Maybe if I get decent at making strings I could fill that gap lol
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I make my silk strings from Guttermann, I tried a different one (kimono silk) from Superior Threads and didnāt like the results. It was so thin I needed like 20 wraps to get a normal string. The Guttermann thread is fine but I want to try some others. Next time I run out I might try to source the thick silk threads that @IoSonoFormaggio is talking about. Looks like āanaitoā or ābuttonholeā silk is similar. Superior Threads has 22m spools for 8 bucks, but I feel like I can do better on price. Guttermannās fine for my purposes so far.
I have thought about selling silk string but I have not put in enough experimentation and legwork to ensure itās the best thing I can make. Also I have not made a jig so my strings donāt come out all exactly the same. Some are nicer than others. Silk definitely is durable, though. I made 3 of those candy cane twist strings and used basically those 3 exclusively for most of December. The wear on them is actually at the finger loop, so I can shorten them and keep using them still.
Edit: picture on my phone I was posting from PC
These all have been on most of my daily drivers and most of them are showing wear on the finger loop or near it. The blue one on the left is wearing near the bearing side which is strange since they donāt usually but I think this one is actually much older than the others. Iāve been out of that blue for a while and idk when I made that one. All of these have been washed 3-4 times and are nearing the end of their lives but still some good time left on them. The far right candy cane one hasnāt started to show wear yet.
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The thick ones Iām recommending are actually called anaido in Korean as well so youāre on the mark!
Also the fraying at the end around where you cut your string looks very different from mine. It looks closer to poly somehow.
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Interesting! The guttermann silk likes to stay together better I suppose. I just untwisted one and theyāre 3 strands per thread. Itāll be interesting to compare eventually. Got other stuff going on so I canāt order a bunch of thread to experiment right now but Iāve saved a couple bookmarks and Iāll be on it when I can!
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Ha! Thought of you immediately once I saw the thread title. I didnāt even know silk string was a thing before you.
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I tried a Kevlar blend string a long time ago. It was terrible. No bounce to it, and pretty rough to the touch.
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