Bustle Construction - Page 3

FancyNcali · 05-18-2003, 04:04 PM

well as you can tell i just read all the post in the last 30mins and i heard someone talking about 8-10inch hackles, where can i get them at?

Wakalapi · 08-06-2003, 02:40 PM

Maroondancer:

Here is what a friend of mine did to build their son's bustle. Started out with a thick piece of rawhide and drilled a 3/4-circle of small holes. The circle itself is about 3" in diameter and each hole is just large enough to pass a leather strip.

The base-end of each feather's dowel extender is then tied and glued to a leather strip that passes through the adjacent holes. There will be a dowel extender end between each hole and its neighbor. This will allow the dowel/feather array to fold together and stored in a large tube so the feathers don't get damaged and the bustle doesn't take up alot of room during travel.

A removable spreader (can be beaded, painted, mirrored, etc.) is fastened onto the front during dance. The tension between the spreader and a sinew lace at an outer portion of the extenders balances to hold the bustle at a "conical" position (NOTE: This design is not for a swinging or hinged bustle). A section of pegboard is then fastened onto the back and is attached to a wide belt that you would wear around your waist or stomach (depending on how high you want the bustle to "ride" on you).

MAROONDANCER · 08-06-2003, 07:02 PM

pards:
thanks guys this has helped me alot .

Rob

The Rat · 08-08-2003, 10:16 AM

This is probably going to sound stupid, but whatever :) :

My question is: Is it in any way bad, disrespectful, evil, etc. to make "eagle" bustles out of painted imitation eagle feathers?

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:19 AM

I recently made a new set of bustles. When I could, I took pictures of different stages of construction. I had to borrow a digital camera. Therefore, I didn't get pictures of all of the stages, but enough to give you a general idea. This first picture is of a left wing spike, after it has been straightened.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:20 AM

This next picture shows a left wing spike after it has been trimmed and cut to proper length.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:27 AM

In this next picture, I have added horse hair to the tip and extended the quill with a dowel rod.

I used 1/4" dowel rods. I used regular cotton thread and Elmer's school glue to attach the horse hair.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:33 AM

In this picture, I have tied an outer row of hackles. I tied this row over the horse hair. I found that the horse hair and glue actually strengthened the quill underneath and made a more substantial base to tie this row of hackles to.

Again, I used a little Elmers Glue and tied them with white thread.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:37 AM

In this next picture, I have tied the second row of hackles. I allow 1.5" per row of hackle color to tie hackles.

For this, I used matching color crochet thread to tie the hackles.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:43 AM

In this picture, I have added the inner row of hackles. This row is tied neatly as the threads will show. Try to tie all the hackles as uniformly as possible.

I matched the crochet thread to the hackle color. You can use a contrasting color thread. This will add another row of color to the bustles.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 11:52 AM

I did not get the camera back to get pictures of the loops on the ends of the dowel rods.

I used nylon cable ties that I got from Home Depot. They come in all different colors. I bought ties to match the color of the bustles.

One trick that I did when attaching the loops.... I slightly flattened the end of the dowel (approximately 1" of it) in a vice. I did not tighten down on it too much, just enough to press flat surfaces on the top and bottom of the dowel.

These flat surfaces gave me a better surface on which to glue the nylon cable tie. A little Elmers Glue and wrap neatly with matching color crochet thread. Tie the ends of the thread securely and smear a thin layer of glue over the thread wrappings.

The final step was the quill wrappings. I used yarn. I find that it's really easy to work with and less time consuming than crochet thread. Plus, it's cheap and you can find it in all sorts of colors.

After all the quill wrappings were done, I strung them using plastic beads as spacers. I used a heavy shoelace for the primary laces and nylon "mason's twine" for the secondary lace.

There are pictures of the completed bustles located in the miscellaneous craft work section in the gallery. The pics were too big to post here.

I'll try to get some up-close pictures of the bustle bases soon.

bwhite · 08-08-2003, 12:11 PM

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. With regard to materials, each bustle has 46 spikes. (order more spikes, because there are always some that aren't usable) I used approximatley 3.5 oz of hackles per row of color per bustle. I recommend getting 4 oz per color per bustle to allow for matching arm bustles and whips. One package of cable ties, one bag of plastic crow beads from a hobby store, Elmer's glue, wooden dowels (I did not keep count on how many I used), approximately 1/4 lb horse hair and thread.

runninghorse · 10-27-2003, 12:41 PM

bwhite u've got sum goood info on makeing bustles but u dint cover the actual construction on how the dowels are connected together and eventually put together ...hollla back

Bingo_Orphan · 11-18-2003, 11:34 AM

Dancers nowadays are omitting that step of straightening the spikes for bustle construction. One of the reasons is that straightened spikes don't allow for much movement, especially if you're a larger dancer. Look at Joe Bointy's bustles, his are done that old oklahoma style with his spikes straightened. But watch the way they move too. They're pretty stiff! They don't bounce as much as unstraightened do.

They don't wreck and tear as much as straightened spikes do because they aren't handled as much. With straightened you get those heat blisters and accidental bends that make the spike weaker.

The thing with unstraightened spikes though is that dancers tend to pack on the spikes with as many as 25-30 spikes a side with little space in between. I suppose this gives the bustles a fuller look but they're much heavier as well. I found that by decreasing the number of spikes to 17 a side and adding an extra bead spacer (2 beads), you get the same full look without the added weight. But these are just my suggestions. Nothing more.

And what's up with dancers wearing their top bustle nearly on the back of their head so high it looks more like a headdress?! That looks dumb! Does anybody else like this look?

bwhite · 11-18-2003, 12:36 PM

That's interesting. I've never seen bustles with so much curve down here. Do you have a problem with some of the spikes having more or less natural curve than others? Looks like that would be pretty hard to make them very even and uniform.

