Author Topic: Bad news for linen strings  (Read 1550 times)

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Offline markinengland

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Bad news for linen strings
« on: February 26, 2011, 06:25:41 pm »
Just saw this BBC News article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4654294.stm

The Coates Barbour linen thread factory in Northern Ireland is closing or perhaps closed by now. Getting hold of good linen thread for bowstrings may be harder in future. Get your linen now if you can as there seems to be quite a lot of stock being sold off in various places.

Best wishes,

Mark in England

Stringman

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Re: Bad news for linen strings
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2011, 07:34:40 pm »
Or grow the flax and make your own!?! Not too big a task once you get the feel for the reverse twist. Made some pretty good lookin strings that way. And it doesn't get much more primitive than that!

Offline toomanyknots

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Re: Bad news for linen strings
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2011, 10:07:28 pm »
I buy euroflax brand from louet north america. At least that is the brand I buy from a local knitting store. I use the sport weight linen. I wonder if this will effect this distributor. That does really suck if it does. Thanks for the heads up!

Edit: Remember, nettle grows all around the uk, us, asia exc,... (I think) and makes superb bowstrings.   
« Last Edit: February 26, 2011, 10:17:29 pm by toomanyknots »
"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair