Welcome to all, and thank you for stopping by to look over
my wares. I have been doing fancy-work on-and-off for
over fifty-five years, ever since I was initially taught it by an
old sailor who lived quite close to me. I used the know-
ledge through my Navy days and have now taken it up again
as a full-time business.
I make belts, lanyards, wheel-coverings, tiller-wraps, hand-rail wraps, bellropes
of varying complexity, instrument straps, camera straps, luggage slings....
if you can do it with a piece of line, I've probably either made it or seen it. I
can do MacNamara's lace and mast skirts, but they tend to get verrrry
expensive due to the great amount of time involved.
Scrimshaw is made in the traditional method using needles and graphite
(for lampblack is not something one can find about the house these days)
and is usually done on bamboo or bone for needlecases, although I will
attempt other materials on pre-paid order. An example is found at the
top of this page as well as HERE for some personalized cases. As I make
more of this it will eventually migrate to it's own page(s), provided my
hands hold up!
Belts are "made-to-length" (although I do keep some standard-length belts on hand) and vary from simple squareknots
throughout, to ten-diamond designs, open and filled diamonds, chevrons and crosses, etc., etc. Prices run from $120.00 for a small
plain belt up through the roof for specialty items. I also can make suspenders (galluses), one example of which is shown on the
knotpics page.
Wheels are coxcombed along the rim of the wheel
(aesthetically, I prefer to leave the spokes un-flemished
as it produces a 'floating' effect on the rim fancywork,
but if you wish, I can also do work on them as well) and
can either be done at my location (if you ship me a wheel
to work on) or I can travel to your location to do the work.
(See page for details)
WARNING: This AIN'T cheep!
I also do stair rails, companionways, or anything that's round and
needs flemishing. It's QUITE pricey but for those who love the
look, a definite plus for their vessel or home/workplace.
This is a picture of me after doing three flights of stairs for
The Joint Strike Fighter people in Maryland.
Clicking on the picture will take you to a page all about it.
(It was a Monster Mu' Fu' job!)
Earrings, Rings and Buttons, Necklaces and wristlets are just that: cumshaw* work for those who want to 'knock-'em-dead' at the
yacht club or marina. They pack a lotta bang for the buck in that respect.
Instrument straps and instrument decoration are a specialty. Guitar, Mandolin and Autoharp straps are all min. 2-1/2 in. wide and
can go to 5 inches, but the price is exponential to size. Saxophone straps are highly useful and very strong, and they're a vibrant
change from the usual 'black piece of string" that most guys use. (page coming soon) Turksheads on flutes, etc., are most
impressive.I also do canes, walking sticks and walking staffs.
As long as we're talking about instruments, I play Irish mandolin (less so now than previously) and have done something
rather special for those who love irish music but cannot READ music: go HERE for information on this project and to
acquire a CD of the tunes involved. I think you'll be impressed!
Bellropes and Boatswain's Lanyards are also a speciality. If you've a certain design you want, just let me know.
Professions which use hand tools (Geologists, Archaeologists, Surveyors, Building Trades) can also benefit from having some
fancy-work cast onto the handles or heads of their tools: They improve your grip and serve to identify your tool immediately, as
well as being a mark of pride.
Thanks again for stopping! Go poke around a bit and I bet you'll find something you like. If you have any questions on anything
here, please EMAIL me. Also, if you see any ERRORS on the page (overlapping text, bad links, egregious exhibitions of my stupidity,
mis-spleeings) PLEASE let me know so I can fix it.
Vince Brennan
Chief Artisan
*cumshaw: From the Chinese "kahm shia" or "grateful thanks" GI's used candy and nylons
(Gee... you still here?)
Well, since you are, let me switch hats to my non-commercial one and talk a bit about the LIBRARY section of the site.
In there you will find pictures of fancywork and other nautical-type items (mostly handmade) which occupied the time of a great
many sailor-men during the age of sail. When you were on a whale-ship and looking at four years before you returned to your
home port, and sometimes six months between landfalls, it was next to impossible to stay occupied and sane, especially when you
consider that a whaler carried more men than were necessary to just work the ship, so most men either did scrimshaw with scraps
of whalebone from their harvests or, more rarely, fancy knotwork. Admittedly, I tend toward the knotwork. Go visit.
There are also pages on Tutorials on making ropework, pages devoted to just one knottyer's work, pages for knottyers who have
gone on to Fiddler's Green and so forth... its an interesting place I've got here and you'll never know just what you may find in the
orlop!
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| Germantown (Philadelphia) PA |
| PAGE LAST UPDATED 2010 - 03-28 |
| All content these pages © 2004-2011 Frayed Knot Arts. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use prohibited without prior written permission |
Where you can see me this Summer... The 49th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival Schwenksville, PA August 20th-22nd New Bedford "Working Waterfront" Festival September 25th & 26th, New Bedford, MA |