Pinking questions

[holyschist]

ETA: For the purpose of this question, "pinking" refers to small straight slits/cuts in the fabric, as for example in the doublet described in this dress diary. I have typically seen these described as pinks on 16th century clothing, but it might be simpler to think of them as very small slashes.

I have some general questions about pinking silk, with regards to 16th century clothing.

Most of the pinking I would like to do would involve 1/2" - 1" pinks, typically on dupioni or taffeta (eventually I might do a project with duchess satin, but not in the near future). I've come across some references to special "pinking chisels," but the only reference to someone who actually sells them that I can find is Green Man Forge. Their website (http://www.greenmanforge.com/) does not seem to exist.

Does anyone know where one could get "pinking chisels"? What kind of chisel or other tools do you use for pinking?

Currently I'm working on a project which will not be densely pinked, but where the pinks will be about 2" long (heading into "slash" territory?). Would this be easiest to do with an x-acto or utility knife (or possibly scissors) or is it better to get a 2" chisel?

Comments

[florentinescot]

I dunno, but check with peteyfrogboy over on LJ. I know that he's just made a pinked doublet.

If I was going to use a "traditional" chisel, I'd probably use a wood chisel, not a masonry chisel. I think that they're sharper.

[lorihalia]

For the 2" cuts, I'd go the x-acto route. It's what I did for a pair of sleeves I did a few years ago, and I ended up extremely happy with how they turned out. More better control kinda thing..

If you do manage to find a pinkiing chisel supplier, OMG LET ME KNOW! It was immensely depressing to find reference to a supplier of real repro type tools in TT, only to have them already gone shortly after the book was published. =( I'd so have bought a set (or three!).

For a cheater replacement option, I'd think that wood chisels would work well. I know that a lead panel is used underneath (the fabric) to help slow down the dulling that will occur over time.

[vanderbruegghen]

A friend of mine pinked her silk sleeves with a special rotary cutter wheel that has gaps in it. It worked rather well. I think it was around $15.

[holyschist]

Different kind of pinking than I need here, but I'm keeping that in mind for future projects.