FS: BUMPER TOW ROPES

[AZ Jeff]

Rope received -- wonderful work!

PS: APG called: they want a commission for the use of their M20 in your sales ad...

Jeff Q.
AZ

[Wingnutt]

Rope received -- wonderful work!

I appreciate your appreciation, Jeff.

PS: APG called: they want a commission for the use of their M20 in your sales ad...

With the deplorable condition the museum's vehicles are in, they need a commission...

[lucakiki]

The number of Wingnutt's tow ropes owners club members is increasing by the day!

[Wingnutt]

I will have a new hand-made product out this summer: Replica Jeep Camouflage Rolls.

Unable to find an original, and unwilling to shell out upwards of $300 - $500 for a reproduction, I decided to make myself a replica. I found a good source for sanitized used fishing net, 10' x 15', with 2" squares, at a very decent price. (That's a little smaller than the 15' x 15', which is the smallest I have seen sold as original.) The color - if you can call it that - was perfect. It looked very old and variegated. I purchased burlap in five (5) different colors I found specified in FM 5-200. I distressed the burlap before cutting it into 2" wide strips of more or less 8-10" length. I conferred with one of my uncles (who, in typical WWII veteran's fashion, told me to throw the FM away), and started tying the burlap strips on, loosely following one of the patterns shown in the FM (the square-curlicues) and my instincts (my uncle stressed sloppiness), going all the way across, then down the net. I worked on it a little every other night or so, because it's too monotonous to get very far at once. I was a little less than half way completed when I stalled. Distracted by/busy with other things, tired of the tediousness, etc.

When I came back to it, I had an idea.

'I am not a re-enactor,' I thought to myself. 'I am not going to use this thing. This is just for show. A parade prop.'

I rolled it up as is, starting from the end of the netting with scrim on it, just to see what it would look like. I discovered that it looked GREAT! Nice and fat and authentic looking. Several layers of the roll have scrim and I was very liberal with it, so there was no way to see that most of the net in the middle of the roll was unfinished, bare netting.

I will post a photograph of it on the hood of my MB in a couple weeks.

Then I am going to start taking orders.

[lt.luke]

That sounds pretty neat! I might be more interested in a batch of your 'repro scrim'. The real stuff is expensive!

[Wingnutt]

Ridiculously expensive, especially in the quantities they want to sell it in, usually aimed at helmet nets.

Real cheap at any fabric store, luke. Unroll it and leave it outside in the sun etc for a few weeks, then run it all through a washing machine. It won't look so new.

[lt.luke]

Ridiculously expensive, especially in the quantities they want to sell it in, usually aimed at helmet nets.

Real cheap at any fabric store, luke. Unroll it and leave it outside in the sun etc for a few weeks, then run it all through a washing machine. It won't look so new.

cool. i'll look into that. You can get the real stuff in rolls, but in the quantity needed to do a net, it's still VERY expensive, and it's harder to find in "bulk" like that. My net is still boxed from shipment to me way back in about '08, so I'm not interested in selling it, but i'm also in no terrible hurry to open it up and scrim it. It takes up less room without the scrim!

[Utah GPW]

Hi Greg, The rope arrived today.LOOKS GREAT!!!!!!!! Plus super fast shipping!!!!!Thank you very much,Sincerely Ed S.

[Fred Coldwell]

Hi Greg:

My bumper rope arrived in Denver today, so delivery confirmation seems to be delivery causation. Thank for another great front bumper rope!

[Wingnutt]

Glad you like it, Ed. I'd love to see a picture - same goes for all you guys - of your Jeeps some day.

...so delivery confirmation seems to be delivery causation.

Apparently. My pet theory remains that SOMEBODY unethical in Denver who works for the Post Office and spotted the first one inside an accidentally partially opened box is sportin' one of my tow ropes on his CJ right about now...

[kw573]

As an old 'Scouter', a comment on sisal rope work.

A newly spliced rope can be quite lumpy.

This is easily remedied (if you want to), by placing the splice on a firm surface that you are standing on, place the ball of your shoe on the lumpy splice and roll the rope back and forth a few times under your shoe to considerably smooth out the new splice. Press firmly. Works a treat.

My 2c worth.
Sam.

[pjones]

Greg,
i finally got around to putting the rope i got from you on the jeep today. looks great and thanks again.
phil

gpwrope3.JPG (79.17 KiB) Viewed 125 times

[Wingnutt]

That is one straight fine-looking Jeep you got there, Phil - glad my rope is on it! Thanks for the pic.