Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

Build your own

STEPPING REED

to make waves in weft

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

Make the STEPPING REED MODULE

Find pvc pipes and clamps.

I used 16mm pipes from electrical supplies department and combined them with 16mm clamps from plumming department. What’s important is that they snap-and slide easily and that the clamps have enough material so that you can drill 2,5mm holes in it side by side, that becomes HEAD. These clamps were not so good.

Take a 10mm plastic tube, inner diameter 4 mm.

Drill 2,5mm holes in every 4-5 mm.

Cut a piece of tube with 6 holes, that makes the FOOT. Insert bicycle spokes (2mm diameter) into the holes in the FOOT, and through the drilled holes in the HEAD. I used two heads for one foot.

But you can make one head and one foot module also.

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

Prepare your reed beater

I turned the beater so that beater legs are towards me, this gives me more room for the stepping reed

Put pieces of wood or veneer instead of the reed if the upper beam can not be fixed to the upper position without the reed

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

Tie the pipes with modules and start weaving Use pieces of rubber band to tie the UPPER PIPE with the HEADS to the upper beam of your beater.

Take another piece of pvc pipe (LOWER PIPE) and tie it to the lower beam of your beater, so that it holds the modules.

Now warp your reed and start weaving.

When all the modules are in one row the weft can be beaten in a straight line, when you turn some modules so that the lower part steps forward and you can slide an EXTRA PIPE (light pvc does not affect the shed) over the warps between the modules in back and those, which have stepped forward.

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

Stepping reed in action

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

The lower pipe is holding the modules to the reed, the modules that have stepped forward are in front of that pipe.

Here, I show how the rubber band enables moving the lower pipe so that it pushes all the modules back in one row.

Stepping Reed by Kadi Pajupuu.

Creative Commons. 2015.

kadipuu.berta.me

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