8 shaft tension problems

Working solo on weaving projects can be very frustrating.  I'm glad for you that the problems were solved.

Hello - I have just completed my first warp on my 8-shaft ashford and noticed the same thing i.e. slack when the shafts were 'at rest' and not when raised.

 The slackness was at the edges so I have assumed that this is something to do with putting on the warp by myself.

 So how did you resolve the problem?

I have just noticed that you posted this in January!  

unequal tension can be caused by not tying on evenly, not winding the warp evenly, and by not putting the warp over the back beam.

Thanks for your reply big white sofa dog - I was thinking that the questioner might have done something other than the things you mention.  It is tough to get perfect tension across a warp when putting the warp on by myself and particularly as I am warping with monofilament which is extremely mobile.

You totally need to keep tension on monofilament warps at all times in dressing the loom.

And typical knotting at the front (to tension) probably won't work either, as the knots tend to loosen. In Anastasia Azure's lecture at Convergence 2014 Providence, she recommended hot gun gluing the knots so they don't work loose. I thought that was brilliant!

I would fine tune that advice to hot glue each bout, then lash the warp bouts instead of tying the bouts to a rod and hot gluing them at that point.

it is what I used when I warp alone my loom to get a good tension 

What I do is similar, except that being lazy, my bouts are much larger, and I use gallon jugs full of water.  I put a loop of warp throught the jug handle and put an empty pirn through it to secure.

Me, too!

...but like Big White Sofa Dog, I'll use fewer bouts, less water bottles, but heavier. (Saves time when adjusting the weights.) I am currently winding a 45" warp and plan to have 8 bouts using at least 32 oz (or maybe more), we'll see how it feels when beaming.