Jane's attic, update XXIII: a spinning wheel for the attic.

Today I worked on another item for Jane's attic; an old spinning wheel. The model was already assembled, so I just began painting and weathering it.

I applied several layers of paint to the bare wood to make it look antique, then gave it a very dusty finish. Not totally satisfied, I did some research to see how a real spinning wheel of that type would look like. I was actually hoping to find some extra details that could be added to my model. But, to my surprise, I found that the model was fairly accurate, so there was not much more to be added to it. Still, I found an old photo showing a grip or handle at one side of the platform, so I added one to my model too!

I must say the handle looks very nice, and definitely adds an interesting detail to the model!

Below is a photo of an elderly lady, working with a similar spinning wheel. The photo was taken around the turn of the past century, and is part of the collection of the Library of Congress. The spinning wheel features a handle similar to that which I installed on mine, and seems to have little wheels on the legs right below the big wheel which, in unison with the handle, presumably made it easier to carry around.

Elderly lady with Irish spinning wheel, around 1900. Library of Congress collection.

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