English BLoG

Schooner Virginia ship's bell with lanyard. Photo by Diane Murphy. The bellrope, also refered to as a bell pull or bell lanyard is a piece of fancy work attached to the clanger of a ship's bell. It is a necessary accoutrement to the ship's bell, both for function as a way to ring the bell as well as ornamentation as a symbol of pride. According to Vince Brennan of Frayed Knot Artworks , the ship’s bell is considered the 'heart' of a ship. Ship's bells are almost mystical objects, especially for as superstitious a lot as are sailors. They are polished before all other items and are the last thing to be removed when a ship is decommissioned or scrapped. US Navy vessels have their names engraved on their bells and when a ship is struck from the list, the last Commanding Officer usually receives the bell for safekeeping. Bell lanyard made by Vince Brennan for the Zuni Maritime Foundation. Photo by Joe Elder For information about 12 inch ship's bell bellrope or l...

N ot eve rything that we deal with here at Skipjack are vintage or antique in age. Our nautical living items for example are primarily composed of hand-made nautical decorative arts and accessories and we will include these items as part of our postings. We do try though to create items that are locally made by one of our artisans and are of the highest quality in construction and materials. The monkey's fist cabinet or drawer pulls that we've selected for this blog is a good example of this work. These are produced here in Olde Towne by Joe McNelis who also creates some of our line bell ringers and even some of the finest fancy knotwork covered picture frames and you will see some of these exceptional artworks in future blogs. Our hand-tied rope monkey's fist drawer pull or knob is a perfect way to dress up your yacht or nautical home. Use them on kitchen cabinets and drawers, bathroom fixtures, as chest of drawer pulls or box knobs. We've also used them as towel hang...