Wooden handled 3-needle holders, part 2 one after another they have arived
When last we chatted, we looked at a few of the holders I have in my collection of felting needles while we weighted for the post to arrive from China.
After a wait for shipping, the 3 needle holders arrived, one after another. All arrived with needles intact but the packaging was dented and squished. A bit of bubble wrap may have been a good idea.
Remember I suspected that some of what is being sold are seconds and some are overruns of other people’s orders? Well, I think this line is seconds. The holders are not helped by the poor protection during shipping.
21-23 the arrivals, packaging gave its life for the contents to be safe.
Out of the three I purchased only one was able to separate, which is important since it allows access to change needles.
24 1 of 3 opens.
The other two seem to be jammed against the edge of the inside of the handle. Even the one that opened does not have even spacing around the needle holding section. I think I can fix that!! I have a large file and a nail file that should help. I have some very fine sandpaper ….somewhere in the basement……well let’s start with the files.
Here is the one that opened but is sticky.
25-29 How the holder comes apart and goes back together
in the last picture, you can see the uneven spacing between the two parts of the holder. This could be from the wood swelling, the varnish is sticking or the screw joining the parts together may be bent.
With one of the two problematic holders, I was able to push the interior away from the sticking spot and get the parts apart.
30 Two open, one to go
31-32 I used the rasp file on the interior of the handle which did remove a lot of roughness.
33 Ah yes, this one seems to have a slight tilt to the screw which may have caused the rubbing.
34 Putting the flat side of my rasp to work.
I then turned to filing the sticking spots on the interior of the needle holding part. I put the two parts back together just till they started to rub and marked the spot with a sharp fingernail. (Glenn says they are very sharp) if your nails are not quite as sharp I guess you could have used the awl or a mettle nail file.
35-39 I repeated the pattern of; sanding, checking, marking and then more sanding.
40 When I got it close, I switched to the nail file. (I promise I will go find the fine sandpaper later!!!)
That is two working and one to go! I couldn’t nudge the third one so I tried to get the nail file in and possibly file in place on either side of the sticking.
41-43 working the file into the spot that seemed most stuck
44 AH! Success!!
45 the spacing between the interior rim of the handle and exterior rim of the needle holder are not yet parallel, keep working at it.
I continued with more sanding and checking until it finally seems to be working.
46 Now I have 3 working handles!
I will eventually find the really fine sandpaper (still somewhere “safe” in the basement) to give it a final touch-up. Overall If these go on sale again I would get a couple more. they are comfortable to my hand and the needle spacing is reasonable.
47-48 the Needle holders even come with “helpful” instructions!
Their helpful instructions are technically written in English but have some similarities to my spelling, while each might be considered an attempt at English, both will require a bit of interpretation for the meaning to be obtained.
Even with the need for a bit of work and adjustment, I think these will be a good addition to the options I have for holding needles. Just so you don’t think I only use needle holders I do also use the cheaper option of an elastic to hold two needles. I adjust the needle spacing if I need to by using my fingernail. (It’s a bit like using chopsticks but you’re are stabbing not picking something tasty up.)
49 the no-handle two needle option also works but is not as comfortable on the fingers
50 Here is another shot of a few of my needles and holders
Since I started writing this I have spotted an aluminum 6 needle holder that looks intriguing, yes it’s on order and should be here within a month or so.
51 Aliexpress “Felting Needle Handle w/ 6 Needles”
Happy Felting and good luck on your needle holding quests!
16 thoughts on “Wooden handled 3-needle holders, part 2 one after another they have arived”
Jan, care to share what you’re felting in the third last picture?
Glenn, it is an important and delicate part of your Minitor which made you cringe when you saw where i was storing the needles length-wise in this appendage. (think cathiter) i should not discuss it further in polite company. if i change my mind i could use it to store needles and realy make you cringe!
What a great idea to hold two felting needles like chopsticks!
Don’t you feel that when you buy something it should be ready to go? You shouldn’t have to have all that fuss with making things right.
The instructions gave us a laugh!
the holders were on sale and from the comments i was expecting broken needles not jambed holders. they were comfiortable to hold and worked well pushing fiber, so i did think it was worth trying to fix them. i am hopeing they go on deeper discounted sale and i will get a few more for classes (i am opotomistic we will have classes again). i hope that if anyone else got them or bumps into them second hand this explanation will give them something to try to get them to work properly (thay will work fine jamed together to felt, untill you want to change the needles!)
buying these holders were worth it for the instructions alone! i lurned so much i must avoid poking needle rust, bad felting and be carefull of my forces so i dont do any bad needleing. i will be cawshus!!! it did reminde me of discriptions my frends have given me about trying to read my dislexia when i realy tierd. (that stumps both my computer and human spellchekers)
i wanted to get a picture of the high tec elastic option and realized as i was working that i space the needles with a fingernail to adjust them. i am not sure where i picked up that behavure. i do also sometimes work with them directly adjacent too but it seems more with the finer gauges.
i was hopeing that others would also enjoy the felting instructions!
