Rope Making Demonstration
DEMONSTRATION FRIDAY/ JULY 17TH, 2020
Welcome back! Today we’re joining master rope maker, Al, and his apprentice, Fred, as they show us what rope-making was like in the O’Hara’s time.
It all starts with the rope making machine, one end has three hooks that attach to a handle and the other end consists of a singular weighted hook. Back then, these two ends would be separated as far apart as the rope needed to be, sometimes reaching up to 100 feet! The individual fibres would need to be put on the hooks six times before being wound together, for longer ropes they would sometimes ride a bike back and forth to do so.
In the 1800s, plant fibres (similar to thread) were most commonly used to make the rope. The stems of the plants they would have used would be stripped of their fibres then twisted together multiple times to make rope.
Rope was very important on the homestead and was used for many things: Like herding cattle, tying up livestock in the barn, boat sails, and even making bed frames!
In the video you can see Al running baling twine (our closest version of plant fibres!) between the two ends, making sure to loop it twice on each hook. After he finishes, “the hammer” is placed in between the strands to prevent them from getting tangled. Then, Fred goes to work cranking the handle, this turns the hooks that twist the fibres together. All that’s left to do is remove the hammer and tie both ends of the rope in a knot to stop the rope from unwinding.
Come to one of our event days to try it yourself!
