Rope-a-Dope

Started by oc1, November 04, 2017, 07:15:32 AM

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oc1

#15
Thank you all.  Sorry Sal; forgot this one.  



The nylon lines are just tied to a hole in the shaft because I was unsure about having hooks flying around.  The knots are a pain though because two of them have to be untied and removed when switching from twisting the three separate ply to twisting them all at once as they come together.  I'll either fashion hooks or do something with the green lines so two of them can run without being held taught.

I keep slathering the thing with blue grease but it liquefies and is flung off soon.  I've found tiny brass filings under the front spindles where the brass rod rubs on the stainless plate too.  Hopefully it will last until I get sick of this and give up.



David, the rope/line making machine you describe would far exceed my abilities but I can vaguely imagine one.  You would be spinning three tensioned spools laterally.  It would be sort of like sticking a reel seat on the spinning shaft and then clamping on a reel with a drag; except centered and balanced.  At the other end there would be a reel spinning in the opposite direction and taking up line under tension; like one of those spring wound automatic fly reels.  In between would be a choke point where the line comes together.  The vintage Cuttyhunk line we see at the auction was surely made by some such machine.  All sorts of stuff like that had appeared by the end of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800's.  It may not be possible to duplicate those results with the older ropewalk technology.  By then, they also had fairly sophisticated machines to form linen thread from a mass of flax fiber.  The thread used to make premium Cuttyhunk would be difficult to get off the housewife's spinning wheel or spindle.

I try to stand back a bit, Tommy.  Also, I don't wear my good fishing suit or a neck tie.



I was lucky to find the spool of linen in the photo above but it is not nearly as good as what they used for premium Cuttyhunk.  It is not very uniform.  When you run the line through your fingers there a little bumps every few feet and you can still feel the bumps when it comes together in the finished line.  It is convenient that it is already two ply but if it was single ply then some of those bumps could be cleaned up a bit before spinning it.  It may be possible to separate the two threads so they can be cleaned up a bit and twisted more before bring them together again.  That would make the finished line harder and less fuzzy.  I have another spool of unbleached linen that is single ply but there is only enough of it to make one piece, six threads, 100 yards.  I'll save it for later.  



The finished line is being run through a flame to get rid of some of the fuzz but it's still too soft.  Also, it needs some sort of sizing and preservative.  These are age-old problems and the age old solution is kiln burnt pine tar.  The tar has antimicrobial properties that prevents rot.  It also slicks down some of the fuzziness and will provide some sizing.  I tried rubbing pine tar straight from the can into a line but that was really time consuming, it wasn't uniform, and left it too thick.



The next time the pine tar was thinned down with turpentine.  The line was flamed, spooled, soaked, then the excess wiped away.  This did not seem to leave enough tar behind but there is probably a happy medium somewhere.









That last photo is a 100 yard reel with 82 yards of line and it is over-filled.  The reel with the dark tar line is an 80 yard reel with 70 yards of line and it is way over-filled.  There didn't seem to be strict standards for what constitutes an 80 yard reel or a 100 yard reel but the line I'm making must be thicker than what they were designed for.

When pulled against a spring scale the line breaks at about 23 pounds.  The goal was 18 pounds so it's stronger than needed.  The diameter is about 27 thousandths of an inch so the cross-sectional area would be about 0.0006 square inches or 48 yards per cubic inch (without voids).



Genuine commercial six thread Cuttyhunk had a wet strength of 18 pound test.  Although the strength has deteriorated over time, I do not think the diameter of the line has shrunk over time.  A unused spool of vintage line still looks like a full spool to me.  Here are two examples of vintage six thread line with approximate diameters of 20 and 23 thousandths or 77 yards per cubic inch (without void spaces).





My six thread line is fatter and stronger than commercial six thread line was back in the day.  But, my line may weaker relative to it's diameter than the commercial lines.

-steve

Crow

You amaze me, Steve ! Next, you will be growing your own flax !
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

Tiddlerbasher

Amazing patience my friend :)

Benni3

#18
I have seen that landscape before and that engineering  then it hit me ;D ,,,,mr professor

Cortez_Conversions

Amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Tom
Visit: cortezconversions.com
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.-Sal

STRIPER LOU

I must say Steve, you are a truly patient and smart individual. I always enjoy your post's and what you're up too!!

................Lou

Benni3

I got one reel at the house crying out for this,,, ;D

oc1

Thank you gentlemen.  I've considered trying to grow flax but think our climate may be too warm and humid.  We've grown a little cotton before but what really does well here are plants in the order Zingiberales.  These include things like banana, heliconia and ginger, all of which are potential sources of fiber.  Manila, one of the worlds best and most popular fibers for making rope, is closely related to the edible banana.  Chinese grass, ramie, or the green ramie might do OK here and they make a very strong fiber that is as fine as linen.  Hemp grows well here but while hemp is very strong it may be too coarse from making fishing line.
-steve

The Great Maudu

I'm putting in an order to fill my 16/0

Tiddlerbasher


broadway

These guys are right, you got some serious skills, patience, and a beautiful passion for everything fishing.
Love it, Thank you for showing how it's done
Dom

Donnyboat

Thanks for sharing Steve, I think that brain of yours is going full on, even when your asleep, thanks mate, good luck, cheers Don.
Don, or donnyboat

Crow

I think if I was to try growing hemp.......I'd lose interest in making fish line LOL!
There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

mo65

~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Dominick

Steve I am impressed.  Your posts are always polite, thoughtful and informative.  You are truly an asset to this site.  Now if you want to further impress me "Mercerize" your line.   :D ;D Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.