As for the movement, there are some fine bustles with straightened feathers that move very well. I think the movement really depends on how they are mounted to the bases as well as the

05-18-2003, 04:04 PM	#41 (permalink)
FancyNcali Pow Wow Visitor Join Date: May 2003 Location: SoCal Posts: 3	hackles well as you can tell i just read all the post in the last 30mins and i heard someone talking about 8-10inch hackles, where can i get them at?

08-06-2003, 02:40 PM	#42 (permalink)
Wakalapi www.wakalapi.com Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: East of the Mountains Posts: 1,278	Maroondancer: Here is what a friend of mine did to build their son's bustle. Started out with a thick piece of rawhide and drilled a 3/4-circle of small holes. The circle itself is about 3" in diameter and each hole is just large enough to pass a leather strip. The base-end of each feather's dowel extender is then tied and glued to a leather strip that passes through the adjacent holes. There will be a dowel extender end between each hole and its neighbor. This will allow the dowel/feather array to fold together and stored in a large tube so the feathers don't get damaged and the bustle doesn't take up alot of room during travel. A removable spreader (can be beaded, painted, mirrored, etc.) is fastened onto the front during dance. The tension between the spreader and a sinew lace at an outer portion of the extenders balances to hold the bustle at a "conical" position (NOTE: This design is not for a swinging or hinged bustle). A section of pegboard is then fastened onto the back and is attached to a wide belt that you would wear around your waist or stomach (depending on how high you want the bustle to "ride" on you). __________________ "Friends don't let friends drink decaf..." Relaunched Nov 1, 2008. Completely rebuilt and easier to use than ever.

08-06-2003, 07:02 PM	#43 (permalink)
MAROONDANCER gawk where's the gun Gawk Join Date: May 2003 Location: Cardboard box on the street corner Posts: 247	pards: thanks guys this has helped me alot . Rob __________________ 'i believe I can fly' Rob Young

08-08-2003, 10:16 AM	#44 (permalink)
The Rat WE ARE MAGNUS THE AMPLE Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: All over your face Posts: 271	This is probably going to sound stupid, but whatever :) : My question is: Is it in any way bad, disrespectful, evil, etc. to make "eagle" bustles out of painted imitation eagle feathers? __________________ This is the worst signature ever.

10-27-2003, 12:41 PM	#53 (permalink)
runninghorse Pow Wow Visitor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: south dakota Posts: 2	bustle construction bwhite u've got sum goood info on makeing bustles but u dint cover the actual construction on how the dowels are connected together and eventually put together ...hollla back __________________ Paid Tha Cost 2 B Tha Bo$$

08-08-2003, 11:52 AM	#51 (permalink)
bwhite Teen Dancer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: wilmington, nc, usa Posts: 300	I did not get the camera back to get pictures of the loops on the ends of the dowel rods. I used nylon cable ties that I got from Home Depot. They come in all different colors. I bought ties to match the color of the bustles. One trick that I did when attaching the loops.... I slightly flattened the end of the dowel (approximately 1" of it) in a vice. I did not tighten down on it too much, just enough to press flat surfaces on the top and bottom of the dowel. These flat surfaces gave me a better surface on which to glue the nylon cable tie. A little Elmers Glue and wrap neatly with matching color crochet thread. Tie the ends of the thread securely and smear a thin layer of glue over the thread wrappings. The final step was the quill wrappings. I used yarn. I find that it's really easy to work with and less time consuming than crochet thread. Plus, it's cheap and you can find it in all sorts of colors. After all the quill wrappings were done, I strung them using plastic beads as spacers. I used a heavy shoelace for the primary laces and nylon "mason's twine" for the secondary lace. There are pictures of the completed bustles located in the miscellaneous craft work section in the gallery. The pics were too big to post here. I'll try to get some up-close pictures of the bustle bases soon.

08-08-2003, 12:11 PM	#52 (permalink)
bwhite Teen Dancer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: wilmington, nc, usa Posts: 300	Oh yeah, I almost forgot. With regard to materials, each bustle has 46 spikes. (order more spikes, because there are always some that aren't usable) I used approximatley 3.5 oz of hackles per row of color per bustle. I recommend getting 4 oz per color per bustle to allow for matching arm bustles and whips. One package of cable ties, one bag of plastic crow beads from a hobby store, Elmer's glue, wooden dowels (I did not keep count on how many I used), approximately 1/4 lb horse hair and thread.

11-18-2003, 11:34 AM	#54 (permalink)
Bingo_Orphan Junior Dancer Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 121	Dancers nowadays are omitting that step of straightening the spikes for bustle construction. One of the reasons is that straightened spikes don't allow for much movement, especially if you're a larger dancer. Look at Joe Bointy's bustles, his are done that old oklahoma style with his spikes straightened. But watch the way they move too. They're pretty stiff! They don't bounce as much as unstraightened do. They don't wreck and tear as much as straightened spikes do because they aren't handled as much. With straightened you get those heat blisters and accidental bends that make the spike weaker. The thing with unstraightened spikes though is that dancers tend to pack on the spikes with as many as 25-30 spikes a side with little space in between. I suppose this gives the bustles a fuller look but they're much heavier as well. I found that by decreasing the number of spikes to 17 a side and adding an extra bead spacer (2 beads), you get the same full look without the added weight. But these are just my suggestions. Nothing more. And what's up with dancers wearing their top bustle nearly on the back of their head so high it looks more like a headdress?! That looks dumb! Does anybody else like this look?