Adding Stuff to My Looms

I have woven a lot of rayon chenille in my life but not "100%" rayon chenille, warp and weft. Honestly rayon chenille is not a warp yarn by the nature of its structure. The yarn is basically flat rayon filaments held together by a fine plied core. Rayon chenille is paradoxically stretchy and then it isn't. It is difficult to measure for warp and get on the warp beam with an even tension. Nonetheless rayon chenille has always been popular as a weaving yarn because it produces a velvet-like texture and it is very lusterous. The AVL loom with its sandpaper beam just can't hold the slickness of the rayon chenille. I have better grade of sandpaper on my little loom. It isn't enough.  I have the bitter memory of a 10 yard 100% rayon chenille warp  FAIL that went to pot after the first yard.

So what to do? I now have AVL's "final solution", about $100.00 of this rubberized beam covering for the big loom. I will see how it works. It seems like it'll work.  In the spirit of solving some long standing weaving problems, I ordered rotary temples from Fireside Looms. I have yet to install them. I was blown away by the careful packaging and the quality of the components. They look like little jewels.

What do rotary temples do? They perfect the selvedges, the edges of the cloth, by tensioning the selvedges and rolling with them. No more old school wooden or metal temples that need to be moved every few inches. I am not a fan of the paperclip and weight method either (weavers will know what I mean).