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Bellropes and nautical bell-pulls

BELLROPES

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Click on ANY picture to see a larger version: Small pictures here are to allow dial-up customers easy access Last updated 2010-09-06

T he bellrope is a necessary ancillary to the ship's bell, long considered the 'heart' of a ship. Ship's bells are almost mystical objects, especially for as superstitious a lot as are sailors. T hey are polished before all other items and are the last thing to be removed when a ship is decommissioned or scrapped. US Navy vessels have their names engraved on their bells and when a ship is struck from the list, the last Commanding Officer usually receives the bell for safekeeping. T he bell-rope is a symbol of the Pride in the ship taken by the crew... battleships and other major vessels will usually have the fanciest bell-ropes, often the product of several hundred hours of labour by one or more expert knotters. T he more detail and embellishments, the more respect it engenders. T his bellrope took me some 70 hours to produce and complete. It is not particularly fancy, but it is probably the neatest I've ever made. I'd like to thank Marty Combs : he is my source for the # 15 codline used in the bellrope's cover and turksheads creation. T he large bellrope was made specifically for the Tamaroa Maritime Foundation which owns and operates the former USS Z uni (AT F 95) / USCGC TAMAROA (WMEC 166) as a living history museum in the Richmond, Va., area. She is currently berthed in the Newport News area of Virginia where she will act as a museum and instructional tool for Sea Cadet troops, Boy and Girl Scouts and other organizations as well as local schools. It is also anticipated that she will be involved in Displays and Sail-ins along the East Coast in the future. Visit their website HERE for more information on the Tamaroa/Z uni. If WE don't preserve our history, who WILL? BELLROPES Bellrope of # 15 cotton codline over a "laid" pudding (core). 20" overall from top of eye to finial knot, and 2.75" diameter at the widest point. Eye is a 3-strand ringbolt braid (or Spanish Graft) of # 7 sail-twine over five cores with a brass thimble insert, to a 5x4 "Square" T KH covering the thimble to body connexion. Upper two sections are done in a fender-woven "over 2" pattern cover with a 7x6 square T KH at the first size transition, and a 9x8 square T KH at the second size transition. T he 3x5 T KHs are purely decorative. At the second size transition, the covering changes from the fender-weave to a simple grafting stitch of "1-up, 1-down" which, while a 'simple' graft, still takes about 10 hours to do. T hird size transition is covered by an 11x10 square T KH and the end is done in a 12x11 square T KH (

simply because I won't use anything with the number "13" on a bellrope) which also "laps" or binds in the bottom cover, a 3-strand sewn box-braid which is finished off by a stacked 9x6-star knot. Appx 3 weeks lead time

Ringbolt-hitched eye lanyard and connexion to body cover of 'over-2' fender hitching to 7x6 'square turkshead 'over-2' fender hitching to 7x6 'square turkshead covering size transition to 3x5 3-pass decorative turkshead 3x8 'square' turkshead to a 12x11 'square' turkshead lapping the 3-strand boxweave end with a 9x6 finial 'filled' star knot. 'over-2' fender hitching to 9x8 'square' turkshead covering transition in size and shift to 'simple' graft cover with 3x5 4-pass decorative turkshead Side view of the end knots showing the 3x8 decorative turkshead "simple' graft cover to last size transition under 11x10 'square' turkshead to a 3x8 (5pass) decorative turks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10 inch bellrope as shown, $450 with ringbolt hitched eye over small thimble, # 15 "over-two" fender laid body cover and various turksheads: flat knob with box-braid endplate. Turksheads from top: 5x4 in # 15, 3x5 in# 12, 3x5 in # 15, 3x5 in # 12, 6x7 in # 12, (2) 3x5 in # 15 (4-pass), 7x8 in # 15, 3x8 in # 12 (4-pass), 9x8 (lapped over end) in # 15. Appx. 2 week lead time. Same design (approximately) in a six-inch bellrope is $295 and eight inch at $330. Each bellrope is unique : size and number to turksheads varies with overall length. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BELLROPE 20" as shown $1,050.00 A bit less ornate but still decorative, this 12" bellrope is made in the traditional manner by building up a "pudding" or a core of small lines laid over one another and bound into a cylinder, then covered with the traditional "fender-hitch" to make the body. Boxed end lapped by largest turkshead. T he turksheads are applied next and are graduated from a 5x4 "square" turkshead at the thimble eye to two 11x10 "square" turksheads at the other end. I don't use a 13x12 as nothing aboard ship should have the number thirteen except time. T he brass thimble eye is, as are all my bellropes, enclosed by "Spanish Coxcombing" or Ringbolt hitching and the bellrope comes with your choice of a small or large shackle for attaching to the ringer-eye on the clapper of the bell. T his one is suitable for a 14" thru 18" bell. $450.00 as shown. 2 week leadtime.

