# Sealing Ropework on Steering Wheel



## skinny_water (Jun 11, 2008)

Are you having an issue with it wanting to twist?


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## palmettoinspect (Dec 19, 2014)

Looks great. Any directions on how to do this wrap?


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

> Looks great. Any directions on how to do this wrap?


Yeah. Have Skinny_Water (aka Richard) do it for you!


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## TheDude (Dec 14, 2010)

> Are you having an issue with it wanting to twist?


No, everything is pretty tight. I just don't wanted to get messed up after I mounted on the boat after all the work I put into this.


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## TheDude (Dec 14, 2010)

> Looks great. Any directions on how to do this wrap?


It really wasn't as difficult as I expected. I just used a series of half hitches in alternating directions and took time to pull everything down tight. For the Turks heads, the most helpful thing was the animated knots illustration.it took a little practice, but the key for me was getting the braids all set and then taking some time to pull everything tight and get all the wraps lined up correctly. I don't really knowif I did it correctly, but I'm glad to help if anybody wants to give it a shot. I thought about just sending the wheel too skinny water but figured I would try it myself first.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's a site that pretty much covers almost everything you want to know about coxcombing. It should have the info you're looking for.....
http://www.frayedknotarts.com/tutorials/coxcombing/coxcombing.html


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## skinny_water (Jun 11, 2008)

As long as you used a nylon cord you will get the life out of it. I have a couple wheels out that are 4-5 years old that look great still with no sealant. If you would like to do the sealant people use a water based polyurethane. But everything has to be perfect before you apply. It's not going to come off unless you have a sharp serrated blade and saw it off. If it is a little bit loose it will drive you nuts later, so fix that before it goes on the boat. Quick fix is to pour hot water (nearly boiling) over the rope. The cord won't loose it's color.


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## Sandalous (Oct 30, 2013)

Don't be bashful, that came out great. I've done a wheel and a tiller extension with simple french coxcombing, minus the turks heads. I've sealed the final knots on both ends with 2-part epoxy... Didn't think it needed it, but wanted to prevent a potential headache, especially considering the amount of time it took me. Both have held up well in the sun for a couple of years without a coating.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Your wheel turned out great…nice job.

I'm on my 3rd boat with a wheel wrap.  Never had a problem with slippage but the first 2 wheels faded in 2-3 years of sun exposure.

I emailed the makers of Paracord and we decided that using 303 Aeropsace Proctectant might stop the fading problem….we'll see.

Richard at Skinny Water did a killer 2-tone job and I want it to look great for as long as possible………


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## skinny_water (Jun 11, 2008)

Net 30, is the wheel wet in that picture or does the protectant give it the wet appearance?  I'm wondering because some of the cord can change color if this is the case.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

No…that pic was before I sprayed it with the 303.

Pic taken today below…it's got a bit of fish scunge on it from yesterday.  There was no noticeable change in color after I sprayed it.


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## TheDude (Dec 14, 2010)

Thanks for the responses! I think I'll just roll with it unsealed. Everything is pretty tight, and the boat lives in a garage, so I doubt it would fade too bad. This was a fun little project.


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## East_Cape (Jun 3, 2008)

When wrapping the wheel a trick we do is to apply black electrical tape to the wheel THEN do the wrapping as it will take away the gaps showing the wheel color underneath and help the para-cord bite which also takes away the slippage. 

Tight lines!
K


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## HighPlainsDrifter (Aug 13, 2013)

When I did my wrap, I got everything very tight by hand. There was very minimal slippage, you had to really grip it to get it to move at all. I took a pot of boiling water and poured it over all of the wraps. The heat causes the paracord to shrink. Now it's like a rock. You can't move it at all. It didn't create any gaps between the wraps and IMO it looks great!


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I lost the cap on my power knob like you did.   anyone know where to get a replacement?    Sorry for the derail.



> When I did my wrap, I got everything very tight by hand.  There was very minimal slippage, you had to really grip it to get it to move at all.  I took a pot of boiling water and poured it over all of the wraps.  The heat causes the paracord to shrink.  Now it's like a rock.  You can't move it at all.  It didn't create any gaps between the wraps and IMO it looks great!


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## HighPlainsDrifter (Aug 13, 2013)

> I lost the cap on my power knob like you did.   anyone know where to get a replacement?    Sorry for the derail.


I've looked but no success. Eventually, I'll turn a wooden one if I can't find a replacement. Let me know if you find a source. [/hijack]


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## Otterdog (Feb 8, 2014)

Makes me wish I had a steering wheel, will have to give it a shot on the tiller handle.


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## roel02 (Sep 24, 2013)

Link attached for the cap.
http://www.gemlux.com/catalog/steering-accessores/1496


I sent my wheel in to Skinny Water for rope work and it turned out awesome.  Good job on ur wrap, looks tight.


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

> Link attached for the cap.
> http://www.gemlux.com/catalog/steering-accessores/1496
> 
> 
> I sent my wheel in to Skinny Water for rope work and it turned out awesome.  Good job on ur wrap, looks tight.


Check Lowes, Home Depot or you local Hardware store.. They usually have them..


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