Kromski Fantasia
Assembly Instructions
Important Notice
If you have any difculty in understanding these instructions, assembling the wheel, or having it operate to its fullest potential, WE
WANT YOU TO CONTACT US. WE CAN HELP.
If something does not t, does not turn or rotate, looks unusual, or if,
in spinning, something seems wrong, CALL US FOR CUSTOMER
SERVICE. 229-227-1322
You may also e-mail us your telephone number and a convenient
time to reach you (we will want you near the wheel) so we can help.
Our e-mail: mail@newvoyager.com
Video assembly instructions can be viewed here:
Please check out our expanding offering of training and
informational videos on this page as well.
Thank you
229-859-2001
mail@kromskina.com
http://newvoyager.com/videos.html
www.kromskina.com
Kromski North America
New Voyager Trading
Distributor of Kromski products in North America
Kromski Fantasia Spinning Wheel
First, thanks for choosing the Kromski Fantasia. We want your spinning experience to be enjoyable and
the rst thing to do is to assemble the wheel correctly and with care so that it works properly. We suggest
you read through these instructions completely before you begin, as this will resolve any questions you
may have before they arise. We have also placed these instructions online should you ever need a new copy.
Additionally, we have 2 videos online that present the assembly of the Fantasia and an introduction to this
wheel. Take a look: http://newvoyager.com/videos.html
Finishing
If you purchased an unnished Fantasia, we strongly suggest a nish of your choosing. A good wood
stain and surface nish will help prevent a degree of staining from regular use and from the use of
lubricating oil. Finishing a wheel prior to assembly is probably the best way to proceed. The wheel
part is MDF and there are a number of products on the market to not only protect the surface but
also create color or graining effects. A solvent-based primer (oil, alcohol or lacquer-based) is a
must on the MDF if you are going to paint the wood. Talk to your local paint store to ensure you
use appropriate materials.
Unboxing the wheel
The Fantasia was created and boxed in Poland and has traveled some distance to get to you, so
the rst thing to do is to unbox the wheel, remove all the parts and check for any problems that may be
obvious. If you observe a problem, contact your dealer.
Make sure all parts are unwrapped and set aside. Give yourself some room to work away from the parts so you don’t step on anything.
Compare your parts to those shown at the end of these instructions.
Step 1
The rst step is to attach the treadle brace to the treadle assembly and wheel post. You will
use the hardware shown in picture 1. The barrel nut may already be inserted in the brace
hole if not in parts bag. Using the supplied hex wrench, tighten the bolt to pull the two parts
together. Make this connection very snug. Using 2 more sets of the same hardware, now attach
the wheel post to the rear of the treadle brace. Again, make the connections very snug.
Step 2
Next, you will attach the Scotch tension arm, the spindle, and the metal handle to the wheel post.
The tension arm uses the last set of hardware shown in picture 1. Insert the barrel nut in the larger hole on the tension arm. Position the tension arm to the post and push the wooden dowel into the post and rotate so that the metal bolt lines up with the barrel nut
when pushed through the post from the rear. Use the hex wrench to snug this
part to the post.
The metal handle uses 2 Phillips head bolts; tighten to pull the handle in snug to
the post.
The spindle is a long metal shaft that has 2 sealed bearing units pressed on to the
shaft. Between the bearings are 4 spacer washers; you will need to add a fth
spacer on the butt end of the spindle as you insert the entire assembly into the
large hole at the top of the wheel post. Be sure to keep the spindle perpendicular
to the post as you push the spindle into the hole. This is a snug t but not dif-
cult. If needed, clamp the post to a work surface so you can use 2
hands on the spindle. Or get a second person to assist.
#1
Once the spindle is seated in the hole you will secure
it with 2 hex bolt units. Both ends have a hex
head; the threaded bolt piece goes into
the post from the front and the female
piece is inserted from the rear. Using
your hex wrench, pull the 2 parts to
the post and make a snug t. This
connection should never be loose but do not over tighten.
