Sometimes we discuss the simple things here. Man...I love good rope.

never go anywhere without some.

Good rope is made out of hemp and is used for hanging politicians and other assorted criminals & miscreants!

I'm about rope like Bubba was about shrimps.

Always twine in the fanny pack. Worked wonders while gutting a fair size bull elk alone. As George Burns said though, it'd tough to push.

Rope on a ranch,line on a ship,unless it's made of wire.

Since that appears to be on a dock and apparently intended for boat use, it's "line".

Just sayin'.

Didn't someone quote the line about rope from the Boondock Saints? It was in the recent movie line thread. That scene made a good argument for rope.

I'm a 550 cord guy myself.

550 paracord for everything.....

What he said.

Is that the great stuff made of nylon or that cheap substitute called polypropylene that self destructs in sunlight?

The only thing I like more than a good hank of rope is the Simpson capstan winch I use to pull it.

And wire.

It's amazing how much BAD rope is out there...

Two things we used on the blimp back in the day that I still have some of... one is a flat cord that is urethane-impregnated and simply will not come untied... ever... and is really strong for the size... amazing UV resistance and as long as you plan ahead on your knots it's amazing stuff. If you don't plan ahead flat cord makes messy looking knots... I keep a 8' section in my hunting pack, you could hang an elk with it... probably.

Second one is this stuff I'm an idiot for not having more of... it's a silky-feeling, light tan Kevlar rope about 1/2" diameter that does not stretch, is very polite to work with, and is ridiculously strong. It was some sort of aeronautical-grade uber-rope. I remember that is was obscenely expensive because there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth around the blimp factory when it couldn't be used on the airship. See, one component of the mil-spec standard (to which commercial aircraft must cleave, or at least our blimp had to) is that everything -everything- has to have a documented paper trail from procurement to storage etc. They'd lost the receipt for this rope and therefore couldn't use this HUGE roll of it.

Anyway it was free for the taking; legally it couldn't even be on the premises anymore, but I only took about 100'. D'oh.

I'm afraid it looks more like the inside of dirty truck bed if'n ya ask me.

For what it's worth....I always carry a fair length of 550 para-cord in my pack whenever i'm out and about hunting,hiking, or camping..Just wayyyyy too useful!

Right...truck bed. I got all kinds a' rope. That's a new piece. I wish I knew more knots.

The only knot I know -

Never
Coil
Against
The
Sun

You'd like my collection of "Cordage'

Here's a book ya' NEED

Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...IKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1GX7BP2HP3VC77CF36WF



Book Description
Publication Date: May 31, 1994
"Horses, Hitches and Rocky Trails" is often
referred to as the packer�s bible. Written in the language of the
West, it is a complete and often humorous presentation of the method
of packing horses into the wilderness. Amplified by the brilliant
drawings of artist Joe back, the book is for both the amateur and
professional packer.

Scout out OLD copies of the USN "Bluejacket's Manual"

Older Boy Scout and Eagle Scout Manuals are a treasure trove , as well.

GTC

Balin' wire.

crossfire;
I hope that this finds you doing acceptably well this Sunday morning sir.

Your mention of Joe Back's very excellent book reminded me that I need to find another copy.

My much used original copy - a gift from my mother actually - was lent out to the person we gave our mare to when we got out of horses. As that's been sometime ago it would appear I need another.

I believe I've written this before, but for the first few years of horse hunting I used to carry a photo copy of the knots he showed to tie game onto a riding saddle.

Anyway, a cyber "plus 1" for the recommendation for Joe Backs wonderful book.

All the best to you in the upcoming week crossfire.

Dwayne

One good knot, a good line, and a good anchor...it's all you need sometimes!

On second look, I see that!

That double braid is nice.

There is tons of stuff online about knots, and about any bookstore has illustrated books in the outdoors/climbing/sailing section.

I have one of the older originals of this book by Cyrus L. Day:



There are books that have the illustrations in color that make it easier to follow.



Good "thead"!

Spectra, maybe?

Have not bought any rope since the day my rope making machine arrived. Store bought is for sissies!

Amazing what constitutes "paracord"

US Military issue paracord is specified by MIL-C-5040H in six types: I, IA, II, IIA, III, IV.[2] Types IA and IIA are composed solely of a sheath without a core. Type III, a type commonly found in use, is nominally rated with a minimum breaking strength of 550 pounds, thus the sobriquet "550 cord".

The US military specification for paracord outlines a number of parameters to which the final product must conform. Although it contains specific denier figures for the sheath strands and inner yarns, there are no overall diameter requirements for the cord itself. Below is a table of selected elements from the specification.

Chart here describing the types. It didn't C&P well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/550_cord


Genuine MIL-SPEC MIL-C-5040
Type III Paracord has 7 inner
yarns each made up of 3 strands.
Commercial 550 paracord imitations
may not have 7 inner yarns or the
inner yarns may not have 3 strands each.

I'm not 100% certain, but I'm thinkin' that our esteemed "Doc' Howell was one of Joe Back's running buddies.

There WAS a time or two when that book (or knowing what was in it) saved my bacon.

Funny, I don't know a single person still in possession of their "original Copy". Fire, Flood , and Stompede,....Hell, I'm on my fifth or sixth.

Hey,.....did I send you a copy of "Old Wolfville" ?

GTC

Back in the 50s when I first went in the army I saw a sfc break a papachute cord with his bare hands, had I not seen it I would not beleived it could be done.

crossfire;
Thanks for the reply sir, I appreciate it.

Well if I've done everything correctly with my brand new Amazon account that there should now be a "good used" copy of Joe Back's book heading my way from a dealer up here in Canada.

As a point of interest, the hardcover books are much, much cheaper than the softcover, which started at close to $100.

