Since most of ya'll haven't handled baleen before, and I have (for whatever insane reason) almost every type of (suitable) boning options in my possession (how did that happen?), I thought I'd give some examples of how different baleen is and what is the closest substitutes (spoiler: reproduction baleen is not the right answer).
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| Boning...wow. |
Here's the first thing about baleen that makes it different from all the other options here: You can adjust the width and the width varies naturally. Some of my baleen strips were almost a 1/4" thick while some where maybe 1/16". I also figured out sometime this afternoon that I could split the baleen width wise and double my baleen pieces while also making the really thick pieces thinner and less rigid.
You can't do that with the other options. You can double up, but that's not quite the same, because thick baleen is stiff. It has give and will mold into shapes thanks to heat, but it is really strong and stiff. So I used my longest and thickest pieces for the CB boning as it will hold the pressure of lacing amazingly well.
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| Baleen Strips are comin' fer yoo |
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| Trying to get a shot of thickness |
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| Some of my baleen |
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| You can see how one is bent (from being boiled and shaped in a pot) and the other is straight. |
The biggest difference about baleen is its flexibility compared to other boning materials. I took photos of me pushing on different boning materials to compare the difference...an idea I got from the Burnley and Trowbridge workshop & Mark Hutter.
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| Baleen: I was pushing pretty hard, it has some give but not tons |
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| Spiral Steel: Alright, it was more for comedic relief anyways... |
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| Monster Cable Tie: This was a HUGE cable tie, resisted surprisingly well, but I didn't try the smaller ones, as I imagine they're too flimsy. |
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| Faux Baleen: Really flimsy and when I used it to make Sapphire's stays, I wanted to stomp on it an throw it away. However, I am pleased with final product. |
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| My 2+ year old reed: Nice and sturdy, but the draw back is wood breaks I broke one bone the second time I wore my stays. However, it's cheap. Wood splint, is supposed to be the best 'wood' option, overall, and it was used during the 18th century. That's the only one I don't have. |
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| Ol' Reliable (Spring Steel): If you've made a corset, you know what this stuff is like. |
Survey says: Reed/Wood as your best alternative. It's inexpensive, it's strong, it's accurate, and it is easy to trim and shape. The key is to buy quality reed or wood splints. Burnley and Trowbridge have some nice stuff in from the UK right now and you can purchase from basket weaving companies (I've listed a few (or one?) in my shopping page).
If you don't want to use reed/wood, it honestly seems that there is no difference between cable ties and faux baleen. Though the picture may look like the cable tie was weaker than the baleen, I'd have to disagree. Again, though, I think the cable tie option is dependent on the thickness of the tie, and that it might be more expensive to buy the cable ties? I don't really know, I've never made stays with cable ties....someone chime in here! I know you're out there (Lauren...Lauren.........Lauren)
My biggest issue with the baleen? The splinters. They get caught in the linen weave and will cause the bone to get stuck/have splinters stick out/ tear/ something. Not all pieces do this, but some have. I imagine there will be some cases the first couple times I wear my stays where I feel something poking and itching and it will be baleen sticking out through my lining. Only time will tell though.
I've boned 8 out of 10 stay panels, and I have to say I am incredibly impressed and shocked by how strong and stiff the baleen is. There is give, but it these stays are going to be really strong. Hopefully this means they'll last a long time, but I imagine the first couple of times wear the stays I'm going to be walking funny and re-learning how to move in stays as the boning and the fit are much different than what I'm used to.
Again, if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer the best that I can!
(Side note: due to my lovely friends and their dirty sense of humor I can't help but giggle throughout this post. Just thought I'd share in case you felt like having a slightly immature giggle too.)
<3 <3