lostsalt

I always use carpet thread to wrap the hackles with. It is super strong, you have to cut it, not snap it. Then I come on top of that wrap with a thin wrap of Crochet thread.
Beadman. I used the Swivels and Eye loops for my last set Made(spring 2006).
I used the smallest Swivels, But the Swivels are for the Flagging, horsehair, ribbon, whatever. For the Spike I got a few bags of three-way swivels. Basically a circle with 3 eye- loops attached.
With my wire cutters I cut the circle, leaving me 3 eyeloops. The eyeloops have a stem with a blunted end so as not to pull out of the circle. Same concept, position the eye-loop @ the end of the spike, wrap with carpet thread a dozen times or so. Coat with glue of choice let dry.

Then come over top with the hackles. Your right the eyeloop is buried in the hackles and can be changed when they DO GET DIRTY. Or if you just want to change colors for a different session. Literally less than 15 min to change a set.
Only have lost one so far. That is because the flagging tape tied its own knot before I knew it I ripped it right out.

Lostsalt

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"Now remember, things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is." JW

crazywolf

Hey I got a question. When you say it tied itself ina knot, which spike was it? I had a problem with the top three spikes on each side of my BACK bustle getting tangled. After a year on the circuit, I finally just cut out the top three. You really cant tell the difference in looks except there are no more tangles, which did show.

I dunno about the swivels. For me, simpler is better, putting more stuff on just seems wrong, but thats just me. The satin is really not all that heavy. I have had people say that it was heavier, but I honestly cannot tell the difference between this set and the last ones that had plastic flagging tap. And once, I was told we were going to do a black light dance at this one pow wow. So I spent a whole day tieing flourescent tape onto my bustles, at the tips of the spikes but below the hackles. And with that one simple change I noticed a big difference in weight. And they never came out with the black light either, so all that for nothing.

I tie the satin down the full length where the hackles end. When I break a tip, its usually because of someone elses carelessness, which usually ends up with me threatening someone else within an inch of their life. Then I just go back to my camp and mend the tip with some liquid nails and a sewing needle.

For straightening, I use an iron and some towels soaked with water, my steamer does not work. I keep a spray bottle with water, soak each feather and put on the towels, hold on to the quill, and pray I dont get burned. It makes a lot of steam, and it took scalding quite a few feathers before I got this right. Andits a lot harder to straighten black feathers than white ones.


I tried using swivels once in place of a bridle string. The idea was to be able to replace a single spike on the bustle without tearing the whole thing apart. It didnt work, failed miserably. The bustle didnt hang right, was much heavier, and the feathers didnt stay positioned right. The only thing I think I have changed for bustle making that is significant and works, is the way I make my back boards.

I use a piece of plywood only large enough to support the feathers, with the hangers. I made the rest of it with two pieces of leather, trapping the plywood in the middle and making the leather pieces much larger than a regular baseboard. It fits on my shoulders more like a harness than just a piece of wood sitting on your neck, its more comfortable and you can rock the heck out of the thing. Finally I put another piece of plywood in the center, to spread out the feathers into that really nice cup shape, and that is attached with a soc bolt (allen wrench) that I can take out or put back in in about a minute.

I dont know about dipping and getting my flagging dirty. My knees are getting week, and being able to jump up from a squat is in my past days I am afraid. I got to figure a way to change it out, and so far, there are not many fancy dancers in Florida sharing techniques.

Derek

The Rat

I've found carbon fiber to be the perfect material for both extending the base of the quill, as well as extending the tip/reinforcing the quill. I wanted to keep 9" of webbing on my feathers, so I needed something light and strong to extend the quill and tie the hackles onto.

For my latest set, I'm using 1/4" carbon fiber tubes to extend the base of the quills and .06" carbon fiber rods to extend the tips. These are far lighter and stronger than both wood and wire - and the thin rods are VERY flexible (you can bend a 36" long .06" rod into a complete circle), but they won't lose any of their straightness/stiffness from bending. I'm also using a .075" thick carbon fiber sheet as a baseboard.

The end result is a 50-feather bustle that's unbelievably light given the length of the feathers and the strength of the materials.

The downside is that they're fairly expensive compared to wood dowels or wire, but not out of control. All the rods and tubes come in 36" lengths. A 1/4" diameter tube will cost you $3.50, while a .06" diameter rod is $2.00. I went through 20 rods and 20 tubes for my set.

Look for them here: Air Dynamics - www.AirDyn.com

Be wary of other vendors. There are a lot of scammers trying to pass off black fiberglass as carbon fiber.

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bonjoe07

Hello there! I was wondering how many feathers do I need for a young boys fancy bustle like top and bottom? I know mens have 42 feathers on the top bustle and 48 feathers on the bottom bustle.

n8veguy1

i know this thread is about the construction of bustles, but if you donot want to make your own drop me line. i have made several bustles sets, mostly the curved style not straight spiked but can do it no problem. ho032873@yahoo.com


(good thread with useful information)

lostsalt

Depends,

How big is the boy? How long do you project him dancing them? If you have the spikes already, you can get a good idea of how many it would take.
To really help, more info needed.

__________________
"Now remember, things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is." JW

bonjoe07

my boys is about 4 feet 8 inches. He wants to dance in them as long as possible, until he grows out of them, if thats what you mean! I don't have the spike ready yet. I'm just starting out, getting some idea's together. You see I don't want to pay $950 for a boys bustle for some one to make. Thats why I want to make them, I have never made any before.

beeleaf

Am also wondering how to design bustles for a shorter person (5' 4"). Is it the length of extenders that would change?

Thanks to The Rat for the lightweight quill extenders idea. Those and smaller bustles may just help me defy age and gravity. ;~)

Am also only in the planning stage...no materials yet, but have the book mentioned previously by CrazyWolf. Hoping to build an outfit this winter.

Thanks to Bwhite for all the great info!