What Kind of Boning?

[cosmoblue]

I have already asked about busks, but what about boning? Steel, spiral or plastic?

[Mme de Beaufort]

I think that depends on what it's supporting. In my case, steel; maybe even Titanium.

Plastic doesn't really do too well for me. I've never tried Spiral.

[cosmoblue]

Titanium, LOL .

[cosmoblue]

Really though. Any suggestions on what I should use for my boning in my Mantua Maker stays?

[Mme de Beaufort]

I personally used steel boning--the kind with the little fabric channel you can sew in. Plastic and bendy boning didn't really do anything to rein back the girls.

[Mme de Beaufort]

PS, Cosmo, only two posts and you rank up

[dawnluckham]

What kind of boning for me "depends" on the stays and where I'm going to use it and who is wearing it. I've been known to use all three types, spring steel, German plastic, and spiral steel, in the same corset. Each type of boning has it's own properties.

The German plastic boning is the easiest to use. It's supposed to imitate whalebone, but it doesn't really. It does bend all which ways while retaining a good "boned" stiffness. It's lightweight and it doesn't need any special treatment for the tips. You cut your own lengths for each boning channel so you're guaranteed that you'll get he proper fit. The one downside is that with time and body heat the plastic boning begins to mould to your body shape. The stays will hold the permanent shape of your own curves. The plastic will eventually need replacing if you don't like the fact that it "melts" into your shape.

Spring steel boning holds a flexible (front to back flexibility) firm line. It's excellent straight boning. It can be purchased in different weights and sometimes different suppliers offer different qualities. It can be purchased with the ends finished and a curved end already applied or you can purchase a so-many-yards length and separate tips and cut your own lengths. I purchase it in the so-many-yards form and I use bolt cutters to cut lengths. It takes a bit of fiddling to apply the tips, as I don't have the pressing machine to make it quick and easy. It's not hard: I use two sets of needle nose pliers and just squeeze the tips on.

Spiral steel boning is really cool because it flexes in all different directions. This is the boning that is used in ballet costumes. Again, this can be purchased in pre-cut lengths with the ends already finished or it can be purchased in by-the-yard lengths and cut and tip it yourself. This type of boning just needs wire cutters to cut it. I use the same type of tips for this boning as I do for the spring steel. And the same method for applying the tips with two sets of needle nosed pliers is used.

If you’re intimidated by the idea of cutting your boning, I suggest you start with the German plastic. This boning is cut with scissors and you use the scissors to round off the ends. (You can also use a little bit of heat- over a candle flame or the stove top- to really round and smooth the ends.)

OR you need to figure out exactly the length of boning you’ll need during your mock-up stage and order the specific boning lengths at that point.

If I were making the Mantua Maker Regency stays pattern, I’d use the spring steel boning for the areas between the eyelets at the back lacing, and then I’d use the spiral steel boning in all other areas.

Of course, you also have a fourth boning option in that you could simply cord all boning channels. It’s a period treatment to adding strength and firmness to women’s support garments. I would, however, be sure to bone the channels between the eyelets, as the fabric tends to buckle when the lacing is tightened if you don’t (see pictures of my Hunnisett stays).

[cosmoblue]

Dawnluckham - Thank you. That is exactly what I was wanting to "hear". I have used spiral boning before only not as boning it was decoration. I used it on some opera costumes. I have no fear regarding cutting my own boning, so that is not an issue. I think that it is interesting that you would use spiral for the majority of the boning, with spring at the back. The pattern just recommends spring steel or cording all around. Why the spiral?

[dawnluckham]

I really like the flexibility of the spiral boning. Period garments would have been corded or boned with whalebone, but of course this material is not available to us. They wouldn't have used spring steel - that came in to common use later in the century.

As a corsetiere, it's a practicality that I like the spring steel for the back lacing area. I don't want the eyelets to buckle. Cording takes time and is a great period technique but if you want something a little more ridged than that (and quicker to do boning technique), spiral steel allows the flexibility of the cording. Spring steel makes a stiffer, more Victorian style corset.