Haldane Orkney

My hubby had acquired a Haldane Shetland spinning wheel for me some time ago. Sadly she is missing her drive wheel (which I'm still looking for). In my search for a new drive wheel I came across a "for sale" post for a new-in-the-box Haldane Orkney wheel. I figured it would be sold especially since the post was over a month old. Before I knew exactly what I was doing I had sent a message inquiring as to the availability of the wheel. I nearly choked on my juice when a reply came back a few minutes later saying the wheel was available for sale. Yes!!! A deal was struck. A sale made. I was now the proud owner of a Haldane Orkney spinning wheel. Did I mention the fact that I bought it sight unseen? Waiting for it to arrive was nerve wracking. It arrived on my birthday. I was so excited and so emotional that I asked my hubby to open the box. Inside was this wheel still wrapped in plastic. I nearly cried as I watched him carefully remove each piece from the box and from its wrappings. After nearly 20 years of being in a box this was the first time the wheel was exposed to the light. It was so beautiful.

Here she is straight from the box....unassembled and unfinished. The person who bought it made sure she got everything for the wheel. There are a dozen bobbins, all four whorls, a free-standing lazy kate, and a distaff. The wheel can be used as a double drive or scotch tension.

There were no assembly instructions so I took some time to assemble her before even thinking about finishing her. A very nice spinner in England helped immensely with the assembly. She was very knowledgeable about the Haldane wheels.

It was great fun looking at all the stains and deciding on how I wanted to finish her. She wanted a rustic look. I agreed.  :)  I spent a few days staining and getting to know each part of my new-to-me wheel. The wood was dry from all those years in a box and really soaked up the stain. I love how the stain really highlighted the grain of the wood and gave it a nice rustic feel.

Here she is....my Haldane Orkney....all finished. She just needs a few slight adjustments and she will be ready for her maiden spin. She is set up for double drive. Both the front and rear maiden posts adjust allowing for some really fine tuning on the tension. She's a dream to treadle. I'm sure she will be a dream to spin on as well.

**A little note of interest:  the Haldane Shetland was the precursor to the Haldane Orkney. Both wheels are similar in looks. The Shetland has a slightly smaller drive wheel and the turnings are more simplistic. The maiden posts are taller and more finely turned. She is a double drive only wheel with the back maiden post used for adjustment. I don't believe she has the sealed bearings that the Orkney does. There were 3 slightly different versions of the Shetland made....and only one of the Orkney. Both are beautiful wheels. **