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  1. #1
    Senior Member Baka Dasai's Avatar
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    I'm gonna make an Ariel bridge hammock. Help me.

    If you've made an Ariel, what did you wish you'd known before you'd started? What are the traps? Where am I likely to go wrong?

    For background, I've made a few gathered-end hammocks, a HikerDad/Bic bridge hammock, and a few bags and odds and ends. I can sew, but not well. This will be my most challenging project so far. I'm OK at splicing though.

    I've watched Grizz's three Ariel videos. I appreciate them, but they seem to leave out a lot of details.

    Ariel Videos
    Sneak preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7rQl0JjEQ
    Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhw2g5hJMJM
    Tricking Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8rWcwUsoP0

  2. #2
    Senior Member BananaHammock's Avatar
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    Uh oh. Here comes Just Bill... He’s like a super hero you summon by talking about making Bridge hammocks. Maybe The Professor himself May chime in too. Good luck on your quest, it’s a very nice hammock.
    Get lost in the woods and find yourself again. A vacation,to me, is working with your hands and surviving because of the fruits of your labor. In the business world I teach;in the natural world I learn.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cruiser51's Avatar
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    The Ariel is the pretty much the only bridge that gets attention when you talk bridge hammocks, but Grizz did up a few different builds and there is lots of good thinking there to pick over. If you are patient, you can pull out engineering details from Just Bills posts as well, Kitsapcowboy also posted a couple of bridge builds that have some good ideas (there are a few other ppl I have reviewed to learn about bridges as well, but I am on my first coffee and they aren't coming to mind).... I am currently putting a lot of those ideas together and have built a couple of prototypes .... I think I am almost there, so a few points.

    One of Grizzs versions was called the Rhino, it uses webbing in the side suspension (so does Bics/Hiking dads, there's one I didn't mention earlier) .... I tried a couple of types and ended up selecting 1/2" tubular poly webbing, it isn't as light as the 1/2" kevlar webbing, but it is a lot less expensive and I am not worried about the weight difference. The webbing gives a few advantages over an amsteel suspension ... it is a lot more forgiving during the sewing process, no precision amsteel work is required, folding back gives a very easy attachment point for the suspension triangle.

    Amsteel dogbones, larks headed to the poly suspension, form a natural pocket for the pole tip to fit into, so no additional fittings or work is required for pole attachment, they just slip into the larks head and you are done.

    The bridge hammock presents a very simple concept that has some fairly critical components, the suspension is the basic design component you need to get dialed in (materials/connections/spreader pole) then you can move on to making it custom to you. For example, I made the head end a bit wider, then extended the head end to make a storage area and added saddlebags ..... these mods are pretty straight forward, but are all done after that basic suspension design is dialed in for your needs.

    If you are stuck on an Ariel, have at it ... however, when I started reading up on bridge hammocks for my current project, I quickly realized that most designs had several stages/prototypes covering the design process ... since I also intended to customize my bridge, I planned to build a few prototypes to get the ideas dialed in ... 1.9 oz ripstop and poly webbing are pretty inexpensive ..... sewing up the body only to "test fit" does not take very long and will go a long way to getting you the skills and answering any lingering questions on the "how" to get it done.

    People don't always come to the same conclusion on how to proceed, after reading/reviewing pretty much the same material .... my suggestion is that this may not be a "one and done" project for you, maybe plan for that prototype with less expensive materials and move on from there, IMO the few hours of cutting and sewing will be well worth it.

    Brian

  4. #4
    Overland's Avatar
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    I hope the link below opens by post from June 2016.
    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ead.php/126511

    Make sure your Amsteel cords are exactly the same lengths and the distance between the pole tip inserts are also equal and line up side to side.
    Made the suspension and the stretch both together to compare. I hooked one end on the handle of a bench mounted vice and then inserted a metal bar through the the other end and pulled using as much force as i could apply to stretch the Amsteel.

    When sewing on the channels wait to make the button holes. Start sewing in the center of each channel and sew toward the ends. When you get close to where the pole tips will go, stop and then measure and mark where the button holes will go. Sew the button holes then finish sewing the channels.

    The trapezoid shaped end caps were easier for me to layout than the parabolic shaped ones. On one I added saddle bags made of bug netting and added a zippered bug net. Zipper on one side only. Zips along the edge of the saddle bag and then curves up to the top close to wear the pole tip goes. Sort of like a hockey stick. If you want saddle bags, make one side a 1/2 inch taller and sew the shorter side to the hammock body and the taller side attaches to the bug net or to a zipper. This makes the transition easier where the left and right side end.

