Checklist when buying a second hand wheel:
Ask a spinner to look at it for you, either in photos or in person, if possible.
Are there woodworm holes, or frasse? (That’s a no-no for me, I live in a wooden house!)
Make sure the wheel is what the seller says it is (not just an SWSO, a spinning-wheel-shaped-object that he/she is calling a working spinning wheel). If the seller claims that the wheel is X brand, look at photos online on X brand wheels to ensure the wheel is what the seller claims it to be.
Ask for photos/view the wheel from the side, to ensure sure the wheel is not warped and ask if it spins freely without a wobble; a small amount of wobble is not fatal, but too much and it will just throw the band all the time.
Check that the axle of the drive wheel is steady and not wobbly, and that the wheel rotates when the crank is turned. Otherwise you could have a wheel that has lost contact with the axle and the axle turns but the wheel just slips and doesn’t turn.
Ensure that the flyer is there and that it has an orifice!! Is the flyer in good nick? The flyer should not be cracked or broken, preferably any metal parts should not be rusty, corroded or broken. Check that there are hooks or a sliding hook on the flyer arms.
Ideally the flyer should be the same colour wood as the rest of the wheel, if not then it is probably a replacement flyer, which may or may not actually work with the wheel. Getting the correct replacement flyer made for you can be very expensive.
Does the flyer rotate freely when in position between the maidens and do the bobbins rotate freely on the flyer?
Check that you have at least 3 bobbins, that they all fit the flyer and are in good nick. Replacement /extra bobbins range from €15 each to €35 each.
Is it the wheel you need for the yarn you are going to spin? Old antique flax wheels look amazing but they often have tiny orifices, small hooks and small bobbins and are designed to spin flax into fine linen yarn, so they will not suit you if you want to spin chunkier woollen yarns. They can also be temperamental and not easy for beginners to start on, and getting replacement parts for them is costly.
When going to view a wheel, watch a few youtube videos first of somebody spinning on a similar wheel, and search for a manual for the wheel online to print off or just save on your phone so you can check if the parts are there and how it should ideally work.
