attaching burlap to suit

[shadowstalker]

I was reading a ghillie suit site and it said that on netting with a spacing of 3 1/2 inches that 18 strands on each side of the netting was the maximum number of strands so that the suit doesnt look too large. What does "on each side of the netting" mean? Does it mean on the front and back of the netting or does it mean between the knots on the netting or something different all together? Any help would be most appreciated.

[pyrotor]

I'm pretty sure that they mean in between the knots. Thats what I'm doing.

[shadowstalker]

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it greatly.

[shadowstalker]

Here is an opinion question - Is is better to attach the burlap in big strips and then shred them, or to shred them first and attach just the single burlap strands? Also, if you do shred them first, is it better to attach the strands in groups or each strand individually?

[pyrotor]

Well I've looked at a bunch of styles of ghillie suits, and in my personal opinion the suits that had cut strips of burlap looked like **** . What I did was cut out 24'',18'', and 24''x18'' squares of burlap and then pulled each individual strand out. So what I was left with was abunch of 24'' and 18'' strands of burlap. Yeah it took forever and a bunch of small fibers of bulap were all over the place. But if you want to do it the fast and easy way then you can do the strips. The way I look at it if your going to be spending hours and hours of making a suit then whats a couple more hours to make it look better. Look around on the web for ghillie suits and compare the strip ghillie suits to the sniper individual strand suits and you'll see the diffrence. Also a wire brush will scruff the strands up too make it look kinda like dred locks so the suit has some diversity on it.

[dotson]

....so yall are making full burlap suits?....first mistake...no matter how hard you try the burlap is just looks un-natural. yall seem pretty outdates so ill just throw in sum say-so's...first no one now days makes ghillies out of burlap....Jute's the new stuff. it is alot more easier to manage and looks alot more realistic..... so now that i covered that ill throw yall sum directions on making a nice suitable ghillie that doesnt requir as much work as burlap...and looks alot better! This is a bdu form with jacket and trousers

ok now in steps. starting at one...
take your BDU's and turn them inside out
sew or shoe goo the netting around the shoulders and back of your body, be sure to extend the net down your arm to the end of your sleeves...Leave your frontal body exposed(no netting)
once you have done this sew or shoe goo a heavy canvas to the front of your suit (duck canvass...etc)
make sure the canvas covers your chest, stomach, knees, elbows and private area........ Then take your jut and tie it to the netting all over the back....make sure you throw in a variety of colors that match your AO. and now use the burlap sparringly, like 7 pieces max...take the burlap and cut into about 1 foot lenghts... and tie here and there on your ghillie.........
then tada...your have yourself a military quality ghillie ready for action....throw in sum natural veg and you got one heck of a rag suit.. [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[cowboy9374]

Well I understand what you are saying about jute string. Although, I only have one question what do you think 90% of all burlap is made out of? Its jute.

[the rookie]

I heard that it was wise to use a fire retardent on the suit, is this needed?

The strips of burlap that are shreadded, what sizes to start?

Is there any special technic to schreading the material?

Thanks

[tigelane]

"I heard that it was wise to use a fire retardent on the suit, is this needed?"

Yes. (unless you're soaking wet all the time you are wearing it)

Burlap and Jute are very flammable and it's not easy to get out of the suits depending on how you have made them. Spend the money so you don't die a horrific death.

[shadowmoses]

Reguarding the use of Jute over Burlap...
I knew the superiority that Jute has over Burlap...i was lazy and cheap (but still wanting the same effect that jute has). So i did the 24"X 18" burlap strip method and spent a while pulling and pulling and pulling...then pulled some more. After that i realised that i was probibly doing all this for near nothing or atleast for a quality that jute could do better. So i decided to try something new...i grabbed a handfull of burlap lengths and soaked them in hot water for about 10 min (not boiled but just used water from my instant hot tap)...then, while still being wet, i took a rubber mallot and beat the lengths (not too much but enough to make the fibers spread out)...what i ended up with is a softer (but still strong) and finer type of fiber. It quite honestly did me quite well.