Hi All,
I sure have come late to the party, but I just want to mention how I used to make my English knots before winding my bass strings (before I came to visit a few piano workshops, technicians and a factory, experience July 4th and then went to last year's awesome convention (2018)).
I say used to because after returning to South Africa I had sort of lost my skill at making the knots and reverted to Double German knots.
I used an 8mm bolt neck to hold my loop while keeping both hands locked onto the string at 45 degrees, twisting and somehow swapping hands and keeping the string taut-ish. I finished it with a barrel, keeping a 5mm tail.
On the string lathe I would grip the barrel with the help of the tail using fencing pliers, using the bottom grip. The heart-pounding step was to slowly wind the string till I got a tight helix - if you go too tight then it snaps due to the twisting. Also, the string tension needs to be just right so that the string doesn't snap. The string is made tighter as you spin the lathe. Then with the tail, you wrap it one more time around the string before trimming it. Finally, I would loosen the lathe, remove the eye from the hitch and let the string spin back to normal, then replace it onto the hitch and continue to make my wound bass string.
A bit long-winded, but that's from what I was taught and my own refinements. If I'm not clear then it is due to never having to explain my process in words.
I actually think my understanding of these knots is lacking - don't they have to be pulled tight when twisting them?
Or does the pull from the installed and tightened string make the knot function as intended?
Also known as a fisherman's knot, so the above question would make sense that it functions when pulled.
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Malcolm Lunt
5th-year apprentice
Pretoria, South Africa
IG: @that_autistic_piano_guy
#actuallyAutistic
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2019 02:15
From: Michael Gamble
Subject: Tying English hitch loops
Sorry, Fred, I missed out your German hitch loop! Just add it to the very short list!
Michael UK
Original Message------
Generally speaking, what we see are double helix with a barrel twist at the end, and once or occasionally twice around the hitch, and barrel twist around the wire. The former was pretty consistently used by French makers, the latter by Germans, and later copied by Asian firms like Samick. Those are the terms I have heard most often, so I use them.
Of course there are lots of variations when you look at harpsichords especially, and I don't see the point of trying to name them. The main distinguishing feature is whether it starts with double helix or not. At least that's my take.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
"Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." Brecht