The world of boat shuttles is a vast one, with lots of choices to suit your weaving situation. Today’s Ask Kelly question is about the differences between bobbins and quills used for boat shuttles.
Pictured above – Schacht end feed shuttle (requires pirns).
“Hi Kelly, I was wondering if you could explain the difference between a quill and a bobbin- I have my heart set on using a boat shuttle, finally purchased one only to find that with the bobbin the shuttle I bought, is to high to go through the shed (rigid heddle loom). I found some low profile boat shuttles, however, many of them say they take quills- so- I come to you to find out the difference and if you know of any low profile boat shuttles that take bobbins.
Thanks, Cindy.”
Pictured above – Ashford boat shuttle (requires bobbins).
Hi Cindy,
That is disappointing about your boat shuttle!
The main differences between quills and bobbins are:
- Quills are made usually of paper or cardboard, bobbins are generally hard plastic.
- Quills are smaller, lightweight and noiseless. You will usually see low profile shuttles require quills, as bobbins are too big for the lower width.
- Quills are so named because originally quills from feathers were used to load up yarn in the shuttle.
- You can either purchase quills or make them yourself, which makes them a great lower budget option. Usually when you purchase a new boat shuttle online, there will be information included as to what kind of bobbin or quill you need. Even if you’re buying a shuttle second hand, you can google the shuttle type to find out those extra details.
Pirns were not mentioned in the original question, but they are definitely worth noting here too, because again, they are another way of loading some boat shuttles.
A pirn will usually be used with an end feed shuttle and is generally made of wood or plastic. It is long and tapered, so it looks different to both bobbins and quills.
Loading a pirn with your weft thread is not done in the same way as a bobbin or quill. Bobbins are quite simple to load and can be done with either a manual or electric bobbin winder or even an electric drill (I have a video that demonstrates how to do that here) for super fast loading!
Loading a bobbin is a back and forth action, moving from one end of the bobbin to the other as it rotates.
A pirn, on the other hand needs to be started from the larger end and wound in little bouts and repeats. It’s hard to explain without showing! It’s also best to wind a pirn with a purpose built pirn winder (I wish I had one of those!) which holds the pirn at both ends, holding it very steady, but also leaving you with one hand free to tension the yarn as it winds on (which is another difference – a pirn needs very firm tensioning as it’s wound).
I hope this post has helped to clarify bobbins and quills for you. If you have a question you would like to see in a future Ask Kelly post, leave it in the comments section or feel free to email me directly.
If you would like some further resources on boat shuttles in general, have a look at these resources:
Can I use a boat shuttle with my rigid heddle loom?..
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