Jan a lot of work to get your needle holders working but you persevered. 👏🏼
I’ve had more success with elastic wrapping 3 needles than 2 which spin around, but have never used a nail! That said I’m not a needle-felter so I don’t have the different needles, I simply use whatever ‘poke’ needle comes to hand.
I had a lovely wooden 3-needle holder but it has disappeared never to be seen again (I can only assume it ended up in the rubbish pot then into the main bin at some point 😩
Needle inside the outside force will be broken’ and ‘broken phenomenon is meeting some’ ….!!! Love the instructions. I think I can apply this last one to things and people around here! 🤪😂
the handles were comfortable so worth a try to fix. it is so anoying when things just Disapear! i hope your holder did not migrate out of the house and is still in there hideing somewhere!
yes the instructions were halariously illuminating! i was hopefull everyone would get to enjoy them. i am shure the original writer was trying to be helpfull it is just a bit lost in the translation.
Looks like felting needles have got a new name – I love poke needle. If you get any more that need separating, a pair of pliers might be handy to help with the unscrewing.
Lots of detailed information as usual. Thanks Jan
Ann
ARGGG!!! i had plyers and wiercutters sitting beside the keybord! (i hadnt put them away after starting the project for Glenn.) i had been trying to use just enuff force to unstick them i didnt want to brake them. the plyers would have been helpfull to try though.
i wonder if they would discribe reverse needles as “pull needle”?
Ah, the joys of ordering from AliExpress! It’s such a hit and miss sometimes. I’m glad you made it work though!
yes “is this an overrun? or is it a second and was discard due to a flaw?”
i have had pritty good luck so far but i have been treating it like ebay, i have read a lot of posts on Ebay trying to sell a “working Spinning Wheel” that has no flyer or the treadly and footman are missing or it is asembled compleatly rong and could not create yarn but the wheel can be hand turned so it must work!! sometimes the sellers just dont know and its an optomistic statement but other times its perpousfull misrepresntation. i asked where the obviously missing flyer was and told it was lots in a move, so not a compleate working wheel as discribed… they did not fix there posting ether.
if you dont mind the long wate time and are careful in checking out the comments and the seller its usuealy good.
there are super fine needles that came with mine i think there 42’s i will change one out to something a bit more agresive. it is nice to have options of diferent gauges.
The new handles look comfortable. the metal ones you ordered look interesting. they look like the needles would be protected when its closed or do they not say in when the covers on? the instructions are great, be careful with those poke needles.
yes Poke Needles are almost as dangerous as Stab Needles!!
the handles are comfortable so i am considering more if thay go on sale i am hopeing someone else finds over runs of these and that thay invest in some bubble wrap to protect them.
the pictures for the aluminum one suggests that the needle are covered with the cover on. but i know form my maglight flashlight that aluminum can stick so i will have to watch out for that or see if i can lubricate the threads. i dont want the cover to be over protective and not let me in!!!
Glad you got the needles fixed to your satisfaction. Have fun!
Yes i was a bit worryed about the third handle but i was perswasive! thanks its Felting, its always fun!! well maybe not quite as fun if i wind up all wet but still fun!
I love purchasing from China! It invariably brings little surprises like the time my husband bought two padded (men’s) XL sleeveless jackets and received two that will just about fit 7 year olds lol. Mind you I have been lucky too but it’s invariably a gamble. You have done great work adjusting the needle holders Jan. They do look comfortable. I hope the metal ones are just as good for you.
Thanks Helene, yes it can be a bit interesting shopping long distance but most of it has been good for me too. the metal ones are good. they are aluminum (not too heavy) with a rubber ring between sections so it likly wont seeze over time as aluminum flashlights sometimes do. i found a fabulous single needle red plastic holder since them. it has a fasited grip spot which is very comfortable. i have ordered more of them last week when they went on sale. i have noticed that sizes seem a bit , umm, stingy in fabric. my try was a short corset with “Steel” stays, which feel like the heavy bridal plastic stays and is posibly a size 18 as there extra extra large…..i was more intersted in contrution details and the stays themselves but it would have been nice if it fit. i gess i will be making extra extra extra long lacing cords at some point? but back to felting. keep an eye on there needle holder options. the newly listed red single needle plastic one is good, the grey single needl with the cut off crank end to the needle is not as good. there is an expencive one needle holder that has unremoveable needles which probubly isnt worth investigating at all.(one ues untill a needle brakes and the gauge of needle is not indicated).
Good luck with your long distance shopping, and keep felting!