OTish: straw plaiting

perhaps 7 way plaiting makes more sense than attempting 13 way

so for a 21 wire ribbon , a matter of threading 3 wires in each of 7 thin temporary sleeving to do the plaiting an inch or so, and sliding forward the sleeving, perhaps. Or perhaps just 7 small sliding rings of sleeving, and advance them, just ahead of the plaiting.

That`s perhaps something you might try asking in uk.rec.sheds

I haven't a clue about plaiting straw, but one of the plaits used by bobbin lacers might also serve to control fine wires -- you can make any number of wires into a wide plait of the same sort as the three-plait you are familiar with.

I've never done wire lace myself, and only the first tentative steps in thread lace, but I *think* I remember what "cross" and "twist" mean well enough to explain how:

The beginning ends of the wires should be anchored in some way.

I am presuming that you don't want to wind the wires onto bobbins, which would allow you to handle four wires at a time.

Pick up the two outside wires at one side and lift the right-hand wire over the left-hand wire. Pull gently to make the twist run up to where you want it to be. Pick up the next two wires, twist them like the first pair, continue across.

If there is an odd wire left over, pick it up together with the outermost of the wires that have been twisted. Lift the left-hand wire over the right-hand wire, pull gently so that the cross runs up to where you want it to be. Cross each pair of wires until you get back to where you started.

If there was an even number of wires (there always is in bobbin lace, as bobbins are used in pairs), set aside the first wire and cross the next two, continue crossing until you get back to the beginning.

In either case, there should be an odd wire left over when you get back to the start. Pick it up together with the last wire that you crossed. Twist back to where you started crossing.

Etc.

Joy Beeson

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Another potential use for Dunstable or Tuscan plait is making up flat but thin rubber drive belts for certain types of equipment. The flat belts available are either too long (vinyl decks) or too thick (unless the length is just right , the tension in the band overloads the low rev motors). But using 7 strands of 1mm rubber cord plaited together may just work. I've previously tried 3-ply plaiting of 3 flats of 3ply plait but it was only just about useable. So is it possible to make a flat ring by returning the end to the start ? Yesterday I contacted strawcraftsmen.co.uk and someone there emailed back to confirm that it was possible. At the moment I'm practising DP with 7 lengths of rubber cord. At least with this use it is possible to knot the returns on the non-active face of the flat, the "men of straw" doing it means a slight staggered lumpiness in the area of the join , because of overlapping.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

On 3/1/2009 11:51 PM N_Cook spake thus:

You're talking about *making* a belt for a turntable by plaiting rubber strands? Do I understand you correctly?

You're nuts, man. Bonkers. All that diddling around with cobbling and jury-rigging stuff has left you a little soft in the head.

Now, I'll admit when I was a kid (early 20s), I did once have a belt-drive turntable that was missing a belt, and I used to make belts out of paper strips glued at the ends. Worked well, but didn't last too long, as you might imagine. But I was young and broke. Presumably you

*could* find the proper belt for that turntable if you looked in the right places ...

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of use of the word "fuck" is incapable of writing a good summary
and analysis of the Philippine-American War. And vice-versa.
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but

length

I've

the

You missed the point. There are plenty of thin and flat belts available for record decks but not for other kit that uses low rpm motors and smaller but flat belts. If they are too thick , they have to be accurate , in length, to about 5mm.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

On 3/2/2009 12:28 AM N_Cook spake thus:

OK, I'll play along here: So what do you plan to do to join the ends of these belts? I can't see any way in hell to do it without creating an ugly and disruptive bump that will surely play havoc with any kind of smooth operation here. What, do you plan on melting the ends together or something?

--
Any system of knowledge that is capable of listing films in order
of use of the word "fuck" is incapable of writing a good summary
and analysis of the Philippine-American War. And vice-versa.
This is an inviolable rule.

- Matthew White, referring to Wikipedia on his WikiWatch site
(http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wikiwoo.htm)

I thought that may be the easy bit. A 1/2 inch diam baluster pulley as driver and a driven flywheel, 2 pulleys only, so 7 staggered joins on the non-active face , knots possible, unlike straw. It is quite easy , practising with 7 drinking straws but 1mm diameter rubber cord is quite another matter. I will try a piece of metal tube squashed to something like

7x1mm to keep the completed section in place, or perhaps pins like lace making or french knitting but holding in fingers is impossible , like knitting cooked spaghetti

Remember the theory of drive bands is that the tension in the band is the same throughout, even if one bit is a cross-section or something, for square or round section belts anyway. Not sure about baluster bulbous drive pulleys though.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

for "cross-section " should be "different cross-section "