making small segments of cordage on a bench top rope machine part 2

 Part one shows the machine setup and cordage making. Go back to part one.


This is part 2 showing how the segments are finished off.

The wind is complete and the separator is disengaged from the twisted yarns. A few additional turns on the crank brings the wind to the critical end point.

 Here the separators is removed leaving the tensioned yarns in place. A tiny drop of white glue is introduced into the center of the cordage and a few more turns are taken. This holds the four strands together after the rope is removed from the machine.

 A piece of vinyl tape is applied to compress the yarns and prevent unravelling. This can be removed in a few minutes as soon as the glue takes hold.

The traveller (at the other end) is disengaged and the cord is allowed to relax into it's natural shape.

 Once the tension is removed the end loops can be disengaged from the hooks.

The finished cordage segment is relaxed. The twisted pairs are naturally held together by the reverse twist of the group of four.

Some excess wind has been released as the cordage is removed from the machine but the material is at equilibrium and ready to be used.


See the products of this machine in some of the following posts.


design and photographs copyright 2016 George Hutchinson

making small segments of cordage on a bench top rope machine part 1

This is a small rope machine built from hardware store parts. This view shows the four strand winders on the left and the traveller on the right with yarns rigged and ready.

This demonstration shows a 4 x 2 setup. Four (4) strands of two (2) yarns each.

The machine is set up with dark cotton yarn in preparation for creating a short segment of twisted cotton cordage.

 In this closeup view the four rotating hooks engage the yarn loops. The device on the left is a gang-crank that turns each of rotating hooks once for each turn of the crank a 1:1 ratio.

Once the yarns are placed the lengths are equalized so all four pairs are at the same initial tension. The pairs are looped around all the hooks so they can be adjusted easily.

Then the gang crank is turned several hundred times with a few pauses to keep the twisted pairs separated.

During the initial twist the yarn's length is naturally reduced by the twisting action. The traveler takes up the slack with a counterweight holding tension on the yarn as it is twisted.

The yarn pairs are now tightly twisted (+300 turns) together and the rope is ready to be made.

 On the other end is the traveller which is a single hook on a rotating spindle with another crank. This is the business end where the cordage is twisted into shape.

The initial twist has been completed and we are ready to wind.

The ball shaped object on the left is a separator made from a large cork (taken from a bottle of tequila) with a pattern of guide grooves. Each of the four yarns runs in it's own groove as the traveller takes up the wind.

 Another view showing progress. As the traveller crank is turned the separator retreats down the length of the yarns and the rope is formed.

The traveller is riding in the white track (borrowed from a bi-fold door) as the counterweight holds tension on the system.

The separator is now at the end of the wind next to the four hooks. The four pairs of yarns are almost fully wound up into the cordage.

The separator is disengaged and the rope is almost complete. A piece of tape will be applied to secure the four parts and prevent unraveling.

See what cool stuff this machine can produce in the kits+supplies section of the ETSY shop.

part two -->

design and photographs copyright 2016 George Hutchinson

4 wrap handmade rope bracelet with button 3297

 More hand manufactured cotton rope this time featuring a wrapped loop. The wrapping is waxed thread otherwise used for stitching leather shoes and other projects. It is a nice heavy gauge, quite strong and develops a pleasing texture when used in this way.

The rope is a 4-ply construction (hence the two hole button). (More information on the rope machine to be published later.)

 This is a thicker two hole poly clay button cut like a cookie then baked (also like a cookie) but unfortunately not edible.

As with the other pieces in this series the button is placed in the rope machine with the yarns threaded through the holes. As the rope is formed  by twisting the button becomes the termination point.

Shown here as a four wrap bracelet this piece can also be a longer length necklace. About 7 1/2" (191 mm )with four wraps or 35" (889 mm) in a single loop.

Cord color is an off-white the poly clay button is a marbled composite of white grey and tan.




design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop