Sail making query. Sewn eyelets.

Poignard

Poignard

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I am going to alter a mainsail and I need to fit some traditional 1-1/4" sewn eyelets with brass rings and liners.

traditional sewn eyelet.jpg


I have obtained the matching size 11 brass rings and liners from Contender Ltd:
Traditional Brass Round Ring
Traditional Brass Liner
but I am surprised how much radial clearance there is between the ring and the liner, even allowing for the two thicknesses of hand-stitched twine that will be between them.

The inside diameter of the ring is 31.5mm and the outside diameter of the liner is 26mm.

Q1. Is it normal to have this much clearance?


Q2. Is it customary to anneal the liners before use?
 
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You would not expect them to give you the correct match would you?
Better let you cock it up; then go cap in hand & pay them to do it ,so it looks like a dark art that only they can do.

On the other hand, you could just ring them up & ask !!
 
In the dim and distant past I was taught how to hand finish grommets by a time served master from Ratsey & Lapthorn,

IRRC the sequence for sewing them in is as follows: Scribe round the ring with a pencil. NB must not be too close to the edge or it'll tear out. Cut a cross shape in the inner circle, Stitch the ring in with doubled twine, folding the excess cloth as one goes. give it bit of a bash with a mallet to bed in all the stitching.

Push the turnover through and peen over, ideally with the appropriate die, For added strength a length of webbing can be stitched in at the appropriate angle. Getting the needle through can be very hard. Jab the needle into a bit of beeswax to make it easier.

The gentleman who taught me also gave me a piece of Britannia's 1924 mainsail. Cotton about 2mm thick in cloths 300mm wide and all hand seamed.
 
I made my sails with the aid of 'The Sail Maker's Apprentice' Just about everything in in it and quite cheap off Amazon. Covers most aspects of hand sewing, along with more modern methods. Good read as well.

From Zambant.. Local friend made a couple of sails from Sailrite's kits. Good result, 'cept my machine now needs a service...
 
Thanks Downwest and Zambant, I do have the book and have seen the excellent Sailrite video. They encouraged me to have a go at doing it myself.
 
BTW, in answer to annealing.. I doubt it. Possibly for copper, after a long storage, but brass? . I have the Sailrite tool to set smaller SS gromets (No 2), but the bigger ones, like yours, I had the local outfit do. Smaller ones, I made something up.
 
Should only be less than a mm clearance from thread to brass .
Choose a thick thread and use it a carrier to pull two up to four strands of twine over the eye.
If the inserts are very loose they deform when you are peening them over and get pushed back down the hole .
You can tape up the inside of the turnover to make a tight fit .
Use ball bearings as a belling over tool.
 
They don’t need annealing as they are quite soft ,just go slowly with the increments to turn it over and finish off with a copper or hide hammer.
PM me re hole to ring id sizes .
 
wilkinsonsails said:
Should only be less than a mm clearance from thread to brass .
Choose a thick thread and use it a carrier to pull two up to four strands of twine over the eye.
If the inserts are very loose they deform when you are peening them over and get pushed back down the hole .
You can tape up the inside of the turnover to make a tight fit .
Use ball bearings as a belling over tool.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that guidance.
 
All good advice re the method chosen to fix an eyelet. However ig I were doing it I would use a simple stainless steel ring set into the cut off corner. I would use webbing or doubled over and hemmed sail cloth in the various load directions. ie along the foot , along the leach and several directions in between. All of course into the triangle of multiple layers of sail cloth. ol'will
 
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