Joan: >I made my corset using the 3/16-inch cable ties from the hardware >store (package of 10, 34 inches long) which are easy to cut to size >with sturdy craft scissors. They actually flex a lot like whalebone >and are a lot lighter than steel bones.
really? I've heard this claim a lot, about once a year on this list. I decided to test it. Thru the methods of experimental archaeology (a nod to Marc & Fran, et al here), I went off to test this claim. I held several early 19thc whalebone handled sterling ladles (I'm and incurable silverware collector) and, with permission, flexed the handles. They barely moved. I made a point of asking the proprietor about whalebone since he'd been head of the silver department at Sothebys (the shop was in Lechlade, UK -- not sure about the spelling). He said that these whalebones were typical of whalebones in old silver. Now, in real life, I'm a silicon valley s/w engineer, with all sizes of cable ties in my garage. Not even the stiffest cable tie fails to bend. If they did, they be pretty useless for tying cables. My point is that this common modern substitute, while available, cheap, workable, washable and all those other positive qualities, fails to act like real whalebone. It doesnt look right either, not that you'd see it in a corset. Totally the wrong color & texture. --cin Cynthia Barnes [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
