Author Topic: Fancywork supplies: recommendations?  (Read 71371 times)

Frayed Knot Arts

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Fancywork supplies: recommendations?
« on: November 22, 2007, 03:46:27 AM »
Since we now have a Fancywork sub-forum (THANK YOU, Moderatii!), I thought I'd start a post and let others chime in as they see fit as to where to get supplies for doing FANCY WORK knotting.  This would include small line, glues, varnishes and the like, or anything else useful that would appeal to we fimble-fungered fools. 

Please don't post actual pricing and please don't post if you have an interest in the concern.  Let's keep this as a neutral informational post, not an advertizer's jumble.

To start: Cyanoacrylate Glue in bulk.

As many of you know from my past drivels, I am a proponent of using cyanoacrylate glue for many purposes (*)in doing small fancywork, but getting some at a decent cost has been rather difficult. Every time I find what I think is a "good deal", the company goes out of business or the prices escalate and getting it in bulk from sources in the UK is economically unsound by the time I pay shipping, customs and packing charges.  Indeed, I run a  good chance that the dunderknopfen in US Customs will unilaterally decide that Ca is a WMD and never deliver it at all.

Finally I found a good US source for this stuff and thought I'd share...

Woodenwonders (http://woodenwonderstx.com/WWBlue/NewGlueWS.html) is a master distributor for EZ Bond CA glues, and you can really get some nice pricing on 16oz bottles of the stuff. They also have smaller bottles into which you can decant the glue for convenient working sizes, caps and "wicking tips" which are just a super idea, as well as 2oz bottles of the glue if you don't need a big bottle. (Edited 08-26-08)

I use this stuff (the THIN formula) to "tip" my lines for weaving turksheads, to prevent the end of a line from "fagging out" while being tucked or braided (especially in squareknotting) and for a dozen other little things. (**)

They also sell "De-bonder" (GET SOME! It's really helps to be able to get this stuff OFF a surface if you have an 'oopsie'!) as well as accelerator to speed up drying, although nine times out of ten you won't need it with the thin formula and cotton/linen lines.

Anyway, check out the website for more info or send an email to Mannie at the site.

Vince

(*) I will take a line I'm going to use for a turkshead and "tip" the end (about 1/2 inch or so) with CA, let it dry (a matter of a minute at most with cotton / linen / flax / hemp lines, then clip the line at a 45 degree angle giving me a hard end with a chisel point for weaving multi-strand turksheads, doing larger needlehitch, anything where you have to pass the line multiple times thru the body of the work, thus eliminating the need for those brass threading needles. Unlike them, it adds almost nothing to the weight of the line and will easily stay stiff for as long as the job takes. To prevent fagging, just a wee drop on the line's end and it'll stay secure through just about any contortion you may put it thru

(**) I also use CA in place of other preservatives for coating things like a tool handle or anything that will receive hard usage. The CA bonds with the ropework and makes the finished product pretty "bulletproof"; in fact, you'd better be pretty (censored) sure that the fancywork is exactly where you want it before coating, because once you do, it AIN'T moving again!

A lot of people like varnish. (I like the look) The way it coats the work and makes the surface smooth is very traditional, while CA penetrates the fabric of the line and does not give a 'smooth" surface finish. But the CA surface gives a far superior 'grip' to the handle, so it's really (as Daedalus said to Icarus)
a matter of a pinion as to which is better.  It also dries in a very brief time by comparison.

Anyhoo... for those who may be interested, there it is.

More to follow.
« Last Edit: February 19, 2009, 11:47:26 AM by Webmistress »

turks head 54

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2007, 07:46:22 AM »
If I find a source for this stuff I'll let you know.

TH54

drjbrennan

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2007, 11:59:58 AM »
I like the military paracord and I've been very pleased with the service I get from these folks.

http://www.supplycaptain.com/

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Lasse_C

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2007, 03:10:58 PM »
If anyone can give me a tip on a supplier of 2 mm satin "rattail" cord, I would be sooooo grateful! They must be reliable and have reasonable prices, of course!  ;)

Lasse C
« Last Edit: December 27, 2007, 04:53:34 PM by Lasse_C »

KnotMe

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2007, 06:56:11 PM »
Since you asked (and because I did a recent survey of my suppliers), I've got a reasonable supply of 2mm nylon (about a week turn around if you want more spools than I have on-hand), an excellent supply of 2mm rayon (33 colours but it is imported from Japan so the quality is excellent with all strands dyed before construction, but the shipments are twice a month and the prices also imported from Japan). I also have located a supplier in China.  All colours including custom colours and custom varigation are available but quantities are measured in partial shipping containers and I have not yet mustered up the courage to tried importing directly from the manufacturer.  Here's the list of what I have on hand http://daoofsilk.com/catalog/cord/satin/

deckhandiana

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2007, 11:18:40 AM »
I have a roll of dark brown French fishing line, about 1.5 mm bought in Brittany last year, which is invaluable.  I wish I'd bought more.

Any chandlery or fishing tackle supplier would be worth investigating.

Happy New Year to everyone.   :)

Diana.

capt larry

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2008, 05:17:25 PM »
I had good results for 2mm satin cord from The Satin Cord Store, seemed to have the best price on spools and large color selection.

Capt. Larry

cbrew6

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2008, 06:45:01 PM »
Lasse, i got my rattail from here    http://store.crafta.com/ribbons---bows-rat-tail.html
not satin, but real nice stuff lots of colors an price not to bad. dont know about shipping to u

Lasse_C

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2008, 11:19:15 PM »
I had good results for 2mm satin cord from The Satin Cord Store, seemed to have the best price on spools and large color selection.

