click image for full size version Photography by Stoney

I found it easiest to start at the junction ferrule and thread the elastic outside-in. I tied off each leg's cord by wrapping it once around that leg's ferrule and tying a bow (for easy removal), then threaded down through the segments for that leg until reaching the end one. I cut off the excess, leaving a little in case of the need to re-thread, then tensioned and tied (again a bow) the lower end. To adjust the tension I would slip the knot at the foot of a leg and re-tie.

For the trunk, the same principle applied, except that the tensioning would need to be done at the junction ferrule because of the way the mounting in the hat worked. So I started at the top with a non-ferrule piece, and tied that off on its own. I then followed with a ferrule piece, ferrule away from the previous piece so that they would not lock together. I then followed with the rest of the trunk pieces, ending in another non-ferrule piece, which was to lock into the junction ferrule. This part was tricky, to thread the elastic inside-out, and it required a loop of fine wire to be inserted outside-in, which was able to snare the elastic and pull it out. Tensioning of the trunk is done via the elastic emerging at the junction.

Tensioning and use

For mine to work, I needed to get the tightest tension that would still allow the parts to unlock. If you attempt to fold the legs progressively from one end then the elastic becomes too tight to unlock the last pieces. To fold the legs and the trunk it's necessary to break the middle link first, then divide the remaining sections by halves. The trunk is folded first in this way, then the legs one at a time. The junction stays connected to the bottom section of the trunk. This section may need to be adjusted so that the section and ferrule fit snugly into the hat.

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