After long anticipation, shuttles and pirns from Pilkingtons Ltd. in Lancashire, England have arrived! Pilkingtons has been making textile accesory equipment since 1830 and know a thing or two about shuttle manufacturing.
 
The wood bodies are persimmon, a wood valued for its high strength, traditionally selected for shuttle making. The steel tips are sharp enough for use as a fly shuttle, but may be dulled slightly with a metal file to ease hand throwing. The adjustable tensioner takes a 2mm Allen wrench (not included), and the weft yarn must be passed through a procelain eye with a small hook or a "kiss" to exit the shuttle. Wool thrums are installed in the cavity between the tensioner and eye to increase drag on the yarn, but these may be removed unless using extremely fine yarns. (I have pulled the thrums out of the shuttles I use regularly with no adverse effect on tensioning.)
 
Black fiberglass reinforced nylon pirns are sold separately. These pirns are comparable to the large AVL pirns and AVL's pirns typically work in these shuttles.
 
Dimensions:
Length: 15"
Height, reed side: 1 1/4"
Height, fell side: 1 3/16"
Length of interior cavity: 8 5/8"
Width of interior cavity: 1 1/16"
Weight of shuttle: 9.1 ounces, or 260 grams