Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-07-31 05:01
oh yes, yes, yes! tying on so the sides close up properly is definitely the most troublesome hassle with tying cane ):-]
make sure cane piece is adequately presoaked long enough , there's nothing so discouraging as wrestling with the tying on only to have the cane crack on you, so make sure the cane is really soft and flexible enough for tying on to start with
check all your tubes, do they really fit the shape of the mandrel ? Look at the end of your mandrel and compare that to the shape of your tubes, is the tube a tiny bit rounder in shape (at the cane end) than the mandrel?
reshape the tubes around the mandrel if they're too 'open' -- just a tiny change to a more elliptical shape rather than a wide round oval makes it a lot easier to get sides closed
i don't have much success with jiggling the cane after the thread's turned over it, i find it works marginally a bit better to align the cane spaced evenly and then hold it firmly in place with left fingers
what works well for me is to use left arm as a 'rigid' muscle with firm wrist to lock left forefinger & thumb firmly on the cane once i've got it lined up straight, with evenly spaced sides, etc.
when i take up the slack after the first turn, i pull my body slightly away from the anchored end of thread, using my body weight to tighten and hold that lower thread tight, and this allows me to just use my left arm / hand muscles for the job of gripping cane in place on the tube
i start 4-5mm below top of tube, work up to 47mm and then cross back down again, i've found this is more 'idiot-proof' against cracking than starting right at 47mm and working down
i always take my time on the first 4-5 turns, one turn at a time, inspect alignment and spacing, if slipped, fingers aren't holding cane firmly enough in place, unwind, readjust, start again -- so holding cane firmly in place is the important bit during these first turns
each turn, taken slowly, and pulled taut gradually until thread bites the cane shapes the cane bit by bit around the tube, so continue turns one by one to top of tube, of course maintaining adequate optimum tension
when the cane is snugly shaped to the tube gradually, the sides should close by the time you're up to 47mm, although often it's only the last turn that does it
when attempt #1 doesn't close the sides
unwind that bit, * turn the cane over * realign everything, start again
make sure firm tension is maintained steadily for each turn over the cane after taking up the slack, not too much, don't want to break thread
i find a shortish thread measured from the bobbin hand which turns over the cane is easier to keep tight, about 6-7" from the cane, the longer you have to reach away with right arm the harder it is to keep thread tight all the time
i find it easier to turn a shorter thread over cane if i angle left hand up a bit rather than keep it horizonal
when attempt #2 doesn't close the sides
ease cane up the tube to a longer tie-on length, say a generous 74mm, and remember to take the last wrap only to the top of the tube, so watch out for those 'lengthened' pencil marks !
when attempt #3 doesn't close the sides
stop, put cane into hottest hand-hot water that's comfortable, dip tube end in hot water also, and when nice and warm, set everything up to go again,
hot cane molds more readily
when attempt #4 doesn't close the sides
stop and analyse your physical technique, maybe you still feel awkward with managing the thread, maintaining the tension, etc. so instead practice with substitutes awhile until it feels more instinctive and natural before trying to tie again
hope some of these ideas help
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