Tying spokes

A couple of pages photographed from "New Cycling" magazine, a long-running and excellent Japanese magazine. These photos are taken of Mr Yoshiyaki Nagasawa, who established the NJS track bike company of the same name, as he shows how to tie spokes to increase wheel rigidity. This was a trick back in the day to produce a serviceable wheel from as few spokes as possible, in the pursuit of lightness.

It could also be a way of increasing the strength of a wheel that needs to carry a greater load than the spoke count would normally allow, such as on a touring bike.

When you look at the photos remember to refer to the numbers for the sequence: they are arranged from right to left.  b

PS - the commentary is not too important, but if you want to translate it: DeepL is your friend.