Ships Wheel

No where else will you find something this cool!

At Knot & Rope Supply we turn out a lot of REALLY unique knot work items.

This thing takes the cake. It is absolutely stunning in every detail.

Perfect decoration for:

Check out the photos and read this interview about the ships wheel.

How was the project presented to Knot & Rope Supply? The project was presented to us in pretty rough shape. The rope work was shot, and the wheel had remnants of old paint jobs on it. The brass was all tarnished. It looked nasty.

What was the customer looking to have done on this? He wanted a first class knot work job done on this wheel similar (if not better) that what would have been on the wheel originally. Our artistic direction was something along the lines of "Make it look cool". The final destination for the wheel is going to be a summer home on Lake Michigan up by the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

What was the process to do this job? We had to get all the old rope off, which wasn't tough. Then we had to get the paint off. Sandblasting wasn't an option since it probably would have destroyed the bronze, so we used a company in Toledo that specializes in full chemical dips to completely remove paint. Typically they dip complete automobiles in huge acid tanks, so getting this in there wasn't a problem.

As that was going on we consulted with the customer about things like rope cord size, knot style, finish, etc. We gave him ideas as well as some different options and let him pick.

Once it was totally cleaned up you can really see the section in the middle where someone removed the wheel by banging the daylights out of it. This clearly damaged the soft material on the wheel. We wish they didn't do that, but in the end it gives the piece some wear and tear history.

What kind of cord is on there? All the cord on there is 3 strand cotton. About a 3/16 size.

Who did the work? Dave Cook did this job, he was perfect for it. Dave has a long history of working on the Great Lakes so this project was a perfect fit for him. He did stuff like this all the time when he was sailing, so he was truly in his wheel house when working on this job.

How long did it take Dave to complete? About 30 hours. There are a lot of details in there you might miss, but he paid close attention to getting this thing absolutely perfect. For instance, the cox combing (which is the ridge on the rope) runs to the left off the kings spoke left side and to the right on the kings spoke right side. Most people wouldn't even catch that, but Dave nailed it perfectly. Plus the rope is on there nice and tight. He even hand polished the brass on this. Dave put a turks head knot on the kings spoke, which could be removed by the customer if they want, or they can leave it on there.

All said and done this project is exactly how the customer envisioned it, and it will be a standout piece in the home where it is going.