New in October: What’s Up Section
It is wonderful to hear your success stories, see your photos, and learn from your tips!
We will be launching a new section on our website in October to share the tips, stories and photos you share with us called: What’s Up
It is just another way to connect you to other studios and trainers in the aerial community.
Do you have something you would like to share?
Send us an email with your tip, success story, or photo. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your contact information.
Stress and Load-Cell Tests
What do we know about the fabric we sell? We have done stress tests and can provide you with a certificate upon request. The tricot with shine tears when pulled to 2,000 pounds. The Tricot with Bounce tears at 1,700 and the Interlock at 2,200.
We did load-cell tests and learned that a 165 pound person generated an additional 300 pounds of force when just climbing or sitting in the fabric, not dropping. Our female volunteer was 135 pounds and generated an additional 200 pounds of force through the fabric to the ceiling point when climbing, posing, or sitting in the fabric. We learned that a sudden drop generated an additional 600 to 700 pounds of force.
The standard is a 1:10 ratio for human rigging meaning that you want a safety factor of 10 times your weight.
All this to explain why the equipment we sell meets your needs and why we recommend that you check with a structural engineer before you rig your studio with hammocks or aerial silks!
What does Medium Stretch Mean?
There are a few misleading articles on Wikipedia and Youtube videos indicating there is “medium stretch” fabric. Here is our explanation of the different fabrics we sell:
The tricot with shine stretches on the width not the length. This means it gives with you when you sit in it for hammock use, and it does not stretch when you climb it for aerial silks use. It is recommended for any level of aerialist, and aerial hammock. Some people refer to it as a beginner fabric, but it really is up to the preference of the aerialist.
The Tricot with Bounce has a slight bounce at the bottom of a drop and does not stretch when you sit in it or climb it. It is less ideal for aerial hammock since it tends to snag easily. It is used by all skill levels of aerialists.
The Interlock stretches in two directions. This means it stretches when you are climbing it for aerial silks. It also will stretch to the floor when you sit in it as an aerial hammock. It is used by aerialists who want this extra amount of stretch, and it requires more strength to use. It is not recommended for aerial hammocks. See our short video showing the amount of stretch in the different fabrics: https://youtu.be/12-idAq1RlQ
All the aerial fabric stretches more when mounted from a high ceiling point.