Author: jhoyla
Date: 2008-08-04 05:11
I agree with the "soak well" approach. I tie on in batches of five or six, and if I get any splits it is almost always the first or second one of the batch. Soak longer than you think you need to.
IF you thin the ends (and this is NOT necessary, but just aesthetically pleasing), consider thinning the cane from the inside. Don't remove the bark at the extreme ends, but remove the cane from inside, as in the photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhoyla/sets/72157604776789114/detail/
I experimented doing this at the suggestion of one of the list members, and it works a treat. you only need about 3 mm of thinning. Take care when scraping, you don't want to cut your fingers.
The secrets to good tension are:
o A sturdy anchor
o A spool that is easy to hold. A piece of doweling is perfect for this, and if you put a nail in the end you can then use an electric screwdriver to wrap many yards of thread onto your dowel, effortlessly (a bit like wrapping a bobbin for a sewing machine).
Practice pulling on the thread until it snaps (yes, really). Twang the thread as you go, so that you hear the sound it makes at various lengths, and how high-pitched it can get before it snaps. This will give you a lot more confidence in how tightly you can wrap.
While wrapping, the tension in the loose end is NOT important, and often this is the part that snaps. You can even push the mandrel away from you a tiny bit as you pull tight with your wrapping arm, to make sure the tension is in the correct part of the thread.
Keep the wrapping end short, only extend the the thread from the dowel a little at a time, as you need it. It is easier to maintain high tension when the thread is short.
Hope this helps,
J.
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
