Sailmaking Tools - Part One

NEEDLES
Needles for sewing canvas are three sides towards the point and come in nine sizes. The following names are from largest to smallest  in size: Large marline(No. 9), small marline(No. 10), double bolt-rope(No. 11), large bolt-rope(No. 12), small bolt-rope(No.13), store(No. 14), old work(No. 15), tabling, and flat seam(No.16) needles.  The needles should be no longer than is necessary to carry that one, and the edges should be taken off, that the canvas not be cut. The needle sizes in orange are in the author's collection, the remaining sizes are surmised on my best, but limited research. 

TWINE

Twine is of two sorts, extra and ordinary; the extra is for seaming and runs 360 fathoms to the pound; the ordinary is used to sew on the bolt-rope and runs 200 fathoms to the pound.  Twine for the navy is of three threads.

PALM
A flat round piece of iron, used instead of a thimble, and checkered in the middle, to hinder the head of the needle from slipping.  It is sewed on a piece of leather or canvas, having a hole for the thumb to go through, which encircles the hand so that the iron when used, is against the palm.

WAX

Twine for large sails, in the Royal Navy, is waxed by hand, with genuine beeswax, mixed with one-sixth part of clear turpentine; and, for small sails, in a mixture made with beeswax, 4 lb; hog lard 5lb; and clear turpentine 1 lb. (Encyclopedia Britannica    pg. 432)

TOOLS

HEAVING MALLET

Heaving mallet, a mallet with a small cylindrical head, used as lever to strain tight the cross stitches and beat them close when sewing on the bolt-rope

Stitch Heaver or Mallet

HORN

The horn was packed with grease and used by the sailmaker to store the needles, to prevent them from rusting.

FID

A round, tapering pin, made of hardwood, to thrust between the strands of a rope, and to make a hole to admit the strand of another rope, in splicing.

Three fids, a palm, a reel of twine, needles of various sizes, a grease horn and a clasp knife.

MARLINESPIKE

A tapered iron pin, either with or without a short wooden handle, bent towards the point.  It is used to open the strands of a rope for splicing, and to strain tight the seizing all of the clues, &c.

SEAM RUBBER

A small wooden instrument used to rub down or flattened the seams.

SAIL-HOOK OR BENCH HOOK The sailmaker's third hand. 

A small iron hook, with an eye at one end, to which the cord is spliced: it is used to confine the work, while sewing, by hooking on the canvas, the cord being fastened to some convenient place.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Falconer, William

1790 Dictionary of the Marine. T Cadwell. London.

Wilson, Charles & Norie, J.  W.

1843 The Art of Sail-making. Charles Wilson. London.

Various

1797 Encyclopedia Britannica. London.