Antique wheel

I recently bought an antique spinning wheel. I decided a small wheel might be lighter to take to historic sites. The Country Craftsman is perfect for my time period but it can get heavy expecially when walking up a hill. This is a German castle wheel. I have no information about it other than that. You can see from the picture the wood was really dry. The second picture is what it looked like after two coats of Howard's Feed and Wax. The change is remarkable don't you think?

There were other things that needed to be done before it was ready to use. The wheel had to be glued back together and the flier had a crack that also needed glueing. Then a new drive band and it was ready to take for a spin. I think this wheel will do nicely for what I was looking for but you know what? It is heavy!

One other thing I forgot to mention is that some of the parts are not origonal to the wheel. The maidens are darker than the rest of the wheel and have a shiny finish. They don't really fit the holes well either. I had to do a bit of sanding on one to get it to stay in place.

I am taking this wheel to Martin's Station in Wilderness Road State Park in Ewing, Va. the second weekend of October. If  you are in the neighborhood and would like a closer look stop on by!

I am so glad I got to post this week! Blogger has not been letting me post.