Step 3
Now you will attach the 3 eye screws to the Scotch tension arm. There are 3 pre-drilled holes on the arm; each
will receive an eye screw. To optimize the use of the Scotch tension, we suggest that the eyes of the 2 rear screws
be opened a bit so you can easily remove the spring and the band from the eye to make adjustments for spinning
and plying.
The Scotch tension brake band is adjusted with a small thumb peg. This peg can be positioned on either side of the
tension arm. Tie the brake band to the thumb peg.
The front eye screw (on left side of tension arm) can be used to hang you threading hook.
Step 4
You will nd a metal crank with your wheel parts. This will be secured to the wheel using the 2
large wood screws. This part can be installed incorrectly; take care. The long arm of the crank
MUST be towards the wider end of the accent piece of wood
that bisects the wheel. Screws should be snug.
At the rear of the wheel you will see a metal shaft. On to this shaft slip on a smaller washer and
then the larger washer. Fit the shaft through the hole in the wheel post and then secure with the 3
parts shown in picture below. Again, make this connection very snug. Rotate the wheel and note
the ease of the spin.
Place your elastic drive band over the wheel and post and allow to drape at the oor to the rear of the treadles.
The drive band must be in position before you begin the next step.
Step 5
The footmen are next. Remove the small bolt from the top of each footman. With the rounded side towards you,
slip each footman over the brass bushings on the crank by gently opening the split in the wood. Insert the small
bolt and tighten to the small nut snugly. Left treadle to front footman; right treadle to rear footman.
The exible footman connector at the bottom of each footman will now be pushed thru the hole in the treadle
and will be secured with the 2 small wood screws (oil on connector will help). The distance between the bottom
of the footman and the treadle surface should be measured and set to approximately 2 inches.
Step 6
The yer on your Fantasia is unique for a single drive wheel. The whorls/pulleys for the yer are separate parts from the yer and
similar to double drive designed wheels. This allows you to change the whorls so you have signicantly
more speed/ratio settings. A 5 and 8:1 whorl comes with your wheel; others can be purchased.
To set up the yer, rst slip a whorl on the spindle with the slotted back side going on rst. Push to the
rear of the spindle and engage the whorl slot with the pin that will secure the whorl. Place the drive band
around the wheel and onto one of the grooves on the whorl. Now put a bobbin on the spindle. We suggest
that you get into the habit of putting the bobbin on with the large bobbin pulley going to the rear of the
spindle. This will improve the function of the brake band. Put the brake band over the bobbin pulley.
Next comes the yer. Your Fantasia comes with 4 sliding yer hooks; put 2 hook on each arm of the yer
so that each matches the picture left. Wax yer arm if you want to ease preasure to move hook. Your yer is positioned on the front of
the spindle and is held in place with rare earth magnets. Mounting and removing the yer is easy, but the orientation of the yer to the
spindle is important to ensure the 2 parts lock togehter. Slip yer onto the end of the spindle while you rotate the wheel. You will feel
the spindle and yer pull together by the force of the magnets and lock into position. That small pin in the yer
is hollow and must be clean to prevent air from being trapped inside. A paper clip wire run in the hole will
keep it clean.
If you have followed all instructions, your Fantasia is ready to spin. Above we told you how to
mount the bobbin and yer. Now we will tell you how to change bobbins. It is very easy
and very fast. With one hand hold the rear of the bobbin and the wheel post. With your
other hand grip the front of the yer and pull straight off the spindle. Place the yer
on your lap and remove the bobbin. You never have to work with the drive band
when just changing a bobbin. Place a new bobbin on the spindle, position the yer on
the end of the spindle, then turn the wheel and the yer will “magnetically” pull into
position.
Basic Single Drive Spinning Wheel instructions
The Fantasia standard whorl has 2 ratios - 5 and 8:1 . The higher the ratio, the faster twist develops in your yarn. If you are a beginner,
use the largest, slowest speed to learn to spin. To change speeds, move the drive band from one groove to another or place a different
size whorl on the spindle. The Fantasia has no need for adjustable drive band tension.
