Boning - 1/4" or 1/2"?

[Manwariel]

I want to buy a roll of spiral steel boning so I have it on hand for bodices. Do you recommend the 1/4" or the 1/2"?

I also just noticed their reed boning (on corsetmaking.com). Has anyone used it, and what's it like?

[Kate XXXXXX]

If it's just for Elizabethan bodices, I wouldn't use either.  Spiral steel is bendy sideways as well as back and forth, and was invented for the later curvy shapes.  I'd go for nylon stuff that was invented to replace whalebone/baleen.  It acts more like baleen than the spiral steel and has the adbvantage of being washable.  There are several makes about.  The one I have is Tripleflex:

[Manwariel]

Okay, thanks Which width do you recommend?

[Dinobabe]

What about cable ties!?

[Manwariel]

Oh yeah, I forgot about those. What length do you buy?

[Dinobabe]

I'm buying 18" right now but you can get way longer!
And the cost difference is significant from regular plastic boning.

I suppose you could make hoops from it by zipping two long pieces together!

[Aunty Lou]

I have used straight steel bones from AltarYears in a Victorian corset, (They are 3/8ths wide, and very strong, and you bought them according to the length needed, but you can't wash the corset without worrying about rust.  And my most recent corset was made with 1/4th " cable ties, the stiffest I could find (Ace Hardware, in a town with Lowe's, Home Depot, and Menard's).  I bought 24" long and trimmed them w/ wire cutters, to exactly the right angles and lengths.  The corset will have it's debut at Ohio Rennaissance Festival in Sept....  And plastic cable ties are washable!

[Margaret]

I'm lucky - I can drive down to Haberman Fabrics in Royal Oak and buy my steel.

I always use 1/4" flat steel for my corsets and for reinforcing my lacing areas.

[Dinobabe]

I'm buying 18" right now but you can get way longer!
And the cost difference is significant from regular plastic boning.

I suppose you could make hoops from it by zipping two long pieces together!

Sorry!  You meant width.
I think they are 1/2".

[gem]

The cable ties should be 3/8" wide, and I buy them in 36" lengths... but the critical thing is actually the tensile strength.  Some of the "heavy duty" cable ties aren't as stiff/supportive as others.  See this thread for the low-down.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I perfer the heavy duty cable ties as well. The 1/2" wide plastic coated Metal boning I use for the Victorian Corsets.

When Underling Bodices and for Corsets, I make the Boning channels 1/2" wide. That makes the cable ties more snug in the channel and stronger overall.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Okay, thanks Which width do you recommend?

It only comes in one width.

[Kate XXXXXX]

What about cable ties!?

I don't use cable ties.  I have some to experiment with, but...

They were not designed for the job and are made of softer plastic. They distort over time.

They are rather clumsy: you need to use MUCH bigger ties than boning to get the same level of support...

Boning is easy to get hold of and works out at about the same cost per corset once you take the wastage into account.

[operafantomet]

What about cable ties!?

I don't use cable ties.  I have some to experiment with, but...

They were not designed for the job and are made of softer plastic. They distort over time.

I've always meant to ask about that, but I've forgotten... I've never used cable ties for boning, as I've been very happy with rigilene and a bit stiffer plastic boning, but I've read the rave reviews here and is of course curious.

But how does it hold up being worn, after a year or five? Does it handle the sweat and the movement? Or do they distort, as Kate writes?

[verymerryseamstress]

I use a combination of bonings that depend on the project.  For most bodices that require straight, flat fronts, I use 1/2" flat steel.  I love the stuff.  For garments that have curve to them I prefer to use synthetic bayleen/boning (for example, a front-lacing gown that needs to hug the bustline, I'll use the 1/4" synthetic bayleen to keep the lacings from bunching, and provide a smooth front that curves around the bust).  I also use the synthetic bayleen or reed boning for heavily boned items - like kirtles or the effigy corset. 

It all depends on what you're making, your preferred level of historical accuracy, what you find most comfortable and what works within your budget.