Medico Loom by Leclerc

Here's the newest addition to my Painted Floor Studio. This is a Medico table loom, manufactured by Leclerc, a Canadian company. Research suggests this loom was manufactured for WWII veterans to use. As such it utilizes hand levers for changing the shed. But as you can clearly see in this picture, I have the floor stand which includes six treadles, essentially making it a floor loom.

 The maximum weaving width is 22 inches. When I bought this loom last week it came with the blue and white warp on there already. I decided to just play with it, getting the hang of the levers and treadles. I figured out how the previous owner had the tie-ups done, and then "went with it."

 Altogether I wound up with a piece of fabric about ten feet long. I will either cut it into bits and sew small bags out of it, or maybe use most of it for a scarf.

In this photo you can see the four hand levers (silver) in the top right corner of the loom. In the top centre area of the loom is a lock release, that allows the shafts to fall back down into place. The nice feature though, is that if you are weaving with hand levers, as you select the next lever (or pair of levers) to press, the previously pressed levers are automatically unlocked.  
 
Now that I have this first project off the Medico loom, I have warped it and begun to follow through on lessons found in "Everybody's Weaving Book" by Alfred Allan Lewis. The warp chain I am using for the first part of the lessons is shown in the top photo. The weft colour will be gold.

Comments

  1. Came across this post while researching table looms. Found a Leclerc Medico loom for sale (w/of treadle stand) and wondered if you were happy with yours. I know next to nothing about them...just a beginner weaver moving up from a rigid heddle.

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    1. I am so sorry to have not seen this comment earlier. I was supposed to be getting a notification to my email.
      Yes I would hijly recommend the Medico as a beginner loom. It is very sturdy.
      The brake holds well. You can get pretty high tension on it.
      Good luck

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  2. I purchased a Medico loom and found i had to tighten all the bilts and screws which was no surprise. After runnibg through a 7 1/2 yd warp i decided to replace the nuts and washers. The reason was some things kept loosening up on me which was frustrating. I used locking nuts and washers where possible and it feels so much more solid. Getting ready to warp for the next project and i am sure it will be better. I also replaced the screws.

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    Replies
    1. That was smart of you to change out the nuts. Glad to hear it works much better now

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  3. Im a newbie and have the opportunity to get a 22" medico with treadles for a good price. Would you recommend this loom?

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    1. Yes I think this is a terrific loom. It is the one I did all my beginner learning on. I did approximately 62 different techniques on it, following through with a book I had. It is sturdy and operates very well. I say go for it!

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    2. Wow! I just bought one. What book did you use?

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    3. As I described in the blog, I was working through Everybody's Weaving Book" by Alfred Allan Lewis. For me it was perfect. Not too long on each technique, just enough to get a flavour of it all. isbn 0-02571270-5. It's an old book from 1976, so you might be able to find it used, cheap. Or borrow it through inter-library loan. Great photos in it.

      Have fun with the Medico.

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    4. I was so excited I missed it. Sorry. But then I saw the tag at the bottom of the post and bought it. I just got a Medico tonight on craigslist. Thank you!!!

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    5. I think you will like the Medico. It is very well designed and made. The book I mention doesn't seem to get used a lot by folks, but I found it to be very good. Enjoy.

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  4. I'm restoring a Medico, with many interruptions, and didn't take enough (or any!) photos before I took it apart. Now I'm wondering what holds the levers to the shafts. There's a hole. Did I lose a tiny screws. Can you help? Thanks for the photos!

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    1. I can send you a picture if you give me your email. If you are still looking for the answer😁

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  5. Thanks for your commentary on the Medico. I just got one too!! Really excited to hitch her up and get her running.

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  6. I also have a Medico. It is an 8 shaft with levers on both sides of the front. I am having technical problems that relate to the degradation of the nylon spacers in the lift. Mine is a table loom. I have found replacement spacers at Lowes and hope that it will be a little smoother going.

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    1. I am so glad you found spacers. I would love an 8 shaft Medici!

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    2. Replacement parts are still available directly from Leclerc / Camilla Valley. You can also download an assembly manual, and / or the original manual.https://www.camillavalleyfarm.com/manuals/index.htm

      http://nilusleclerc.com/

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. I am a total newbie with respect to any loom other than a rigid heddle loom. I recently purchased a 4 shaft Medico with treadle stand via internet from a seller I knew slightly from Face Book. During shipping from her home to mine via UPS the connecting mechanism came apart completely. I opened the top of the castle and straightened out the cords and levers but I cannot figure out what connects to the metal lever at the front of the loom. If you have a photo and/or other words of advice as to where I might find pictures of how things (cords, connection points, tie ups, etc) are supposed to look I would be grateful. The copies of the Medico manuals I down loaded from Camilla Valley Farms do not show this aspect of assembly. Also, are the cords supposed to run through the grooves on the inside of the loom frame as mine do not and I do not understand enough about this loom to know if if I need to correct this. (admin edit to remove personal email; a private response has been sent to the sender).

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