I grew up around people who made stuff and sometimes re-made with changes and improvements. As I’ve nattered on about it this year I purchased a mini lap charkha (https://www.facebook.com/minicottonspinner/) and love it. I work cramped and it’s portable. Day job staff meetings via zoom are so improved.
First off I’m a clutz. I’ve never seen a charkha of any make that I couldn’t stab myself on. Do they have to be so sharp? That I don’t know but they all are and I’ve found rubber plugs found at most hardware stores or amazon work great to protect me from myself.
![](https://www.jmjamison.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200610_102844337-1024x768.jpg)
![](https://www.jmjamison.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200610_102748670-1024x768.jpg)
As-is the mini charkha works fine with rubber bands. But I’ve found that hair ties work well also, especially when they are looser from use on hair.
I love poking around hardware stores and found rubber grommets that have a “track” in the middle which is great for keeping the drive band steady. I ended up putting all four of the grommets so the band is really steady. (Sorry for the blurry photo.)
![](https://www.jmjamison.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IMG_20200725_113904326-768x1024.jpg)
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