miniSpinning in Harmony with Your WooLee Winder
WooLee Winders are our #1 technical support issue; most problems are due to a lack of maintenance.
miniSpinner Owner: “I love my miniSpinner, but… it keeps stopping.”
HansenCrafts: “I’m guessing you have a WooLee Winder. When did you
last clean it?”
(This is a trick question, ‘cause we already know what’s coming.)
miniSpinner Owner: (Long pause, embarrassed giggle.) “Oh! Um,
I’ve never cleaned it”
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had this conversation. WooLee Winders, like any other mechanical thingy, need to be cleaned and serviced periodically to keep them working well.
When should I clean my WooLee Winder?
To properly function, you should clean your WW every 3 to 6 months - even if you don’t use it. Dust collects in the drive screw and the lubrication that you put in will get sticky over time and needs to be cleaned out and replaced with new.
You definitely don’t want it to look like this! Yuck! Note the fuzz wrapped around the travel screw at the left end near the small gear, and beside the traveler toward the other end.
No wonder it doesn’t work very well?
Erratic takeup
Erratic takeup is usually caused by sticky/dirty areas on the travel screw or a buildup of fuzz at one end of the travel screw inside the flyer arm where you can’t see it.
To compensate for the lack of takeup at the sticky spots, you must increase the brake tension to overcome the friction. When your WW gets past the sticky spot, it will pull like crazy because of the excessive brake tension. Cleaning and lubricating your WW will improve things dramatically.
miniSpinner stops unexpectedly or 3 lights flash
This is caused by using excessive brake tension.
If your WW is really dirty, it will require considerable brake tension to overcome the friction from dirt, fuzz, congealed oil, and so on. You will eventually find you have to increase the brake tension to the point that it trips your miniSpinner’s overload protection (so you don’t burn out the motor). That’s when we get The Phone Call.
Cleaning and Lubrication
Follow the cleaning instructions supplied with your WooLee Winder. You can usually skip steps 7 through 11. We use Super Lube Oil with PTFE to lubricate the WooLee Winder travel screw. Apply an occasional drop of Super Lube* oil (not grease!) directly to the travel screw as shown below:
Also apply a film of Super Lube Grease to the outside of the orifice tube (see pic below) where it goes into the miniSpinner’s ball bearing. If your bobbin rattles, put a blob of Super Lube Grease on the flyer shaft before you install the bobbin.
**Super Lube® products are available from HansenCrafts. WW cleaning instructions came with your WW, or we will send you a new copy.