[Archie2009]

Hi,
Just paid off a ship where we were into bell rope making competition in the bar. Just want to know if there is anybody who could recommend any particular book or webiste that can show me how I can make one.

Thanks

Archie

[jon nutting]

Handbook of Knots
By Des Pawson
this is a very good book for some fancy rope work also you can try Brian Toss and see his dvd's just google the name

[tsell]

Archie

The best site I have come across is: www.animatedknots.com.
I have fun with this site, seeing how much I can remember from my days at sea!

Taff

[Trevor Holt]

If you want the definitive book on knots then look no further than "The Ashley Book of Knots" by Clifford W. Ashley, everything you will ever need to know. It's a bit expensive though so try the library. Rgds Trev. H.

[Pat Thompson]

Greetings,

Brown, Son and Fergusson, in Glasgow sell a couple, "Knots Splices and Fancy Work" and "The Harrison Book of Knots". Have a look HERE

I have both of them and found them very useful.

[nautibuoy42]

The Colour Book of Knots by Floris Hin, a Dutchman, this books has very easy to follow diagrams.

[Archie2009]

Thanks guys,

The boys down below won the round, but never too late to get the deckies back on track

[Archie2009]

Originally Posted by jon nutting

Handbook of Knots
By Des Pawson
this is a very good book for some fancy rope work also you can try Brian Toss and see his dvd's just google the name

Hi Jon,

Thanks. The website looks great. Got an expired line throwing appliancce with loads of rope to work on. My Cadets are going to have a hard time for the next few days.

[Stephen J. Card]

Originally Posted by Trevor Holt

If you want the definitive book on knots then look no further than "The Ashley Book of Knots" by Clifford W. Ashley, everything you will ever need to know. It's a bit expensive though so try the library. Rgds Trev. H.

Excellent book. Picked up a copy in Kaoshuing many moons ago for less than a fiver. The important word here is 'copy'. Still in excellent condition.

Stephen

[jon nutting]

I have the Ashley Book of Knots that My Parents bought for my 21st at a cost of 19.50 in New Zealand I use it a lot for reference

[johnjames06]

Originally Posted by Archie2009

Hi,
Just paid off a ship where we were into bell rope making competition in the bar. Just want to know if there is anybody who could recommend any particular book or webiste that can show me how I can make one.

Thanks

Archie

Archie, you will find out how to make a bell rope in the Ashley book of knots. Try to get it from the library as its expensive. Bell rope making is a passion of mine, I find it very theraputic.

[xchopsr]

Try a search on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/Martyec#p/u/20/2vH2JZ56gN4 part 1of8

http://www.youtube.com/user/TyingItAllTogether

[E.Martin]

If you have no experience with rope or twine I should imagine it would be difficult to follow any fancy work from a book,most seamen could make a bell rope,if you did not know how one of the deck crowd would soon put you right.
Made my first bell rope while at sea which went onto the ships bell on the ship i was serving on.
Made dozens more for new ships in my job as a rigger I reckon if you can make a wall and crown knot you can make a bell rope,once you get started just use your imagination as you go along.

[Robert Hilton]

I have made bell lanyards, chest beckets and all sorts of fancy ropework. I began when quite young and learned much from the Ashley Book of Knots during my teens. I still do ropework from time to time and often use Ashley for reference and for planning.

A side effect of learning from a book is that I now find it relatively easy to follow all sorts of diagrams.

[johnjames06]

Originally Posted by E.Martin

If you have no experience with rope or twine I should imagine it would be difficult to follow any fancy work from a book,most seamen could make a bell rope,if you did not know how one of the deck crowd would soon put you right.
Made my first bell rope while at sea which went onto the ships bell on the ship i was serving on.
Made dozens more for new ships in my job as a rigger I reckon if you can make a wall and crown knot you can make a bell rope,once you get started just use your imagination as you go along.

Walls and crowns are essential of course but all proper bell ropes must have a few star knots along its length, a difficult knot to learn but well worth it. I suppose you can please yourself with most ropes but Royal navy ropes are of a regulation design. I would'nt think a modern sailor could make a nice bell rope.

[Clanline]

Sailed as a very new 3rd Mate on Roxburgh Castle with an old Bosun who came to my cabin every afternoon for a warm beer (this is the 60's)! and he taught me many knots over the months and made several bellropes.
My best rope took several weeks and was for my local pub and when I proudly presented to the landlord on returning home he said thanks and bought me HALF a pint!
Tight git!!
Have to agreee about the Ashley book of knots but expensive!
Still remember many of them but not the more complicated ones.