Note that on this example the turksheads have been varnished to increase the visual contrast. It is intended for display purposes. If for daily use the entire bellrope should be re-varnished. (For those feeling particularly ambitious and who might wish to try their hand at making their own bellrope, I have a tutorial HERE which walks you thru the various steps required. Bring lots of skin, time and patience! I supply my bellropes un-varnished for several reasons: you may have a particular type or

colour of varnish you wish to use, you may wish to use a clear or tinted polyurethane instead of varnish, you may wish to coat the work in a clear thin epoxy.... the possibilities are endless. There are several dozen shades of varnish and urethanes available, from "spar" varnish which dries a very dark colour to "Epiphanes", a lighter "caramel" colour, to.... you name it. The real reason is that I'm allergic to oil-based substances, so if you want the rope varnished, I suggest you pick up some samples from the paint store / ship's chandlery and try 'em out on some cotton line to see what you like best, then go for it. They should be protected with something if they are to be used aboard . If for display only, you may safely leave them un-coated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bellrope for the ship's bell from USS NICHOLAS (DD/DDE 449) You'll pardon me for a moment while I act insufferably proud, but the bellrope below has been chosen by T he Destroyer History Foundation to grace the ship's bell of the USS NICHOLAS (DD/DDE 449) at it's retirement ceremony on Aug. 8, 2008. T he NICHOLAS was named for Major Samuel Nicholas, the Marine Corps first commissioned officer and thus, by tradition, the first Commandant, and her ship's bell was used for all Marine ceremonies at the Marine's HQ, Marine Barracks Washington, from appx. 1970 until 1997, when it developed a hairline crack. It is being beautifully refinished by the McShane Bell Foundry and will be hung in a permanent indoor location to honour the ship, the traditional first Commandant and all the men who "went in harms way" aboard her in three wars. T he Nicholas, when decommissioned in 1970, was the most decorated surface ship in the U. S. Navy. I qvell.

Traditional all-cotton, 12" long, brass thimble with eight varnished turks heads on white body. Curvature is due to camera lens. PLEASE NOT E: All bellrope work requires a 50% deposit before work will begin and full payment upon completion. You can thank some jackass in California for this. All content these pages 2004-2010 Frayed Knot Arts. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use

prohibited without prior written permission.

An 8" overall long by 2.5" wide bellrope done for Capt. R Moser of Virginia in early 2011. A number three thimble rather shortens the apparent overall of the bellrope. End is closed off by a 9x8 turkshead and various other sizes are done up the body of "over-two" hitching. $420.00 2-week lead

T his may look similar to the 8" above, but its only 3-5/8" long and it had to be made up around the thimble AFT ER the brass thimble was forced onto the large bronze shackle. Standard "Big Butt" design using three 3x5 square turk's heads and then a 9x8 square which laps over the end and covers the butt. Body covered in "simple" grafting. Finished off with a 5-point starknot. Altogether a lot of work and not much fun to do... the shackle's weight kept pulling the work out of my hands and engendered my learning of some Finnish sailor-speak. (Did you know you can start or stop a storm by cursing in Finnish? DAMHIKT!) $300.00 and a LOT of sweet-talking. 3-week lead.