I have used Fabric Barn as my source for rattail. Try this site. http://fabricbarn.com/catalog/?_s=5 . They used to have a $100 minimum and the put ups are 200yard…This is a fabric store wholesaler that I did business with for 5 years in that trade.
Matt Beaudoin
Matt,
I notice that your handle is Mysticknotwork and that your name matches that of one of the leading knot-tyers of late, Alton C. Beaudoin - are you related? Good to see your name up here, related or not. Thanks for the tip on rattail supplies! ;D
SR
If interested i buy 2mm chinese silk cords in 10mtr lengths from ‘changbaolou’ on ebay. nice stuff and very cheap.
Alton was my grandfather.
Both of his sons and all of his grandchildren have some maritime/rope working knowledge. My sister is a graphic designer for a large boat supply retailer, my brother does some weaving and TH’'s, by cousins both know how to tie TH and can hold their own with a lot of other knots. My dad is an expert in splicing and knows as many knots as I do. My uncle really took it to the next level by working VERY small. He makes wedding bands, crownknot earrings, and cerrick bend pendants. Now, the cool part is that he uses them as positives to do gold and silver castings. The metal work that results is so detailed that you can still see the stray strands in the original cordage.
Personally, I burn through about 500# of cotton per year and about a mile of manila rope.. but I don’t get to do much of the really cool stuff like Vince does 
Yep. We got royalty aboard! When I met Matt at the Wooden Bot Show, he was wearing a half-hitch belt that just made me drool in envy.
Welcome aboard!
Matt, many thanks for the tip on the glue from the other thread.
I was just looking thru the different links and was wondering if your Uncle Jim has a web site for his jewelry? I’d love to see his TH webbing bands as well as the rest of his work.
He and I were just talking about that yesterday at a family picnic. Hopefully, as I get a clue on building my own, we can build on his as well. His work is unbelievable reproduction in sillver and gold and deserves the drools it gets, and hopefully it develops a market niche. We just haven’t made the right connections for him yet. I am excited though, because he’s going to show me his tricks this winter…
So, short answer, no he doesn’t, but hopefully soon.
Hi Matt,
Just tried to send you a PM and I think it got lost in hyperspace???
I have a cousin that lives in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands that owns 2 jewelry stores there and many more all over the world. Once you and your Uncle get ready, if you would like, I would be happy to see if there is any way I could get you guys in contact with each other. No promises, but it may help.
If you ever get a chance to take a pic, I’d love to see them.
WhooHoo! I just won a $25 Barns and Noble gift certificate at a raffle from work and will soon be the proud owner of the “Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Ropework”. $21.89 including shipping and it was published in '65 if I remember correctly. Thanks for the hint to go after '52, Vince.
When you get it, first check the “index” for missing pages! Quite a few of the post '52 editions STILL have this problem.
Someone a while back put out a PDF version of ABOK… wish someone would do it with this one as well!
Thanks, I’ll check it. I am really looking forward to it arriving. How many pages are in the index? Maybe someone could scan the missing pages. If mine is complete I could try, I’m no whiz around the pc but I can scan pages if I knew which ones are missing.
Index is complete in the '65 edition! WhooHoo! This is one awesome collection!!!
Vince, thanks again so much for the heads up!
Any chance of someone making this thread a sticky (second request for a sticky). I still come back and reread it a lot and I’m sure any new member would appreciate it as well! Great job Vince and all the others who contributed! 8)
I vote in favor of that suggestion!
Finding good, reliable suppliers of high-quality materials is an important issue for many of us - especially, I might add, for those of us who (like me) do not live in a big city.
Lasse C
Hello all ~
I, too, am a newbie and have found “Cross Lace Cord” by Jimalax to be a reasonable cord to use. It comes in a wide variety of colors. Has stood up well for the key fobs and THs I’ve made, retains its color over time and is reasonably priced. Service was fast and accurate, they were more than happy to send along samples of the three sizes carried and if you order is above $100US, then shipping is free.
I got tired of trying to locate reasonably priced (and best size) accessory cord at my local climbing/outdoor store, paracord had too much slop and play in it for what I was working on and when you purchase 100 yd spools, it takes a while to run out (which is very frustrating when it happens at 2am)
I measured the diameter of the cord for Don B this past summer and will dig out that post tonight and post here.
The only “issue” i’d note with my batch of the JimaLax cord is that there are minor differences in OD depending on color (Black and White are just a tad larger), the yellow color will come off on your hands as you work, but no issue staining clothing, and some colors are a bit “stiffer” than the others.
Hope this helps ~
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a55/minikatanarox/bump.gif
Can anyone make this a sticky please. I keep coming back to it for reference for myself as well as when new knot tiers are always asking this question I give them this link. It was almost down to the bottom of the page where it would go to the next page, making it even harder to find.
Hey, Modrators! THANK YOU for the “sticky”!
Hey, Vince! THANK YOU for the “thread”!
http://cordsandropes.com/index.html
One of the PAB members had some of this at our last meeting. It looks to be some pretty nice stuff. I think I am going to ask for samples of their cords. I’ll post here if they will accomodate me.
They are located in the UK, so shipping costs might be an issue for those of us on this side of the pond? I did not search this topic to see if that site has already been mentioned, so if it has, just chalk it up to a “senior” moment.
Hello all,
I’ve been using “Wellington Medium Load Braided Synthetic Venetian Blind Cord” from the Tru-Value Hardware store for a little while and I really like it. It’s sold in hanks and according to the package it’s 9/64" x 48’ (3.6mm x 14.63m). I paid $3.79 per hank the last time (about 7.9? per foot). It’s a smooth braid (not like diamond braid) and fairly stiff so it holds a shape well.
Here’s an example:
http://khww.net/images/photoalbum/album_95/640_0608.jpg
In the tiniest print I’ve seen in quite a while I see that it is a product of the Lehigh Group [http://www.lehighgroup.com] but don’t bother going there - it’s an awful website. This product is not listed there and what you can find there, well, you can’t really tell exactly what you find there.
Does anyone have a better source for this cord than my local Tru-Value Hardware store? I would prefer to buy a spool of this stuff because the hanks are so tightly wrapped that they cause disfigurements in the cord.
I use paracord a lot, and http://www.lapolicegear.com/trpa100fole.html has good stuff at low prices. They don’t have much of a selection, but if you want military colors, they’re good to go.