Not half bad... rope

I think I made a rather nice bit of rope this evening, on the porch as I listened to the news. I am re-learning to make rope. It was a skill I learned in the Scouts when I was a kid. My splicing needs some work. Next, I will learn to make cord from bark, blackberry and kudzu! I know how to use yucca, but it doesn't grow abundantly enough here to use.

It is tricky to make a twisted "rope" out of braided cordage "yarns", since the yarns aren't twisted and that force helps to hold the shape of the finished rope. I bet you will have it easier when you make your own from fibers, or maybe try using some twisted twine as a starting place, rather than parachute cord.
If you want to have another go at splicing what you have made, try "seizing" the rope where the splice happens, to keep the rope in the eye from unravelling and also act as a stop as you pull the strands you are weaving into the splice tight.

I'm a fan of having a eye spliced into one end of ropes for general tie-down use. I always find that I'm tying a loop to attach it to something or make a noose around a thing... an eye is just ready and waiting! It is also less bulky and much stronger than knots which can drastically reduce the working strength of a rope. Sure, sometimes it means feeding the whole rope through the eye, rather than tying a knot in place, but most of the time I find it handy.

Nice

It has been a few years since I was aboard tug boats but back then I was pretty handy with a rope.

But then you had to be. In trying to move around tankers looking to jockey on to wharfs. That rope would compress to have its diameter with 5000 horsepower tugging on it.

Nice job on the rope in any case. It’s a lost art for sure.

Kenneth Elwell wrote:It is tricky to make a twisted "rope" out of braided cordage "yarns", since the yarns aren't twisted and that force helps to hold the shape of the finished rope. I bet you will have it easier when you make your own from fibers, or maybe try using some twisted twine as a starting place, rather than parachute cord.
If you want to have another go at splicing what you have made, try "seizing" the rope where the splice happens, to keep the rope in the eye from unravelling and also act as a stop as you pull the strands you are weaving into the splice tight.

I'm a fan of having a eye spliced into one end of ropes for general tie-down use. I always find that I'm tying a loop to attach it to something or make a noose around a thing... an eye is just ready and waiting! It is also less bulky and much stronger than knots which can drastically reduce the working strength of a rope. Sure, sometimes it means feeding the whole rope through the eye, rather than tying a knot in place, but most of the time I find it handy.

Great advice - THANKS!

Very nice! Is there a name for the style of twist you used? I know different knots and stitches have names but I am unfamiliar with cordage terminology. (And correct terminology helps me look up how-to's more effectively!)

Mercy Pergande wrote:Very nice! Is there a name for the style of twist you used? I know different knots and stitches have names but I am unfamiliar with cordage terminology. (And correct terminology helps me look up how-to's more effectively!)

Thanks - not that I know of... it is basically just 3 lengths of cordage twisted to the left and wound to the right.  Tpe loop is called an eye loop.  The other end has a crown knot and then is spliced back into the twist of the rope.