Classic British Flight Sim

Fascinating process going on here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bquft1_ezIs

The French have a rope factory which they reopened to make the rope for the 'Hermione' - a repro of the ship used by La Feyette, the gun runner in the American civil war, so something else under the heading ' they don't make 'em........'

Saw it under construction many moons ago 2008(?) very interesting, but didn't go to the rope works that is nearby.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fr ... one_(2014)

Keith

Enjoyed watching that. Thanks Mike!

Brian

I think there is still a ropemaker at Chatham.

simondix wrote: ↑

18 Jan 2019, 11:43

I think there is still a ropemaker at Chatham.

Haven't you got a wire rope company near you? I thought it was BWR but it seems its called Mainco. We used 1200 lbs 3 mm dia wire rope with an electrical heart wire on Jindivik towed bodies. Found out very late (about a year before Jindivik was retired) that the making of that wire rope, & most likely any other, that it is not an exact science & therefore in the hands of the chap making it. This caused us lots of problems & boiled down to getting the correct tension in the strands otherwise the stiffness of the rope was affected which caused the towed body to become unstable in certain flight conditions.
Keith

Keith are you talking about Redditch?

Brilliant video that.
There is still Master Rope Makers Ltd at the Historic Dockyard Chatham who make traditional natural fibre ropes.
There is also English Braids at Malvern in Worcestershire who supply the marine and construction industries with a myriad of different ropes.
I find the whole process fascinating as there is quite a science to making and testing the different yarns.
I was fortunate to learn ropework as a Deck Officer at sea in the 1970s and 80s and now spend quite a bit of my time at work in a chandlers splicing the different types of ropes for rigging and mooring lines. I have to say I do find it quite therapeutic.
Quite a nice little number after 30 years of coppering !

Steve M.

simondix wrote: ↑

18 Jan 2019, 23:34

Keith are you talking about Redditch?

Yes, but the year I remember was 2002/3
Keith

Having googled you are right for wire ropes. Redditch was the centre of the needle industry until quite recently, some products are still made, hooks and springs. Like most British Industry most of it has now gone. The one at Chatham was rope as in natural fibres.