A sailmaker’s palm is a tool used by rope makers, who often need to shove needles through very thick material. This can be hard to do with regular thimbles. The sailmaker’s palm positions a custom thimble into the meat of the thumb, where a lot of force can easily be applied without hurting one’s hands.
I made a custom-fit sailmaker’s palm for Odo, a friend who is skilled at reweaving the ends of tent ropes into loops, to remove the knots which can unravel and collapse your tent. My inspiration came from this tutorial, which uses a hammered penny (supplied by Odo, who is also a metalworker, brewer, woodworker, and more) and a piece of cork to make the thimble.
This palm is fully lined with a soft, strong suede leather, so none of the edges will dig uncomfortably into the hand when it’s used. It has a buckle closure, which will last a long time and make it easy to take on and off. It is custom fit to Odo’s own hand.
