International Guild of Knot Tyers Forum
General => Fancy and Decorative Knotwork => Topic started by: Shamr0ck on December 20, 2008, 03:55:22 PM
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Howdy ~
I've been asked to make some trivets for the ladies in the family and know that I have to use a natural fiber rather than synthetic if they are to withstand heat. There are a variety of circular mat designs which I intend to use, but the issue I'm having now is finding a "NICE" natural fiber rope with which to make the mats. I've picked up 50' coils of 1/4" sisal at Home Depot, Lowes and Tractor Supply and all are very "rough". Not only are there a lot of whiskers (i know, not the technical term, but hopefully descriptive) but the uniformity of the strand is also lacking.
Can any one suggest a good source for 3 strand sisal (or other appropriate material)?
Many thanks in advance
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Hi Shamrock,
How about using cotton rope? You can get it from horse tack and feed stores or from Marty Combs. I agree with you that the sisal found at regular hardware stores is uneven and hairy (the hairiness can be removed by running a flame CAREFULLY under the rope) but that is also part of its charm - others are not as careful about exactness as we who tie the stuff are and they may appreciate roughness sometimes. If you have a good marine stockist near you then you may be able to get a slightly better manila, but it is somewaht Hobson's choice as to whatever is available. Good luck! ;D
SR
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Sorry I can't help you with supplies in the USA but in the UK I have found a couple of suppliers of flax cord which is a dark brown colour, hard laid and almost "hair free" - it makes nice heatproof mats which hold their shape well. Some of this is sold as fishline (possibly for nets though its quite thick at around 4mm) so its worth looking on the web.
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Call Bob Dollar or Adam up at R&W Rope in New Bedford MA... (800) 260-8599 They can fix you up with a very good quality 1/4" manilla line.
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Thanks Vince ~ I'll ring them later today....
Cheers!
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Probably not much help but I have seen perfect 1/4 inch sisal rope made before. Kinnears in Melbourne, Australia in there natural fibre factory (no longer there) used to make this for the elevator cable industry. It had to be perfect in diameter as it had to fit inside the cables.
For interest the sisal obviously didn't add any strength to the cable; it was placed inside to hold oil and keep the cable lubricated from the inside.
Darren