My Turk's Head Knot Looks Like Chewed Bubblegum!

[HallisChalmers]

I just learned how to tie a turk's head knot - but by the time I get done, it looks like a wad of chewed bubblegum.

I try to tighten the knot using consistent tension as I go along the lace with the fid. Once I reach my starting point and start making my next rotation of tightening, the shape starts to meander.

By the time I've taken out most of the slack though, the lacing pattern is not as consistent as I would like it. Granted this is only the 4th turk's head I've made - I just can't seem to get it down consistently.

I know I need more practice, but I'm just not happy with my progress.

Anyone have some advice?

Edited June 16, 2009 by HallisChalmers

[rgerbitz]

I never had much luck tightening my knots. I finally got the hang of tieing them up with the appropriate tension the first time. I didn't keep track but I would bet I tied over 100 of them before I had one that I thought looked decent. Keep at it you will get the hang of it.

Rob

[Sidney Wood]

Hallis;

For any braided knot to look right, it needs to be the right size for the circumference of the object it is put on. The number of bights is the determining factor. If it is too big for the work it is going on, it bunches up into a wad, and if too small, it flattens out to a bunch of parallel strings.

The optimum finished size is approx, (1.4X the width of the string) X the number of bights.

The secret is that there is not a turkshead, but an almost limitless number of them that will fit anything from a pencil to a barrel.

Sidney Wood

[megabit]

If you are using leather or rawhide most of the knots are rather hard to tighten after they are tied. You can generally put some more tension on a Spanish ring knot and a small gaucho knot but most of the pineapples don't tighten up very well. You can generally tighten any of them up if you use parachord instead of lace. You can also untie them and start over with parachord, which is why I like it for practice and prototyping. (I am cheap )

[HallisChalmers]

If you are using leather or rawhide most of the knots are rather hard to tighten after they are tied. You can generally put some more tension on a Spanish ring knot and a small gaucho knot but most of the pineapples don't tighten up very well. You can generally tighten any of them up if you use parachord instead of lace. You can also untie them and start over with parachord, which is why I like it for practice and prototyping. (I am cheap )

I tried paracord and it was ok, but I kept burying the fid in the woven fiber of the cord, and left punchy holes and tears in the fabric. But you are right, for practice, this is probabvly a better option - leather can get expensive.

Thanks for the suggestion, Mega.

[HorsehairBraider]

Here are a couple of ideas: Blunt your fid so it's not so poky. That might help in the "punching holes" part. When you tie your knot, take a look at the distance between strings. Try and make the strings all at the same angle. You have a group that slants to the right and a group that slants to the left. Try and make the strings as parallel and even as possible. If you can keep them like that you should be OK.

I too tie knots at the right tension right from the get-go, so I don't tighten knots; I learned how to braid from taking apart old work, and carefully writing down whether a string went under or over. When you just look at the finished knot, you can't tell if the braider did it loosely and tightened, so I had no idea that's what people did. Oops. Sure saves a lot of time if you do it that way though, so I suggest learning that method if you can.

[HallisChalmers]

Here are a couple of ideas: Blunt your fid so it's not so poky. That might help in the "punching holes" part. When you tie your knot, take a look at the distance between strings. Try and make the strings all at the same angle. You have a group that slants to the right and a group that slants to the left. Try and make the strings as parallel and even as possible. If you can keep them like that you should be OK.

I too tie knots at the right tension right from the get-go, so I don't tighten knots; I learned how to braid from taking apart old work, and carefully writing down whether a string went under or over. When you just look at the finished knot, you can't tell if the braider did it loosely and tightened, so I had no idea that's what people did. Oops. Sure saves a lot of time if you do it that way though, so I suggest learning that method if you can.

So I should apply the correct tension from the beginning - instead of progressively building up tension as I make the rotation? Ok, I'll try that next time. BTW - I do try to keep all the laces lined up and properly spaced, but chasing that lace round and round as I tighten leaves me with a headache and crossed eyes.

It's all pretty new to me so I know I need to practice. I try tying a knot every night for "relaxation" but I end up getting so fixated I don't want to stop.

OCD I guess.

[megabit]

OCD I guess.

OCD... well then you have the makings of a braider

[Sidney Wood]

I have a suggestion and a question.

suggestion- don't try it with rawhide, but a couple of trips across a can of white Fiebing's with good roo or goat lace helps the braiding (and tightening) a bunch.

Question- How do you folks who do them tight to start with get the interweaves into a tight foundation for two or three pass pineapples of any length (or other multistring interweaves for that matter)

Sidney Wood

[megabit]

I have a suggestion and a question.

suggestion- don't try it with rawhide, but a couple of trips across a can of white Fiebing's with good roo or goat lace helps the braiding (and tightening) a bunch.

Question- How do you folks who do them tight to start with get the interweaves into a tight foundation for two or three pass pineapples of any length (or other multistring interweaves for that matter)

Sidney Wood

It mostly takes practice to learn how tight to make the foundation knot, as they tighten up as you add interweaves. You don't really tie it as tight as you can, but as tight as needed, so it ends up tight when done.

[HorsehairBraider]

I agree. You learn to start out loose. Your first casa or foundation knot might look a little bit loose (not TOO much) but when you add in the other passes it just all works out. It's not really that hard, I don't think. I just did some leather braiding after a long period of not doing it (normally I braid horsehair of course) and it went just fine. Although you have to start out a little loose with horsehair too. If not it gets so tight it breaks the hair.