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serving mallet


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well dutch remember those cut off pieces of oak for the pig?the head and handle came from them...and cross...how many times in dville did i tell you and others to get off your arses and make what you need instead of buying it...ive still got some left...i think ill make some fids:)and thank you silas dutch and cross.

Here at metal wackers forge.....um....well... we wack metal.

http://www.colonialseaport.org/

http://www.creweofthearchangel.com/

http://www.blackbeardscrew.org/

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sorry master silver i just kinda knocked it out...however if should be getting some more scrap when i go up to work on the luna next weekend...(thank you dutch)...i can post a tutorial then if youd like...

Here at metal wackers forge.....um....well... we wack metal.

http://www.colonialseaport.org/

http://www.creweofthearchangel.com/

http://www.blackbeardscrew.org/

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sorry master silver i just kinda knocked it out...however if should be getting some more scrap when i go up to work on the luna next weekend...(thank you dutch)...i can post a tutorial then if youd like...

i have some scrap oak, i need to check to see if it is wide enough. what are the dimensions of the head of the mallet and the depth and width of the groove? you have put a nice shape on the handle it looks like it would be comfortable to use.

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lets see...the head is 1 11/16" at the face and 5 1/8" wide...and the groove 3/8"s deep and 11/16 wide...i think its a little deep though...but works great for me.the handle is 1/2 " at the head and widens to 1" at the base.

Here at metal wackers forge.....um....well... we wack metal.

http://www.colonialseaport.org/

http://www.creweofthearchangel.com/

http://www.blackbeardscrew.org/

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An old sailor's addage: "Worm and parcel with the lay, turn and serve the other way."

When the East Indiaman "Friendship", Salem, MA was struck by lightning it fried her whole rig. My cousins were having lunch at a resturaunt right next to Derby Wharf at the time!!

I got there while the re-rig was being done. The serving mallets they were using had heads of 6" diameter and were fitted with spools that turned that would be loaded with twine. They automatically "passed the twine for you"! I intend to fit a similar rig to my new, smaller mallet as I'm retiring my serious unit for now.

Edited by capn'rob
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  • 1 month later...

Given the fact I am in truth a mountain man, I had never heard of a serving mallet before I read this thread. Not only is your work beautiful, but for me, informative as well. I use a mallet, but it's made from rawhide and not wood. I had to do a little research to understand the function! Do you use it for a prop or do you have a traditionally rigged boat that would make it a necessity?

Edited by Nighthawk
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O.K.......

For those of us that are not real sailors..................... Exactly what is a serving mallet, and how is it used ?? I thought it might be nice to have an explanation before this thread gets too far along !!!

>>>>> Cascabel

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i don't have a piece in front of me, so please use your imagination as i can't get pictures. Natural fiber line corodes and rots in the sun and after exposeure to salt water and friction on board ship. So lets start at the beginning to waterproof and protect it.

Take apiece of stranded line.

we must first worm the line. this is done by filling the seams with spun wool or marline. If you have a three stranded line, you will have three balls of material spinning down the line filling the seams.

Next we parcel the line. we bind strips of canvas around the line before we marl it. the canvas is wound around the line in the direction of the lay. the canvas is normally soaked in pine tar and linseed oil to water proof it and protect the line.

Next a length of light cord is run down the length of the line to keep the parceling in place.

Now comes the serving mallot.

we next service, or serve, the line. we take marline or small stuff and wrap it around the parceled piece of line against the direction of the lay. the mallot is used as a fulcrum to tighten the small stuff as it goes around the line. If you look at adams mallot, it has a round channel. this channel rests against the line and the marline or thin stuff is wrapped around that numerous times to hold both the mallot and marline in place. normally we take a wrap or two around the handle for ease of control.

for displays we obviously do it at ground level. onboard ship this is done on standing rigging under way- the ship never sleeps.

Nighthawk, yes we do have a couple of boats we do this with. fortunately we are able to do this ashore then rig. I'll see about adding some pictures in a day or two. I used ashleys book of knots for the references. hope this helps.

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ok...a serving mallet is used to put a "service" on a shroud...which are the lines that hol the mast(s) up ...or to service some other piece of line that you would want to weatherproof...on a piece of 3strand line first it would be "wormed" that is taking a smaller piece of line...usually tarred marline to fit into the grooves where the strands meet.(contlins)this rounds the line out giving it a better shapeand filling in gaps where water could potentially enter.this is done the length of the line to be served.next the linewould be"parceled" that is wrappinh tarred canvas strips with the lay of the line...again for the total lenth being served.thentarred marline is whipped at the spot where the service will begin always going against the lay of the line.then the serving mallet is sat on topof the line at the whipping.the tarred marline is brought around the head of the mallet a couple timesand then aroung the handlethis gives you control on how tight the service is applied by how tightly the handle is gripped.then you start to pass themallet around the line against the lay going the length of the previously wormed and parceled section....when the end is reached the serviced itdone.i will p[ost pics of all of this soon.any questions feel free to ask...

Here at metal wackers forge.....um....well... we wack metal.

http://www.colonialseaport.org/

http://www.creweofthearchangel.com/

http://www.blackbeardscrew.org/

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http://video.google....562879182579429# how to worm parcel and serve...these mallets are big compared to mine.also...ive got a serving paddle in the works...i highly reccomend this video.watch it all the way thru... Edited by adam cyphers

Here at metal wackers forge.....um....well... we wack metal.

http://www.colonialseaport.org/

http://www.creweofthearchangel.com/

http://www.blackbeardscrew.org/

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Yes - Great video.

Makes it sink home a bit about some of the dirty jobs on a traditional ship.

Did sailors make repairs like that during inclement weather or did they try to keep spares on hand?

mP

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Aye... Plunder Awaits!

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