Home > Community > About Me > ky_broomman |
 |
 |
|||||
 |
|
|
|||
|
|||||
TRADITIONAL BROOM MAKING
ABOUT ME
After retirement, I took up "BROOM MAKING" as a hobby and began demonstrating and selling my brooms at local ARTS & CRAFT SHOWS. My brooms have been well accepted so I am now known as the "BROOM MAN". The equipment I use is restored (by me) from an old broom shop, which I believe dates to the 1920's. I have adapted modern materials and old techniques to produce a good looking and durable broom with all the qualities of the broom of yesteryear. My wife has been buying and selling books and that has been another of our endeavors, as we think it is important for children to know how to read well. So, maybe I should say you will see some brooms on our Book auctions.BROOMCORN AND BROOMS
=== BROOMCORN === Broomcorn (Sorghum Vilgare) is one of the 200 varieties of the Sorghum family of plants. It has a general resemblance of corn, but has narrow leaves, and instead of having "ears" its seeds are produced on the tassel. Broomcorn can produce tassels from 6 inches to 2 feet in length. The tassel is the only part of the plant that is harvested. Sometime in the late 1700's it was discovered that these tassels, after drying and de-seeding, made excellent brooms. Broomcorn is one of those natural products that is so perfectly adapted, for the use to which it is put, that no substitute has been found for it. === HANDLES === Handles are produced by me, in my shop. I start out with a piece of 1 1/8 in. poplar stock. After sanding and doming one end the handle is cut to length. A hanging loop hole is then drilled in the domed end. The handle is then stained with an oil based stain (usually Golden Oak). After drying, 2 coats of oil based polyurethane finish is applied. The handle is now ready for tying. === WIRE=== I found that commercial broom wire would rust, usually before I could get the broom tied. To solve this problem I went to high strength stainless steel wire. Stainless Steel wire is more expensive (about 5 times) but since changing I have not had any rust problems. ==== BINDING ==== To add a little color and character to my brooms I usually bind the top layer of raw broomcorn (with stems) with a bright colored cord. Normally I use a braided polypropylene in blue, green, red, or brown. I know polypropylene is not a traditional material but it is fade resistant, non-allergenic and very strong. Most of my customers prefer it to more traditional materials. I do occasionally use a dark brown or natural JUTE as a binding. The broomcorn stems are woven up the handle about 4 to 6 inches, thus producing a colorful, eye pleasing broom. After pressing the broom flat it is hand stitched with a matching colored stitching cord. I normally use 4 rows of broom stitching to maintain the flat broom shape. === I also make a varity of other small and speciality brooms. If you have a special need or desire please feel free to contact me, maybe I can help. ====== Thank you for taking time to consider my brooms. I hope this little description has explained a little about my hobby. If you have any questions or comments I can be contacted at **** bbscott@vci.net ****
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To see all feedback for this member, go to the Member Profile page. |
)
)
)|
|
||
The above page is maintained by: ky_broomman( 7468 )  |
| Where would you like to go next? |
|
| Feedback Forum | Discussion Boards | Groups | Answer Center | Chat Rooms | Community Values |
About eBay | Announcements | Security Center | Resolution Center | eBay Toolbar | Policies | Government Relations | Site Map | Help | |
Copyright © 1995-2009 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
| |