spinning

So I've become a mite obsessed about spinning (as it's my newest hobby), so about 3 years ago I used some birthday money from myself, my mom, and step-grandmother, the lovely Farmor, to buy a Kromski Minstrel from the Woolery! I bought it unfinished, then used Danish oil and steel wool to finish it myself.

This one is of the newly finished treadles and the unfinished wheel

And here's the completed wheel.  The finish has gotten a little redder in the intervening 3 years, but I still love it!

Fortunately for me, the Woolery is about an hour away, and stocks all of the other Kromski wheels. So now I'm in the market for another one, and I'm trying to decide between the Symphony and the Polonaise.

Symphony

Polonaise

 
 To document my notes:

Both have matching specs:

• Wheel: diameter 24" 
• Orifice: height 25" - size 3/8" 
• Bobbin size: full 4oz. - 3 included 
•  Ratios: 8, 12, 16 and 20 to 1 
• Bearings on wheel shaft, bobbins and treadle 
• Leather bearings on flyer 
• Both convert between Scotch tension and Double Drive 

The only difference is in the design, and the Symphony is 1 lb lighter than the Polonaise; 15 lbs vs. 16 lbs. I tried out a Symphony at KSFF and loved the faster wheel (as the diameter is larger than my 18" Minstrel) I do have a larger wheel already (a Canadian Production Wheel), but it needs a little shimming / gluing / something, and I'm considering selling it to have something that I am not afraid to breathe on or have the dogs around for fear of breaking it.

So, if you're in the market for an antique wheel (say ca. 1900), let me know!