Page 61 - Des Pawson "Des Pawson's Knot Craft" 2 edit.

KNOTCRAFT 2009:Layout 1 23/10/09 12:17 Page 60

TILLER/B O A T HOOK CO VERING
change the colour of the line used. It is well worth
experimenting, by dipping a piece of your line into the intended
varnish. Many yacht varnishes will make a flax or hemp line go
very dark brown, and will turn a white line a golden colour. I
have found that some of the varnishes based on either acrylic or
PVA, which allow the brushes to be cleaned in water and are
sometimes sold as ‘low odour’, only slightly darken the work. In
the past this sort of work would have been painted, probably
white, with perhaps the Turk’s heads picked out in a selection
of colours.

MATERIALS

I usually use 2mm diam line or even smaller on most handles, with
perhaps 3 or 4mm material for mast support posts. Irrespective of
which method you decide to use, the amount of material required
must be determined for each job by taking a metre and making a series
of half hitches round the item to be covered. When the metre has all
been used up, measure and see how long the piece of hitching is,
divide that length into the overall length to be covered and add say
10% for luck. You now know how many metres you require.
I usually use thicker material for the Turk’s heads at each end.
Varnish or paint if required.

KNOTS USED Constrictor knot: page 9
French hitching: diagram a
Moku hitching: diagram b
St Mary’s hitching: diagram c
Turk’s heads of choice: pages 28, 66, 76, 77, 78, 79

METHOD
First work out the amount of up the line into a bundle or
material you need (see above) bundles, perhaps held with a
either as one piece for French rubber band.
hitching or divided into 2 ends Always start with a constrictor
for Moku hitching, or 2/3 and knot tied in the material, at the
1/3 if you are using St Mary’s end for French hitching, in the
hitching. You should then make middle if you are going to use

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