Was wondering if anyone has experience with silk. I have been toying with the idea of making a hammock from it, aka Neil's Thai hammock as I know it is strong and light. Does anyone know if silk has some property that will make it completely unsuitable?
Silk for hammocks?
- Thread starter greg2935
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Other than the price, no. It would be a good insulator too which would help for an overnight hammock, as of course they sleep pretty cold.
http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/SilkHammock/
This guy uses a silk hammock, and some other home-made items to keep his hammock warm.
ps. I don't think you could get much more luxurious that sleeping in a silk hammock! It's light too.
This guy uses a silk hammock, and some other home-made items to keep his hammock warm.
ps. I don't think you could get much more luxurious that sleeping in a silk hammock! It's light too.
Greg, Neil1 has made the thai hammock in parasilk before now, it was pretty good, I'll let him know you posted on this subject 
Have look at
http://www.whaleys-bradford.ltd.uk/products.cfm?productID=0&catID=13&sRow=61
their twill silk is good stuff.
Cheers,
Toddy
http://www.whaleys-bradford.ltd.uk/products.cfm?productID=0&catID=13&sRow=61
their twill silk is good stuff.
Cheers,
Toddy
greg2935 said:
Truthfully, I find the damn stuff pulls and frays. I either roll edges or if I need strength on a seam that will take any strain at all I use a flat fell seam. Look at the outside edge of your jeans for an example of that.
If you wrap the edges of the silk around a cord and sew it both back in on itself and through the cord too it'll be a stronger finish again.
I usually sew it by hand and back stitch the first seam. Then I sew a little running stitch, but starting with a back stitch every time I begin a needleful, to create the flat fell seam. The sewing machine works fine too though, fit a new needle though so it doesn't snag.
Best of luck with it.
Cheers,
Toddy
I have made silk bias binding and used that too to finish seams and stop fraying.
I have a friend who made a silk hammock (not anything fancy) and he just cut the ends into tassels, and tied each to the ropes. That way it's only the strength of the material and not thread. You will need to sew up the cuts though, or they'll rip right through when you put any strain on it.
arctic hobo said:
Now that was a good idea. Use the strength of the warps and tie that onto the tie ropes......you could figure out the length need for hammock and ropes and simply turn the end pieces into plaited bands to function as ropes....if the fabric is wide enough folded in half to accomodate you for sleeping there'd be no need to do any sewing at all, and thus no weak parts and no fraying. Like it!
Or make a double layer with the sides sewn into tubes and thread ropes through them (think canvas stretcher) and then bind the ropes together at the head and tail and use the free ends to tie the hammock on to the trees/whatever.
Cheers,
Toddy
I've now finished experimenting with silk and have decided it is not suitable. I've tried everyone's excellent suggestions on smallish pieces of 100% silk and the bottom line is that the material is too soft, i.e. the problem is that when you move around in the hammock, whatever you are wearing will rub against the silk and the silk will fray. I had not noticed this at first but after messing about with the "prototype" for some weeks now I noticed the bottom of the hammock was a little more seethrough than the rest. Consequently although it holds my weight, I don't think it will last more than a year of use and I don't fancy falling out at 3am! It is a shame because I am looking for lightweight natural material for a hammock. The actual fabrics used were dupion, twill (as found in toddy's link above), heavy Habotai, and Noil. Back to cotton...
Using blankets so far: too hot for a bag! heavy Habotai is the heaviest grade you can get I am told. I'm sure the hammock would work for about a year or so with more reinforcement but I do not have the kind of money you would need to replace that amount of silk and the amount of reinforcement adds to the total weight meaning that the reason for using silk in the first place is lost.
Cotton is heavier, but has strong fibres. Also I wouldn't mind trying hemp fabric as that is very strong if I could find a source: I understand both fabrics do not require a huge amount of effort to repair, (to repair silk in the field would require significant work because it frays very easily and therefore it is not just a case of sewing across the hole, you have to reinforce the stitches and stagger the stitching).
For those interested, I think I will try cotton or hemp next. I have already decided to opt for a thick thermoplastic flysheet because it is 100% recyclable, is harder to tear, gives some rigidity to the structure so the eyelets will not pop out easily, and does not catch fire as fast as thermoset, (thermoset will burn quickly and drip boiling hot plastic on you, the thermoplastic will melt first, and then catch fire and then drip burning plastic on you, but does not "go up" so quickly!). Then I will need some form of mozzi netting that I am going to attach to one side of the shelter, the other side being enclosed using a sleeping bag zip, (this should (I hope) allow me to have the snake skin thingies that hennesy use). As I want room in the shelter I have used a simple pulley system to allow me to raise and lower the distance between the flysheet and mozzi net and I am working on a way to be able to lower the flysheet from inside the hammock so that I don't have to get out in the case of "almost horizontal rain"; I might have to abandon this as it is a tad complicated. Finally, I want a number of water proof bags that hang over the hammock so that I can keep my muddy boots out of the hammock and off the ground at the same time (or is it just me that has that problem?).
I guess this is similar to a hennesey with heavier material and no velcro strip, which I do not like (just personal taste), and therefore the zip is needed to get in/out of the hammock. I also have bought foam to use as an insulation sheet that will clip together inside the hammock to form good insulation and stop it sliding out from under you. Hopefully this will not make the whole thing too bulky.
Cotton is heavier, but has strong fibres. Also I wouldn't mind trying hemp fabric as that is very strong if I could find a source: I understand both fabrics do not require a huge amount of effort to repair, (to repair silk in the field would require significant work because it frays very easily and therefore it is not just a case of sewing across the hole, you have to reinforce the stitches and stagger the stitching).
For those interested, I think I will try cotton or hemp next. I have already decided to opt for a thick thermoplastic flysheet because it is 100% recyclable, is harder to tear, gives some rigidity to the structure so the eyelets will not pop out easily, and does not catch fire as fast as thermoset, (thermoset will burn quickly and drip boiling hot plastic on you, the thermoplastic will melt first, and then catch fire and then drip burning plastic on you, but does not "go up" so quickly!). Then I will need some form of mozzi netting that I am going to attach to one side of the shelter, the other side being enclosed using a sleeping bag zip, (this should (I hope) allow me to have the snake skin thingies that hennesy use). As I want room in the shelter I have used a simple pulley system to allow me to raise and lower the distance between the flysheet and mozzi net and I am working on a way to be able to lower the flysheet from inside the hammock so that I don't have to get out in the case of "almost horizontal rain"; I might have to abandon this as it is a tad complicated. Finally, I want a number of water proof bags that hang over the hammock so that I can keep my muddy boots out of the hammock and off the ground at the same time (or is it just me that has that problem?).
I guess this is similar to a hennesey with heavier material and no velcro strip, which I do not like (just personal taste), and therefore the zip is needed to get in/out of the hammock. I also have bought foam to use as an insulation sheet that will clip together inside the hammock to form good insulation and stop it sliding out from under you. Hopefully this will not make the whole thing too bulky.
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