cheap boneing for corsets

[wacotickgirl]

Hi im a first time poster and my dad came up with this idea after searching 3 different stores includeing the depot to find zip-ties strong enough for a corset. We ended up figure out that old wire hangers can work too. the steps are
1. find wire hanger and cut them to lengh
2. shape them to your body
3. wrap them in duct-tape or strong fabric
4. place on body and sew them on or place in tunnels.

[Carpe_nox]

If I was too do that, I'd be re-enforcing the tape around the ends. Even with plastic boning (which costs next too nothing anyway) it can poke through castings if you aren't careful (or using boning is new too you) and I can't imagine how painful a wire coat hanger too the guts would be.

(one of my first corsets, I made from Satin- I had one of the bones poke through and rub on my skin all night. I was drinking so I barely noticed. The next day I had a nice big cut from plastic boning poking through too my skin- admittedly it was one of my first tries and I don't have that problem now)

Honestly there is no need for spring steel boning unless you are using super heavy duty fabric or want to get into some tight lacing. The Plastic boning is just as good (it comes in various thicknesses/ widths) and is MUCH easier to work with.

I've always struggled to understand why people wouldn't just use boning. It's super cheap, and if you get it wrong, corsets are pretty tight- I'd hate to think of the injury/discomfort a poorly made/badly fitting corset could do. But that's just my 2 cents.

I commend you for trying to find an eco friendly way to recycle and reuse something old though.

[peglegparadiddle]

i agree with carpe_nox! i don't imagine wire hangers being much fun to work with. back is the day the black smith used to make corsets... and there is a reason they don't use metal in them anymore (:o)!

why didn't you thrift a formal dress with boning in it and take it out? just wondering...

oh yea... and what were the zip ties for??

one more thing! WELCOME TO THREADBANGER :D

[AbsurdAnnekuh]

Just to shed a little light on why some people prefer to use the thicker stuff when not tight lacing - if there's enough of you, sometimes the plastic stuff really isn't strong enough to hold you in at all. I have a corset that's boned with zip ties and it bends as if there's nothing boning it at all. Steel boning on the other hand, can definitely stand up to my extra curves, and with a whole lot less of it than I would need to use if using plastic.

[lizziestudors]

Honestly, I don't think that I would use hangers, they are harder to cut than steel boning, and they don't have the appropriate qualities (not flexible, won't retain shape, ect) that you need for a garment that takes so many hours to produce. Washing will also be a problem too?
If you are going to spend so long on your garment why not spend a little more money to make it well so it will last?

When I need something more durable and I'm using zip ties, I will double up the skinny zip ties on every other or every third channel, or use the wider ties ones. In one set of stays I even went so far as to use steel boning and cable ties: approx. two cable tie channels for every one steel. But you do need to make changes to this formula based upon the needs of your design/ structure of your stays. I don't have problems with the bulk on this. Just need to go sparingly with the extra.

I will admit my favorite pair of Elizabethan stays is hemp cord (upholstery cord will work in a pinch) with just a bit of steel strategically placed: one bone at the beginning of each tab in the middle and end of each tab, with a wooden removable busk in the center front. My first and my favorite. :) Just double up the cording when you pull it through the channel so the two strands will lie flat side by side, stitch down the section and trim off the ends. You'd be shocked at the support.

I buy my steel uncut (bulk) and finish off the ends. It is so much cheaper, and you always have the correct length. You need a good pair of tin snips to do this ($15 at a hardware store).
To finish off the ends there are two basic ways:

1. Using tool dip. Don't expect the package it to last, it dries out very very quickly. White is often only available from specialty retailers. Make sure you use and let dry in a well ventilated area- I always use the hood in my hubby's lab, but if you don't have access to chemical processing areas (doesn't everyone?), use a well ventilated garage or clean outside area. The smell will literally stay for days.

2. Buy caps and epoxy them on. These are available from the same place you buy your bones. Epoxy has a bit less of a vapor issue than tool dip, so I prefer this. You can also use a good contact cement also, but this will stink. The benefit is that it has a much longer shelf life. If you choose this option be sure to allow for the extra 1/8 " the caps add to the length of the bones, and they will add little bumps at the end, which you can minimize with pliers. Very nice for doubling up 1/4 " steel in strategic places (epoxy bones together and then add caps).

Of course, if you are feeling adventurous, you can always try broomstraw or willowbents...

:)

[AbsurdAnnekuh]

I'm planning on trying the cording method. I've seen it done in Elizabethan stays but only read a few historical references to cording in the Victorian styles so I thought I would try it out and see how it held up.

[cutoffjeans]

getting cut by wire sucks!!!!!

[Carpe_nox]

I cant imagine Zip ties doing much if anything at all. The plastic shop bought stuff I use comes in various widths and thicknesses (so I go for the thicker stuff). Admittedly- There isn't alot of body fat on me, but all the same, the stuff I use is very solid and I always use interfacing on my already thick fabric just to give it more staying power.

I've got real spring steel boning from the UK (goth is like, a way of life over there!!) with a real busk. I can tell you, the real spring steel boning does not bend. It's not designed too. It's made to fit against the body, but Isn't supposed to have any give at all. (Thats how people tightlace after all). So too me, that's what steel boning is. For anything less, There are plastic options, BUT it sounds too me that I have access too better quality boning at the place I go too here in Australia (they are corset/lingere specialists mind you- not your regular craft/fabric shop).

[AbsurdAnnekuh]

There are two kinds of boning, the spring steel and the just plain old steel. Spring steel looks as if you took a coil and flattened it on its side and it has a bit more give to it but still gives you a ton of support. Just think about an underwire in a bra - its pretty darn bendy but it still holds you up more than fabric alone can manage.

Zip ties work just as well as the plastic stuff that you get from the fabric store because they're pretty much the same thing - thinnish strips of plastic. There are different thicknesses of zip ties and different thicknesses of plastic boning.

[Earendil]

I have heard of people using saw blades as stays. Just grind down the cutting blade and you are ready to go. I have heard of people coating them in plastic dip as well to keep them from cutting through the fabric or rusting.

[Nliedel]

I make corsets for Elizabethan stuff and use zip ties. The thick ones you get at home improvement stores. They conform but give amazing hold and work as well as steel boning for me. I have a friend who uses them for Victorian corsets and she swears by them. They need to be closely placed together, but so does the steel in steel corsets.

Zip ties are MUCH thicker than the boning you get at the fabric store. Yes, they are plastic, but super thick and rigid. These are LONG zip ties, not the thin ones. I always have a lot on hand for any boning project. Believe me, my Ren corset is as strong as m friends steel boned one. Although there are people who swear by steel. It's really a matter of taste, but steel can intimidating for a first time corset maker. BTW a Ren corset is easy to make. Done in one day, actually my first one took two hours, except for all the lacing holes were handmade. That's a chore, but grommets pop.