Web 2.0 Complete

My finished practice web #2 on the ceiling of 100 year old roof battens in a quiet corner of my attic space. I plan a larger one in another corner up there, and then I should be proficient enough to build them on the Halfland set to a smaller scale.

This one is made with the finest fisherman's fly-tying thread I could get sent here, Veevus 14/0 and 16/0 size. It's much finer than regular sewing thread but not as fine as human hair. The trade-off for me is that it is plenty strong and should last indefinitely, even if touched. (Google taught me that the "aught" system of a high number with a "/0" indicates a thread's fineness. Thread's "denier" number refers to its weight, often heavier than an "0" series.) I looked into silk thread, but testing samples pulled from woven silk showed me it was thinner but not strong enough for this task. Same with a strand of my long silver translucent hair (it looked better than any thread and was more substantial than cobweb but would snap under real pressure. Sounds familiar.)

 

I used the same fast-grab glue to anchor the structural dragline threads and gathered them when dry (on the left). After carefully gluing and taping until dry, I secured the collected threads in a fanned-out shape to complete a full circle shape.

Then, I began to form the capture spiral on top of the draglines, using a curved needle (on the right) to weave in and out of each line. I'd go around each spot twice and place a small amount of glue at the juncture, pinching it between my fingers to remove visible excess. I kept going round-and-round until I got to a smaller auxiliary spiral at the center. This is where the strand of my hair snapped and left some wiggle shapes in the web that couldn't be re-tensioned in place. I left them as this is only for practice, and I imagine real webs get wonky after prey and hunting activities anyway.

Once done, I slowly removed all the tape supports, the little flashlight I'd used to see the corner better, and viola! Practice Spiderweb #2 was Built.

I plan to add a perimeter dragline to the next one and seek even finer threads. This one is delicate looking at our world size and isn't visible without enough light, but it will have to be as gossamer as possible on the film set. Any ideas?