bic for better banjo bowlines

If you use Nylgut strings, you’ll likely be tying a lot of bowlines. My first attempts at this were very poor.

I’ve found that if you slip a pen (preferably one with an integrated cap and clip, like a Bic) through the main loop of the knot, you can get some consistency in your knots – no more random clutter around your tailpiece. The pen clip can be slipped over the loop so that the string supports the pen so you can have both hands free.

(Incidentally, Jeff Menzies sells Aquila Nylgut strings – he’s the only dealer in Canada.)