Jerry Clase, Etna Green, has been teaching people how to make rope at the Kosciusko County Community Fair for 10 years.
He first learned to make rope when his friend, Skip Wise, also a Kosciusko County native, picked up ropemaking as a hobby while living in Oklahoma. Clase, Wise and their friends and family started sharing the craft with others at the fair.
Wise died earlier this year, and his nephew, Caleb Wise, 16, Warsaw, began helping Clase with the demonstration.
"We're just carrying on the tradition for him," Clase said.
Clase said the rope shop, set up in the antiques tent near the antique tractor and machinery show, attracts a large number of curious visitors.
"A lot of kids come by," Clase said. "We've rolled up about 100,000 feet of twine this week."
Clase said he is glad to offer something educational and interesting to young fairgoers who can take a turn at the hand-crank and keep the rope they help make. He said the demonstration is part history lesson.
"This industry has been going since the beginning of time," Clase said. "The ancient Egyptians made ropes to help them sail ships. Today, we use electric machines and a normal rope is usually about 600 feet, but the same principle's been used for years."
Clase uses a simple hand-crank machine to twist 12 yarns of twine into marlens, which, after they've been pulled through a rope wrench, hold together as a whole rope.
After the twine is properly twisted, Clase uses a blowtorch to melt the ends of the rope. Then he shows the visitors how to tie a honda knot, used for lariats in roping competitions. Clase said the self-tightening knot is simple, but very strong.
Clase said a variety of materials can be used in rope making. He has even made a rope from toilet paper.
"You can make rope from anything you can twist up," he said.