    Hope this and many of the other suggestions help
    Last edited by Overland; 02-03-2019 at 14:34.

  5. #5
    Senior Member FJRpilot's Avatar
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    The hardest part for me was the Amsteel splicing. Hind site being 20/20, try to account for the stretch that will occur.

    It’s a great hammock, I love mine....


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  6. #6
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    Baka,

    As mentioned, Grizz and Just Bill will surely chime in for you - they are the pros. I made one several months ago and followed the instructions from the Grizz videos exactly. I like it much better than my Warbonnet Ridge Runner bridge; particularity, Grizz's "math-a-magic" at the ends giving me a flatter lay at my neck and head area.
    Just Bill gave me some good advice. First off, not to try too much to simplify the design, but to just do it, since it was proven. And, that Amsteel is relatively cheap and frustration is not. He recommended to stretch the cordage first, and then make four. Put them each under load, and then lay them side-by-side to get a matching set. This helped me since I know I would have been re-splicing and adjusting over and over.
    Other than the basic exact design, I went a little overboard on storage by adding saddlebags as well as double end-cap pockets and even another pocket area on the suspension triangle past the head - I saw this idea from a post I believe by theclark5.

    Good luck.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by BananaHammock View Post
    Uh oh. Here comes Just Bill... HeÂ’s like a super hero you summon by talking about making Bridge hammocks. Maybe The Professor himself May chime in too. Good luck on your quest, itÂ’s a very nice hammock.
    Duhn- duhnah- Dahhhh.

    Best way to summon me though is to crack a Backwoods ******* or Bourbon County Stout... unless it's the morning after you summoned me with that method that is.

    Quote Originally Posted by Baka Dasai View Post
    If you've made an Ariel, what did you wish you'd known before you'd started? What are the traps? Where am I likely to go wrong?

    For background, I've made a few gathered-end hammocks, a HikerDad/Bic bridge hammock, and a few bags and odds and ends. I can sew, but not well. This will be my most challenging project so far. I'm OK at splicing though.

    I've watched Grizz's three Ariel videos. I appreciate them, but they seem to leave out a lot of details.

    Ariel Videos
    Sneak preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7rQl0JjEQ
    Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhw2g5hJMJM
    Tricking Out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8rWcwUsoP0
    https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Quiltin...802301911&th=1


    Grizz's video(s) are pretty good. The only serious sewing frustration you will have is not following them, though as mentioned the splicing can be trickier than it seems.
    Buy pins and use them.
    Use your iron.
    I never use an iron or pins any more and most of my early troubles with this type of bridge were trying to avoid those things... cain't be done.


    If you sew poorly enough that you can't do a sewn end channel gathered end... then you might not want to tackle the Ariel.
    Unlike other items this is a structural load bearing seam so excessive ripping and fixing isn't a great idea.
    If you feel like you can handle it without ripping seams out every few inches then go for it.
    That's really the crux of the build from a sewing standpoint, though all the real magic happens in pinning it together which can be frustrating to do, but easy enough to walk away from it and try again.

    Once you commit to sewing it up just go slowly. I do mine a bit differently but basically... don't be afraid to sew over the pins for at least one row. There are lots of layers, curves, and material to move around. Most of the issues I had early on had to do with trying to pull pins as I went. So now I do one full row, then pull pins as I go on the second row. The third row of stitching is done pin free. Just go really slow... you have a ton of work up to the point you are attaching the channels and you don't want to mess that up.

    If you can find Johnson's thread- we had some good discussion on the splicing details but the gist of it is; just splice up 4 pieces instead of two, hang them up like you're hanging a gathered end and sit or stand on them to load them.
    Out of the four... pair up the best two. It takes as long to produce one perfect set as it does to produce 5 imperfect sets that you can easily pair up after they are loaded.

    Finally- if you're not following the endcap stuff (maybe the hardest to follow as he dives deep into the math) then just skip them for now.

    Grizz is a bridge nerd, who is also a software engineer, math whiz, and several other interesting levels of intelligent fella. So if you find yourself wishing for Bic sitting there sewing for 2 hours rather than Grizz whipping off complex geometry and bridge theory... just let that stuff go and watch the actual sewing. Turn the sound off if you need to.
    He provides the patterns for the bridge, splicing, and end caps. If you can cut that stuff you don't need to know the details... you just need to follow directions.

