flemish Twist
 

Ok, I am having a little trouble making strings.

I start out with 7" from the end of the longest strand. I twist up a loop 2" long and then I twist up both pairs down to where the tag ends are twisted, I then continue to twist another 6", but then when I get to the other end, I seem to untwist that last 6" from the top. If I twist up the bottom opposite as top, the whole thing comes unraveled top and bottom.

Should I twist up the top 12" past where the tag ends get twisted? Or is there a trick, to twist the bundles separately after you do the top?

RE: flemish Twist
 

I go about 6 inches or so past the end of the tags. Are you anchoring yourfinished end, before you start the second end? I use twist ties to hold the new loop together at the end of my twists, then i bursh out my strings to make sure they are all the same length and to get some twist out of them. Then I start twisting my second end. Be sure to keep your twists the same direction, or you will have them untwisting while you try to lengthen or shorten them.

RE: flemish Twist
 

I don't anchor them. I am going to start. So with top or bottom, you use the same handed twist. In other words, if you are twisting with your right hand the top, you do the same twist with the bottom?

RE: flemish Twist
 

Yep. I always twist my loop towards me, so the string will be twisted away from me. Then I flip it around, after the first loop is complete, and hold it the same way and twist the loop towards me, and the sting away from me. That way, they are twisted the same way. So when you twist up the string to shorten it, the loops tag ends actually tighten a bit and dont come loose.

RE: flemish Twist
 

I do them the same as Kent.

Twist the bundle away from me to tighten it up then towards me over the other bundle.

Here is a video from 3rivers on you tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24-J-RpbxFo

RE: flemish Twist
 

But when you twisting the same way on the bottom loop, doesn't this untwist the top?

RE: flemish Twist
 

It's harder to explain than to do. If you twist the second loop in the opposite direction though, one end or the other will un-twist.

I've used paper clips and mini clothes pins at the end of the twist on the first loop to keep it from un-twisting while making the second--then a bought a pack of spring clips from an office supply store. They work better and a lifetime supply only cost a couple of bucks.

Chad

RE: flemish Twist
 

Chad, my friend, how in the world do you keep from cramping up doing this for a living? My hands kill me doing this. I am not used to handling small items.:D Seriously, its very tedious, and you do it for a living.

RE: flemish Twist
 

Lol--well, it ain't much of a living for one! I really dunno--I guess you just work into it. I didn't start out making lots of strings, and actually have a good bit of arthritus in my fingers--probably from working in upholstery for too many years. I absolutely hate tedious work, like mechanic work, because I have big hands and bust my knuckles on everything (my wedding band is a size 15, but it's a bit loose since I lost some weight).

Even when I'm really busy, I usually don't twist up more than 10-15 strings in a day's time--starts getting to me some.

I figure it's like most anything else you do--the more you do it, the better you get and you get more done with less work. Back when I did accoustical (suspended) ceilings, my foreman (been doing it for over 30 years) would be talking and joking and looking like he wasn't working that hard at all, but he'd do three times as much as me and I'd be killing myself. He could run circles around any other ceiling man that worked there--it was just second nature to him.

Anyhow......did you get the problem fixed? If you ever get down this way to a tournament, give me aholler and I'll bring my stuff and sit down with you one afternoon. I don't claim to know it all, but I'll show you how I do it.

Chad

RE: flemish Twist
 

Hey chad, I think I got it. Last night I twisted up a 12 strand B500. I took a clip that holds a bunch of paper together and help the top loop where I quit twisting 6" from the last tag end. I then did the bottom loop and after twisting up 4-5" after the last tag end, I cliped that off. I then twisted the entire string several times and took the clips off and it seemed great.

And afterwards my hands killed me. :D

Its not great, but if I am going to continue to build bows, I need various length strings in a hurry with various length loops.