Capt. Larry

Thanks!
I checked them out, and they do have a very good selection, and their price on the nylon rattail cord seems unbeatable! Since my younger son makes chainmail jewellery (yes, we are into crafts and arts in our family) and they also have anodized aluminium rings in nice colours we are planning an order!

Lasse C

oldpete

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2008, 04:15:12 PM »
Hi. I have found a supplier of leather lace in the U.K.
They have stocks of various sizes, I think the 4mm goat leather lace (5 colours) is the best for braiding and interweave turks heads. I can't see this advertised on the web site but if you are interested try phoning Steve.....The company is BFnT.co.uk

Lasse_C

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2008, 06:54:53 PM »
I had good results for 2mm satin cord from The Satin Cord Store, seemed to have the best price on spools and large color selection.

Capt. Larry

Thanks!
I checked them out, and they do have a very good selection, and their price on the nylon rattail cord seems unbeatable! Since my younger son makes chainmail jewellery (yes, we are into crafts and arts in our family) and they also have anodized aluminium rings in nice colours we are planning an order!

Lasse C

I have now recieved my order, and must say I am very pleased! Placed my (our) order on their webpage in the morning (local time) - on the evening the same day I had confirmation of the order, and on the next day a message that the stuf was in the mail. About 1? weeks later it arrived.

So: Quick and excellent service, very good quality (my son was overjoyed with the colours of the anodized alu rings he bought) and very good prices. Could not really ask for more. So, thanks again for the recommendation!

Lasse C

Frayed Knot Arts

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2008, 03:06:24 AM »
Additional information:  (US)

Cotton line:  http://www.knotstuff.com  Marty Combs.   Excellent 18ga thru 120 ga cotton lines, some hemp lines and a lot of tools and BOOKS galore!

RAYON blind cord: http://www.rwrope.com  R&W Rope (Bob Dollar).   Mini-blind RAYON cord, many colours and sizes, reasonable pricing.  Also a traditional rigging shop and access to most of the things you'd expect there: Stockholm tars, fine manilas, even better man-made manila-like cordage, hemp twine, marline, palms, needles, blocks,, etc.

NOTE: I have been mis-identifying the RAYON cord as NYLON.  My apologies. 

« Last Edit: November 20, 2008, 05:38:18 AM by frayedknotarts »

skyout

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2008, 07:39:30 AM »
What great links! Thanks frayedknotarts.

I've been trying to read all I can from all of you to figure out which sizes of rope I need to get started. It helps a lot when I see pictures of completed projects that have the size description in the captions.

Why are there so many different measurements, i.e.; inches, mm, ply or ga? I know how to convert inches to metric, but I have no idea about "ply" or "ga".  Does #18 = 18ga and how does that fit in with inches or metric?

Any recommendations for a beginner? I can't afford to buy all the sizes. Sorry, I know this is probably elementary to you guys.

Frayed Knot Arts

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2008, 03:54:40 AM »
NOTE   THIS POST HAS CORRECTED ERRORS IN BOLD (10-30-08)

Anything but elementary, and complicated by the different measuring sizes used over time, from "gauge" to "Thread" to Inches and metric.

I would get a roll of 1.4mm white braided polyester mini-blind cord to start off with... this is sufficiently small to produce nice work and yet large enough to learn on without too much trouble.  I am not fond of "paracord" (about 2.4mm) for anything as it is too large and soft, IMHO.

Generally (and I am absolutely open to correction on this), very fine knot work requires a 8 ga. hard cotton line (codline) which is about 3/32" in diameter.  This may sound small, but the size, combined with the hard lay of the line will produce superior square-knot and fine braiding work.   This is about .9 mm in diameter.  This would produce (for example) about a 32-line square-knot belt (8 knots wide) at 1-1/2" across. 

Marty's smallest really hard-laid line is about a real 18ga (he calls it #15) and is about 3/16" dia.  This will produce about a 20-line (5 knot) belt at 1-1/2".

R&W has line from .8mm thru 3.0mm in braided POLYESTER MINI-BLIND CORD as well as hemp lines in about 1.8mm.

Finding a really good line is probably the toughest thing about doing knotwork and it's why I started this thread.

The "creme da la creme" of knotting line was the "Dreadnaught" cord sold by PC Herwig from appx. 1927 thru 1970 or so when the company went out of business.  It was an 8 ga. hard cotton cord, sized (starched) and polished and came in six colours from white thru a truly awful yellow, but it was by far the absolute best thing for doing half-hitch belts, fine squareknot work and especially for making up fine braids for picture frames.  (Some of the "old salts" from the USN will remember this as "Belfast Cord" sold (jobbed off) by GEMSCO at Naval Exchanges the world over.  It was Herwig's Dreadnaught cord in disguise!)  I've searched for five years now for a manufacturer who could replicate this cordage and have come up empty.

Marty's cotton lines are superb, and R&W's POLYESTERS are just great... both have their place and both produce completely different results.

I heartily recommend a reading (or purchase!) of Raoul Graumont and John Hensel's "Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Ropework" (Cornell Maritime 1944) if for nothing else than their section and photos of square-knot work, most of the photos for which were originally taken for use in Herwig's "Square-Knotting Books", #1, #2 and #3.   If you have the Encyclopedia, there no need of the Herwig pamphlets as it is all contained in the Encyclopedia.  (incidentally,  get a post-1952 edition of this if possible... the earlier ones have sections of the index missing!)

Again, I grow long-winded.

Vince
« Last Edit: October 30, 2008, 08:28:04 PM by frayedknotarts »

skyout

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Re: Fancywork suplies: recommendations?
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2008, 03:03:52 PM »
Thanks so much for the great explanation and recommendations, Vince, and as for "growing long-winded", you have my permission to blow like a hurricane!!! lol That's just what I needed. I wish we lived closer, I'd love buy you a beer and just have a good ole' rope tying chat. Thanks again.

 

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