    SEWING- is a skill to be sure but a fairly straightforward one. So concentrate on that part.

    DESIGN- is a vast topic that is highly complicated and hard to follow. There is a reason that sewing patterns are sold to DIY folks... they are really hard to design properly. That's just simple stuff like clothes... building a load bearing, structural, three dimensional surface you shape out of a 2d hunk of fabric is an exercise in mental gymnastics even without all the math. Grizz is kind enough to share both sewing and design princpals... but don't be afraid to chuck all that nonsense out the window if you're just trying to assemble a pattern.

    The Ariel is probably one of the most complicated hammocks around. Probably the hardest DIY hammock available.
    Sometimes just admitting to yourself that this is a hard project is all you need to make it easier. Stuff sacks and gathered ends come together like nothing after a bit... so when you run into a real headscratcher it gets frustrating. So just accept this is a hard job and will take some time. The biggest mistake you will make is jumping in and expecting it to come together like other DIY jobs have. Not that there is an accurate poll available... but I'd guess about 3-4 weekends is about average for a first Ariel style bridge.

    Most of the serious trouble I hear about is trying to modify it. That throws the splicing pattern out the window which then leads you to trying to follow Grizz's splicing mathematics which don't quite work out quite right which was the lengthier discussion we had not long ago on splicing in the other thread. That's where my advise to simply build it comes from... you play with any small thing in a bridge and you have a whole new design. It's not a gathered end where you can trim an inch off the size or add an inch to the end. You move a half inch- the whole thing is shot. Pattern, channels, end caps to splices; they all have to be matched up just right.

    Build one. Use it for 90 nights. If you want then think about modifying it. But it is a very nice bridge as it is... consider trying it yerself before you figure you can do a better one. You're talking about a decade and several dozen models Grizz designed, prototyped, and built before arriving at this one. Also worth thinking on a bit... My Happy Medium and the Ariel are eerily similar. They were developed separately but like many fields sometimes there is a 'natural' place to end up. I'm a carpenter, not a mathematician. I just kept banging mine together one by one until I was happy with just the right balance of things. But if two fairly differently minded bridge nerds take different routes, put in several years and several dozen prototypes a piece and end up within a half inch of each other on the core design... maybe it's a good design as is.

  8. #8
    Senior Member FJRpilot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Bill View Post
    Duhn- duhnah- Dahhhh.
    Love it!


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  9. #9
    Senior Member Baka Dasai's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the great tips. Bill, your advice re pins and ironing is exactly the ticket. Likewise Overland, your advice about starting from the middle, and the timing of making the buttonholes.

    Speaking of buttonholes...I imagine this will be an area with considerable stress. My sewing machine makes really crappy buttonholes (I think it's the machine, not me), so if there's way to make it strong without buttonhole sewing....

    In the "Tricking out" video, Grizz briefly mentions sewing *through* the amsteel for 4 or 5 inches near each of the corners to lock it in place in the channel. Is this really necessary?

  10. #10
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    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...sed-Bar-Bridge

    If you can't do a button hole- the only realistic alternative is something like what Peabody is doing in the thread above.

    There are ways to do a three piece channel but those create other problems to address.

    I would politely disagree with Overland but to improve his tip:
    Get your splicing done, then match it up to the curve of the bridge body... it should match.
    Mark the center of the spliced suspension... mark the center of the bridge.. mark the center of your channel.
    Lay the suspension on the channel- match the centers, then mark the center of the button holes.

    That then lets you accurately place the button hole- but not have to fight with the whole bridge when sewing the button holes.
    Since most folks don't have two machines... it also means that you can sew all the button holes at one time instead of sewing a bit, swapping all the feet and settings, then sewing button holes. Your button holes will sew best when you take the time to properly set up the machine for that task... and it goes much smoother when you are only handling the channels. You will also need to practice getting your button holes to match the mark you put... so practice on scraps.

    Once completed- you can begin pinning the channel from the center of the bridge body to either end. That part I agree with in terms of assembling the bridge. In my opinion.. all the magic is in pinning the bridge for final sewing. You're assembling the bridge with the pins so take it seriously. The sewing just locks it all into place but 'what you pin is what you get' in terms of the finished bridge.

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