The Spitfire trapeze is a beautifully constructed apparatus. Each trapeze is unique and is custom fabricated to your specifications.

The bar is made of one inch diameter cold-rolled steel, and the custom made thimbles are welded to the bar. If a trapeze is ordered with ends, the thimble is inset to leave a four inch end for a good grip with hands or feet. Once all the welding and primary fabrication is done, the trapeze is color coated to protect the steel.

At that point the trapeze moves from the metal shop into the studio for the remaining construction. The thimbles are sanded smooth and taped to accept the rope.

We use one inch black three strand Nylon rope sourced specially for Spitfire Aerial Equipment. The 3-Strand Nylon Twist consists of three equally sized strands twisted together to produce a very fine, durable rope. It handles easily wet or dry, knots and splices easily and provides the highest elasticity of any rope. It can feel slippery at first, but with use and especially use with rosin, it breaks in perfectly.

Once the rope has been spliced and threaded onto the trapeze, the rope splice is carefully padded with extra loft batting, and tightly taped. The padding will never bunch or lump.

Now the trapeze is ready for its cover or its “socks”. We offer socks in two colors, the original Spitfire Red, or Black. We use the softest durable leather, custom sewn to hug the rope at the top. The socks are snuggly draped over the padding and stitched together under the trapeze with strong black leather lacing. This is where no two trapezes are alike, as the stitching is custom to the shape of the sock and padding.

The rope is then spliced at the top, accommodating any rope length you may need. The top splices are integrated with stainless steel thimbles. Finally the trapeze bar is wrapped in two layers of black cotton athletic tape, giving it good grip and a soft working surface. Et Voila, it’s ready to ship out to you!

The standard fabrication time for a custom trapeze is about 2 weeks. A single 22 inch trapeze bar with 8 Foot ropes weighs around 15 lbs.