Typically spinners rotate the wheel clockwise when spinning, counter-clockwise when plying. How you direct your yarn onto the
yer and onto the bobbin is important; done the wrong way and you will not achieve “take-up” of the yarn onto the bobbin. So, with
the yer arms at 3 and 9 o’clock, from the bobbin core route your leader yarn to a sliding hook on the right arm, forward to the xed
position hook, into the rear of the orice and then out to you. With the wheel rotating clockwise, your yarn will go on and over the
bobbin core. Because the Fantasia yer has only a rear support you will want to keep your delivery angle of your yarn to the orice as
direct as possible. Excessive angles of the yarn to the orice will cause some vibration.
When you ply (and your wheel is turning in a counter-clockwise direction), the plied yarn takes the same route noted above BUT will
go under the bobbin core.
The Scotch tension braking system on any single drive wheel is critical to the proper working of the wheel. It creates drag on the bobbin that allows the yarn coming off the yer hook to be wrapped around the bobbin core when you allow yarn to enter the orice. As
you begin to spin, you will not need much tension on the brake band, but as the bobbin lls up and gets heavier, more tension must be
added. How much? Not much, and the increase in tension will be little “tweaks” as the bobbin lls up. Best to use the biggest pulley
on the bobbin with the brake band. You need to feel the yarn in your hand wanting to be pulled into the orice; if the pull is not strong
enough to carry the yarn onto the bobbin, increase tension; if you sense the pull is too strong and might even break your yarn, back off
on the tension.
When you are plying, you will need more tension on the brake band as the dynamics are different than when spinning. The yarn is
now heavier and there is more resistance going through the orice and along the hooks. To improve take-up while plying, we suggest
this: re-route the brake band by moving the spring end to the right side and directing the band over the bobbin to the eye screw on
the left side and then to the front tensioning peg. By doing this, you put the tension spring on the side away from the rotation of the
bobbin and this allows the braking to be more effective. Use the 2 metal rods to hold bobbins for plying; place in treadle rail. Remove
immediately after using so you have a safe wheel.
Elastic drive band
The drive band can be dyed if you would like to make a clear band match more your wheel color or some other color. Rit dye works
well.
The elastic band has some advantages on a single drive wheel. It has great gripping power without placing excessive tension on the
drive band (which can degrade the treadling feel) and, because it is elastic, you will be able to switch ratios/speeds without adjusting
tension.
Maintenance
As with any new wheel, there will be a break-in period, not only for the wheel but for the spinner to get accustomed to the feel and
adjustments that need to be made during spinning. Follow the lubrication suggestions below and then treadle for a while without spinning. Find the best location on the treadle for your feet; not too low or high on the treadle. Perhaps treadle with no shoes to get a better
feel. Having your entire foot on each treadle is a must to take advantage of the mechanical needs of the wheel.
Make sure there is nothing on the shaft that will impede easy rotation of the bobbin. Lubricate as noted below.
Your Kromski Fantasia comes with a handy needle nose oiling bottle. All spinning wheels have points that require lubrication. We
recommend that all these points be oiled when you begin spinning for the day. On the Fantasia, you need to regularly oil the following
points:
- Metal spindle shaft at both ends where the bobbin bearings ride
- You might want to put a dab of petroleum jelly on the very front of the spindle shaft where the yer mates to the spindle
- The footman/crank connection at the brass bushings
- The treadle hinges only if they create a noise
Sliding hooks
The ease of sliding of these hooks can be enhanced if you place our nger is the best location. To show you this we suggest watching
this short video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C59kWQZhIaM
Enjoy your Fantasia. Make yarn.
Fantasia Parts
Below is some information from the November 2005 issue of American Woodworker.
This is just one way to proceed with a Fantasia that is unnished if you want to paint
your spinning wheel. The important step is to seal the MDF and in this example they are
suggesting an oil based spray shellac. This is a good sealer for any wood in addition to
MDF.
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