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OK this may not seem like a pen turning question but trust me it will be. For those that know how to make nautical knots or braids. Looking for some sort of knot or braiding of rope to wrap a pen tube. Something other than just wraping string around a tube. Has to have a nice pattern to it. Any suggestions and or instructions. Thanks in advance.
Hi,
How about doing some French knitting and stretching it over the tube?
Regards
Whips have some nice braided patterns as do some of the rope work used around boats. Search for rope braiding instructions and whip braiding instructions and you'll have many more ideas.
Pete
Love the idea ! You could try different braided fishing lines to get a nice small diameter rope - lots of different colours and sizes ! Cam
The simplest one we use is just a series of half hitches like the white ropework on the left or the middle black section on the other pic. The purple section is called a turks head. They can be a little fiddly but look good when done right and are a neat way to hide loose ends. You will need a reasonably fine cord though as the ropework will add a fair amount of thickness to the tube.
If braiding (celtic knot style) then also consider using "multiple strands."
eg. 3 strands, side-by-side instead of just the one. It can be more fiddly, getting them to lay flat and parallel to each other, but the end result is worth it. :) (I haven't done it on pens, but have made assorted knives and walking sticks, etc. this way)
Doesn't work so well for knots, though. :shrug:
I thank you all for the replys. It looks like I will be trying to teach myself something new again. But this is how I learned to turn. Self taught. The white rope on the right in that photo looks like a winner if I could learn that. What I was after was to not just wrap a twine around a tube in a circluar pattern. Wanted something that said nautical because that is the theme of what I want to make. Keep the replys coming. Thanks again.
The braid does not have to wrap around the pen tube - you could use all sorts of macrame patterns to develop a sleeve that fits over the tube.
Nice Turks Heads above by Corbs- well done. I haven't done any serious Macrame in 30 years, just the occasional monkeys fist.
Moby, those ones aren't my work. I just found them online as examples of the braiding. I've done more of those things than I care to count though :;
JT, I've been in the Navy for 20 years and the series of half hitches with a turks head on each end is what we do pretty much exclusively. Moby's suggestion of macrame will give you a lot of options if you do a search for it though :)
Corbs
JT
My wife's uncle plaits leather strands around pen tubes. He has done a couple of pens for me and they sell fairly quickly. I put a coat of MinWax Poly on the leather to stop it being soiled.
He has his leather work down to a fine art and recently has travelled to the States once a year to give demonstrations and talks on leather work. I can put you on contact with him if you like. It makes little difference whether you use leather or string as long as the string is thin as long as you have the pattern for it. He could give you more information than me.
Greg
Thanks GregQuote:
Originally Posted by plantagenon
I had recently gotten a few PMs and given a few very interesting web sites for instructions. I am not looking for anything too complicated but want it to look abit like a nautical weaving because that will be the theme of the pens. Being an electrician I have many many times had to weave loops and splice ropes over my 41 year carreer. Have had to make many knots also. This will be a little different and will lead to a new line of pen blanks much further down the line that I have been thinking of for quite some time. I have so much on my plate right now and being able to just now get back into my shop due to health issues, it will take some time to catch up. I have so many ideas rolling around in my thick skull. Thanks anyway.
Thanks to all for the suggetions.