuttle, but as @Tim points out, the tension is controlled by a screw. I think that means it addresses the looseness problem through constant readjustment. Lots of people have gone to great lengths to acquire a GR-8 shuttle, and glowing reports of satisfaction have been posted on InTatters and Craftree. So for anyone who suffers with loose bobbin syndrome, a GR-8 shuttle might be considered as your next purchase.