The weather finally cooled and snowed. The sun is thin, appearing only occasionally. We attained the two-fire-a-day status and I continued my Jordan Drogue project. I can attest to the fact that it takes 2 ½ football games and 8 burned knuckles to cut out 140 cones using a Masonite pattern and a soldering iron.
Next I had to cut out 420 23" strips of webbing. I can attest that the basic soldering iron does not have the oomph to cut webbing. On to the interweb! I can attest to the fact that videographers sure like to hear themselves talk and can stretch a couple ill supported facts into several minutes of ain't-I-clever video meanderings. So, after separating and sorting out the equine fecal material, I discover that hot webbing cutters are wonderful. They are not $150 wonderful! So back to further glean and sift the male bovine fecal matter from the equation. Apparently all you need is a 12" length of 26 gauge nichrome wire and a 6 volt 2 amp DC power supply. Even my go-to surplus electronic store did not have any nichrome wire. Back to the interweb, the source for all things obscure. 3 bucks and a wait. We have turned into a society of waiters. My local surplus electronic store did have a 5.1v, 2.2a power supply for 8 bucks, which will require a 10.9" wire to achieve 600°. It's all necromancy, so if I explain, I'll be ostracized from the craft (but not from the crap).
Oh yeah, what's a Jordan Series Drogue? It's a sea anchor designed to keep you stable in storms. A series of 140 cones, in my (multihull) case, tied to a 300' long rope about two feet apart with a weight at the end which is thrown overboard in nasty weather. If you tie one end to the boat, it acts as a drag to keep your stern to the heavy seas. If you forget to tie it to the boat, it becomes a sacrifice to Neptune!
A diagram from the interweb. I can attest that it isn't an easy project
I cut off 420 strips of webbing using my hot wire web cutter. I made it with a piece of scrap plywood, the nichrome wire, the power supply, and assorted bits. Why not use a scissors, you say? This manner of cutting cuts the webbing and seals the ends to prevent fraying (look that up, Ken). I can attest to the fact that each cut took about 8 seconds and I did not have to go back and heat seal the ends (no burnt knuckles this time, Neptune be praised).
The next thorny problem involves attaching the webbing strips to the cones secure enough that you can sew them. E-6000 glue does not set up quickly enough. So with all the attesticals aside, I'll have to figure out how to hold the webbing to the cones so I can sew them. Stay tuned fans and fannies. I need more football games!
The Music♫: Gillian Welch "Elvis Presley Blues"
I was thinkin'..................................
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