[TheForge] RE: Rope making cont.

[Fink Bruce]

Nice explanation Dave...
  Might I add that I do the same without the annealing or heating by 
putting one end of the  metal 'yarn' in a vice and put the end you want 
to twist in a hand drill.  This is only for longer lengths that give you 
a chance to do mechanical twists AND HANG ON... Use longer lengths so 
you can and you may want to put it on slow speed at first til you are 
used to it.   Then just turn it on.  It has forward and reverse so it 
works well with both the clockwise and later rope making counter 
clockwise twists.  I usually make between 16 to  30 feet at a time but 
you could go much longer if you had use for it.   Seems the longer 
lengths are easier to do since the tension you pull on it while turning 
is part of the way to gauge the number of twists.   While it turns it is 
very professionally even and easy to control to whatever tension or 
tightness you want.  If you want to do them exact then measure each 
length first and when it twists (and starts to get shorter) make note of 
the new length as it pulls you up to a pre marked spot (in this case a 
stray screw driver or nail laying on a bench that you are pulled forward 
to works).   The drill for the power twist  has more consistency and 
ability and needs less patience to do it than I would by hand.
In the case of the lei braids I needed for the piece in Hawaii this 
would have normally been my first choice as I wanted about 75 to 100 
feet of them but I also wanted to get the kids involved at the local 
school so had the 2nd graders actually braid nylon rope and then cast it 
in 3 ft lengths here in CT.  It made it much more personal.   If I had 
been using the rope twisting method I would have stopped when the first 
'yarn' was partially made and add into the twists some pre cast leaf 
pieces or odd out of place wires or an occasional stainless steel 
threaded rod to be used for later attachments and then twist them in 
also.   It would have been much faster, cheaper and easier for me but 
not what I was trying to do with the kids.  And since it was a  metal 
adaptation of a lei, I would have distressed the wire rods first or 
second.    It is amazing what driving back and forth over a length on a 
gravel road  will do to something that is too precise.   Here is a 
detail jpg of the finished cast rope sections on the piece along with 
other components that made it all up...     bpfink


>>
>> Terry,
>> Well, it took a while but I finally got some time to answer.
>> As I said, the short answer to your question is "yes".  The basics, 
>> whether using steel, brass, bronze, copper, hemp, sisal, cotton, 
>> etc..., are essentially the same.  Following is a short example:
>>
>> 1.  Cut you material, lets say 3/16" rnd steel rod.  For 3-strand 
>> "rope" you need 6 (can also be done with 9) pieces of equal length.  
>> In rope parlance the individual pieces are called "yarns".  You use 
>> yarns to make strands.
>>
>> 2.  Separate the 6 pieces into sets of 2.  Each set should then be 
>> welded at the ends.  If they were fiber yarns we'd just tie knots, 
>> but for steel welding is easier (or solder if using copper or brass).
>>
>> 3.  Heat each set to a nice bright orange color and twist each one in 
>> a clockwise manner.  If using brass, copper, etc..., then fully 
>> anneal the pieces (red heat and quench).  Take care to keep the twist 
>> nice and even from top to bottom, and be sure that each set is 
>> twisted the same number of times.  In other words you want all three 
>> twisted sets to match.    You now have 3 twisted but separate strands.
>>
>> 4.  Now bundle the three twisted strands together and weld them 
>> together at the very ends.  Take this and heat evenly as in step 3 
>> above.  An even heat is very important for this final twist.  Twist 
>> this bundle slowly in a counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise for the 
>> Brits and Aussies on this list <grin>).  You will quickly see the 
>> "rope" forming.  The number of turns in this back twist isn't so much 
>> important as is keeping an eye on the result and stopping when the 
>> "rope" is appealing to the eye.
>>
>> You can make larger diameter ropes by using 9 (3 yarns per strand) 
>> instead of the 6 used in the example above.
>>
>> This makes a nice "rope" that can be used for handles, supports for 
>> candle trays & cups, decorative elements, etc...
>>
>> For the crosses that you mentioned in an earlier post you might find 
>> it easier to make 4-strand rope.  The process is the same except you 
>> first make 4 strands of 2 yarns each.  Then back twist the four 
>> strands together.  You could use two strands to form the branches for 
>> the cross's arms before rejoining to complete the center pole.
>> Let me know is you have any questions and I'll try to clarify.  Dann 
>> Johnson, another rope maker on this list, could also be of help.
>>
>> Dave Brown
>> Heritage Smithing
>> Green Bay, WI
>> ABANA, UMBA, GoM, MODA, ARG
>>
>



--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/mixed
  multipart/alternative
    text/plain (text body -- kept)
    text/html
  image/jpeg
The reason this message is shown is because the post was in HTML
or had an attachment. Attachments are not allowed.
Please post in Plain-Text only.---