[stein]

Yes, the Ashley book is the standard work, all others are just small parts of it. One might consider it expensive if the size of it is not considered, the prices here I find acceptable: http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Se...+book+of+knots

[Robert Hilton]

Originally Posted by Clanline

Sailed as a very new 3rd Mate on Roxburgh Castle with an old Bosun who came to my cabin every afternoon for a warm beer (this is the 60's)! and he taught me many knots over the months and made several bellropes.
My best rope took several weeks and was for my local pub and when I proudly presented to the landlord on returning home he said thanks and bought me HALF a pint!
Tight git!!
Have to agreee about the Ashley book of knots but expensive!
Still remember many of them but not the more complicated ones.

I merely had my pint topped up for a bell lanyard that lasted more than 20 years and may be still in use. It had acquired a patina from the constant handling. I managed to embarrass a young barmaid when she rang 'time' by saying, "I see you just grasped my handiwork."

[Malabar]

Originally Posted by Pat Thompson

Greetings,

Brown, Son and Fergusson, in Glasgow sell a couple, "Knots Splices and Fancy Work" and "The Harrison Book of Knots". Have a look HERE

I have both of them and found them very useful.

Another vote for the Harrison book of Knots. It's more "user friendly" than the Ashley BOK (and cheaper!) and while there are plenty of other books on tying knots Harrison seems to aim in particular at the creation of bellropes.

[frayedknotarts]

www.frayedknotarts.com/tutor1.html: My free page of "how to's" in photo format.

USN Deck from '65 to (let's not mention that...) now doing this stuff professionally.

Anyone who might want to do up a photo-tutorial on something they particularly like to do is more than welcome to go to http://www.frayedknotarts.com/email.html and contact me.

Please feel free to let others know about the site and pages and, if you are at all interested in keeping the traditional rope arts alive, DO investigate the IGKT at http://www.igkt.net

[Robert Hilton]

Originally Posted by frayedknotarts

www.frayedknotarts.com/tutor1.html: My free page of "how to's" in photo format.

USN Deck from '65 to (let's not mention that...) now doing this stuff professionally.

Anyone who might want to do up a photo-tutorial on something they particularly like to do is more than welcome to go to http://www.frayedknotarts.com/email.html and contact me.

Please feel free to let others know about the site and pages and, if you are at all interested in keeping the traditional rope arts alive, DO investigate the IGKT at http://www.igkt.net

Keep making knots! I have been aware of the International Guild of Knot Tyers for many years, but cannot bring myself to approach them because I learned as a child that knots are "made." Before joining my first merchant vessel in 1956 I had learned much from The Ashley Book of Knots and have continued the process since. I still join ships with a hand stitched sea bag of No.1 weather deck canvas closed with a slightly fancy shackle having a wooden pin that passes through all the bag's hand stitched eyelets. The bow of the shackle is rib hitched so as to be hard wearing and has ringbolt hitched eyes to take the pin and nine or eleven part turk's heads on its "wrists." Usually nobody notices.

[frayedknotarts]

If you'd care to send pics of your work, it's that pleased I'd be to post them up for you for others to see and (perhaps) learn from.

I am constantly learning new things about knotting and fancy work in general and have just started researching the "R.N. Bellrope" with the crown on the top. NOT very much info on these on the web!

As to books, my first was EKFR (Encyclopaedia of Knots and Fancy Ropework by Raoul Graumont and John Hensel) which is fabulous for the pictures and impenetrable for the written directions. Most valuable to the square-knot enthusiast due to the inclusion of the pamphlets 1 thru 7 originally published by Herwig & Co in the 1920's. Just looking at the work in the pictures is an education.

[needadditionalinformation]

Two books that I know of. The Ashley Book of Knots is one, but this book has more, but is often overlooked:
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-K...fancy+ropework

People complain that it is too hard to follow, but Ashley's can be less than clear at times, and this book has wider coverage of the subject.

If you have both this book & the Ashley book of knots, that should do it.

http://www.amazon.com/Ashley-Book-Kn...+book+of+knots

[Robert Hilton]

[quote=frayedknotarts;609719]If you'd care to send pics of your work, it's that pleased I'd be to post them up for you for others to see and (perhaps) learn from.

Nothing much left in my possession. Mediocre beckets on an overweight sea chest that once made a short trip on the West coast of Ireland. The shackle for my sea bag. Other work was placed where it was to be used. Bell lanyard in a pub that I last saw some twenty years after I made it. It had acquired a fine patina fom use, but I only had my drink topped up for it. Cheek! Another bell lanyard left on a small passenger vessel in synthetic material, but with a colour scheme that pleased me. Any way, thanks for the offer.

[Pat Kennedy]

Originally Posted by tsell

Archie

The best site I have come across is: www.animatedknots.com.
I have fun with this site, seeing how much I can remember from my days at sea!

Taff

I agree Taff, its a brilliant site, and has knots I never heard of before.
Pat