Turks heads

[riku1914]

Ok so I know that the bights are the number of "v's" on the knot, another way to describe is the peaks and valleys.

so a 5x4 knot will have 5 peaks, but what are the parts?

Simple explination please

[Marhala]

This is explained in Bruce Grant's book (and maybe others, but that's the only one I have!): If you see a flat braiding, a TH is as if that flat braiding was made into a ring. Then, the bights are the strands in the outer edges of the plaiting, while the parts, are the strands in the middle of the plaiting.

Hope that makes it a bit clearer.

Aldo.

[riku1914]

Ok so like I said, Bights are the peaks / valleys on them, 5 bight knot will have 5 peaks, and 5 valleys, and a 5x4 part turks head

will have 4 crosses in the middle?

[Marhala]

Mmmmm... I don't know if a 5 bight 4 part TH exist... I know in theory it would be possible, but the usual knot in Indy whips is the other way around... a 5 part 4 bight TH.

Here's a link to a pic of that type of knot

http://www.morethanknots.com/knot_pics/5L4BTH_01.JPG

So, looking at it, the 5 parts would be the "~" shapes the rope makes along the body of the knot:

Three almost identical to ~, going from the upper left to the lower right, and two going from the lower left part, to the upper right part.

Don't know how to explain it better.

Hope that helps,

Aldo.

[riku1914]

So the indy whips are 5part 4 bight? I always thought the bights were shown in the number first

[Marhala]

It's either way. You can call it 5p 4b TH, or 4b 5p TH.

I have the impression that, at least in whipmaking, you'll most commonly find even bights and odd parts. I may be wrong.

But there are many possibilities when constructing a TH:

a) Even bights, odd parts.

b) Odd bights, even parts.

c) Odd bights, odd parts.

But there are two exceptions when making them. Quoting Grant's ERLB pg.354: "No Turk's-head may have the same number of bights, or outer loops (Fig. 2), as it has number of thongs across, or as they are termed, parts. Nor can a Turk's-head have a number of bights and a number of parts which a common divisor." (sic.)

I must add, that a 5p 4b TH is different from a 4p 5b TH.

- A 5p 4b TH is like a cylinder with tall walls and a small diameter (like a soda can).

- A 4p 5b TH is like a cylinder with short walls and a greater diameter (like a tuna can).

I mean, this description is overly simplistic, but I'm trying to be as brief and clear as possible. In practice, you can cover the knob in the handle of a whip with any of them. In the first one, the top, where the TH meets the handle, you'll see a square forming. In the second one, a pentagon will form.

Hope I was clear.

Aldo.