Lastly sir, no I wasn't the recipient of "Old Wolfville", but I'll have to see what I can find out about it now!

Again, I hope you have a great upcoming week crossfire.

Dwayne

Ask Terry Lee,... or some of the other Black Powder . Sharps Rifle miscreants here,....that's all you need to know about "Old Wolfville",......for the time being.

Of course, YOUR copy won't turn up 'til ya' PM me yer Mailing Addy.

GTC

HA! You waitin' on a tide swing, swimming, or using another dinghy to get to that one?

I still have my original copy - an '87 vintage (24th printing) with a Walker's stamp inside.

It's my Smoke book that is avoiding me for now.

Funny.

I just came across a copy of HH&RT that our library was discarding and I picked up at the library book sale a couple of years ago.

This one is a '59 version (10th printing).

I've had two of Smoke's books fall apart on me. Glue on the binding let go.

On a ship, rope is what they make lines from... raw form is still rope.

Old Wolfville is a great read and VERY interesting. Might need to pick it up again and start it over with a little "nose paint" on the side!!!!!!

I mess with ratchet straps way more often than rope. Cuss them a lot, too.

[bleep] you! I'm not the rope toting Charlie Bronson wannabe that's getting us [bleep] lost!

Hey Scott -- sounds like a reason to post one of your inimitable photo series!

It is very unlikely that I would ever make my own rope, but I enjoy the heck out of many of your other posts so please consider posting a "how to make your own rope" thread!

John

Thanks for the tip. Most of my knots are GG and hatchets.

This is all I have for now. I needed a truck rope so I got out the rope machine and hooked it to the back of my truck. This rope is made from 24 strands of 110 pound knot strength poly bailing twine and is about 5/16 inch diameter.

Scott........how about a rope tutorial????

I am 750 miles away from home. Give me a while to get home and I will do a step by step with pictures. It is real easy and a lot of fun. I have made it from 1/4 inch to 3 inch.

What percentage of pickups do you suppose have a at least one rope in them?

Bailing twine, the natural kind. Bought a roll of it at a farm store over a decade ago (cheap and on sale no less) and still using it. 1001 uses where strength isn't important. And it's treated against rot so ideal in the garden. Holds any kind of knot, even a granny.

Mine always do - along with a good stout length of chain.

Way cool, Scott. Count me as one who'd love to learn more as you're able. Safe trip home.

mule tape is handy

Thanks Scott.

bailing wire is also a must have in the truck.

Here you go. I use these to help with the cub scouts.

http://www.animatedknots.com/

http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/

I try to always have 8-10' feet of 5/16" chain in the Toyota at all times.

Attempting to board the skiff when it's rollicking like that would only get one's chops busted more than likely. I was glad the 40 pound Danforth anchor had been pulled into the mud all summer or she might have dragged tied as short as she was. We have a 3-5 foot tidal swing once each day most of the time so waiting is l-o-o-o-ng if you use that method. Dinghy is usual, (though I have been known to use the oceanic birth control method to board on occasion. )

I was being sarcastic, friend. I also know you'd have to have had a hefty anchor, even for that small rig. It's wearing what appears to be a Honda 4 stroke. 3-5 once each day, huh?

Interesting. We get two, from 9'-11'. If that skiff were anchored here, it'd have stayed there. What, with all the water holding in it holding it tight to bottom...

Yep on the four, a 90 Honda; great little motor and perfect for that 19 foot skiff. I had previously used a dozer sprocket for a secure semi-permanent anchor in that cove at our camp, but the ice came early one fall and it got dragged come the next spring. Our little 'hook' has good protection from all but one direction, but even then, sometimes we get a pretty good 'roll' in our anchorage.

No fun sticking a boat on an ebb tide out on the delta of a big muddy like the Yukon. You can walk for miles.

Not as often as it should be but perhaps it will gain popularity in the near future.

I've got a deck of Knot playing cards. They make good gifts...

Mule Tape.

Use it for a haul line to lft guns/gear into a stand, for dragging deer, for pulling out stuck 4-wheelers, for hanging deer to butcher, pulling cars out of the ditch and pretty much everthing else.

Those are two books I've been searching for over here for years.
You just can't get them in ANY book store in New Zealand, even our national library doesn't have them.

Right on. Lots of places here you can duck into if you've got a mooring--of whatever flavor--and most of them are OK on the ball or hook, but inside, the tide must be minded.

These boys, commercial clammers, came in on the ebb to mine bivalves. At full flood, the clam flats and the skiffs you see in the mud there are under ten feet or better of the Atlantic.



Stuck, and miles from where you want to be? I've NEVER, EVER, EVER been in that predicament. Almost never. Which is about 6 times too many. How do you say 'I hate myself and this farking death march from Hades in the demon sucking mud' in the local tongue?

poof

Awwwwww those were funny pics.
Although they wouldn't have been funny for the boat owner.

Nope. Or for the other three guys bear hunting with him. Trust me, I know. I was one of them. 100 miles is a long walk...

Used to be an older guy that sold rope remnants from his van at the junction of Hwy 49 and 119 a few years back. I don't think I ever went by that I did not stop and buy something. Got enough hemp to hang congress. Hope I get to use it.

Ouch, I bet you wished you could make the guy who anchored it so short go Poof.

Nah. He was the first man to take me under his wing, as it were, suffer me my ignorance and take me hunting so-called big game. Killed a bear with him in SE AK, my first animal bigger than a goose. I'll forever be grateful to him, and have a great deal of respect for him.

That said, I think he learned a lesson about the folly/dangers of insufficient scope, and double hooks (he chose to anchor both bow and stern, in a tidal estuary with a 17 foot tide). Oops.

Well because of that we will forgive him.
He sounds like he must be a real good guy.