Reply to: Two knots worth knowing

[d000hg]

So much friction though that once I stopped pulling everything stays in place, without needing to tie it off.

Yeah that was the reason we all bought fancy ropes, also normal rope lasts about 5 minutes before the friction wears through.
We used one that was basically the inside part of a spectra rope, i.e no outer covering - super tough, super slippery.

[TimberWolf]

The type of dinghy I used to sail had strict rules against using pulleys (to stop people spending £100s on posh stuff) so people came up with all kinds of rope-based alternatives involving exotic rope materials. The knots weren't interesting but you got 8-1 which made a massive difference when it was windy.

Heh. I've just tried a modification of that trucker's hitch (the variant shown in the video). But instead of doubling back once to a loop back up the rope, I doubled up further 5 times through that loop. And it seems to work. At least as far as I could tell, as my furniture started moving. So much friction though that once I stopped pulling everything stays in place, without needing to tie it off.

[d000hg]

The type of dinghy I used to sail had strict rules against using pulleys (to stop people spending £100s on posh stuff) so people came up with all kinds of rope-based alternatives involving exotic rope materials. The knots weren't interesting but you got 8-1 which made a massive difference when it was windy.

[TimberWolf]

One of our climbing instructors mentioned something like that. Just the pulley arrangement - there wasn't a special knot for it - we have karabiners for that sort of thing. But it did take me ages to understand what he was getting at and I distinctly remember the "A-mazing!" moment in my 16-year-old hadn't-got-far-with A-Level-physics-yet head.

Useful on local authority-funded climbing days, so a skinny ragged kid can safely belay an elephant-child, apparently

Basically if you're pulling out more rope than the rope is shortening (if that makes sense), then you have a mechanical advantage, ignoring frictional losses. The same amount work is expended overall (energy used) as without any mechanical advantage, but where it is present the force is less, spread over a longer distance. At least for the puller. For the doubled up (or more) rope part, the distance moving is less, but with a greater force, usually spread between more than one loop of rope. A bit like a lever, where one end moves over a great arc and the other end over a smaller one.

[thunderlizard]

Just found another interesting knot. This one provides mechanical advantage, like a pulley. A-mazing.

Trucker's hitch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One of our climbing instructors mentioned something like that. Just the pulley arrangement - there wasn't a special knot for it - we have karabiners for that sort of thing. But it did take me ages to understand what he was getting at and I distinctly remember the "A-mazing!" moment in my 16-year-old hadn't-got-far-with A-Level-physics-yet head.

Useful on local authority-funded climbing days, so a skinny ragged kid can safely belay an elephant-child, apparently

[OrangeHopper]

One-handled bowlines also useful when you have to tie it around your waist while in the ocean. There's a way of doing it in about 1 second but I never learnt it.
Fishing knots are a bit weird, the blood knot - is that the half-hitch but with extra wrap(s)?

I quite like the sheetbend for tying two ropes together, IIRC it's actually basically a bowline if you look at it right, though I might be thinking of something else.

Splicing's quite interesting too if you're a nerd...

Yes, the blood knot is a half-hitch with extra turns. I recon the half-hitch is the knot I use most outside of fishing.

I got great pleasure recently tying my own fishing rigs. The tying of lasso knots to hooks with a knotless knot, for pellet or floater fishing, gave me a very perverse sense of joy.

[TimberWolf]

(scout leader alert)

Highway man's hitch is cool and it impresses cubs and scouts for a few seconds.

I have a monkey's fist tied onto my car keys with a figure-of-eight which means that I always have a little bit of rope.

For anyone wondering what they look like:



Looks compact.

Caution: Avoid the temptation to weight the core with a hard, heavy object that can convert a useful knot into a potentially lethal missile.

[Ignis Fatuus]

One-handled bowlines also useful when you have to tie it around your waist while in the ocean. There's a way of doing it in about 1 second but I never learnt it.
Fishing knots are a bit weird, the blood knot - is that the half-hitch but with extra wrap(s)?

I quite like the sheetbend for tying two ropes together, IIRC it's actually basically a bowline if you look at it right, though I might be thinking of something else.

Splicing's quite interesting too if you're a nerd...

I like a Spanish whipping.

[d000hg]

I can tie a bowline one handed. The idea being that you can be rescued when you are stranded halfway up a cliff face with a broken arm. The problem is I would be stuffed if I broke my right arm because I can't tie it with my left.

Knots I regularly use while fishing: blood knot, half-blood knot, grinner, water knot, lasso, knotless and palomar.

One-handled bowlines also useful when you have to tie it around your waist while in the ocean. There's a way of doing it in about 1 second but I never learnt it.
Fishing knots are a bit weird, the blood knot - is that the half-hitch but with extra wrap(s)?

I quite like the sheetbend for tying two ropes together, IIRC it's actually basically a bowline if you look at it right, though I might be thinking of something else.

Splicing's quite interesting too if you're a nerd...

[RasputinDude]

(scout leader alert)

Highway man's hitch is cool and it impresses cubs and scouts for a few seconds.

I have a monkey's fist tied onto my car keys with a figure-of-eight which means that I always have a little bit of rope.

[TimberWolf]

I'd like to know a knot that stops me getting pissed, downloading the William Hill Casino and losing £500 on ******* roulette table they have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a little reaserch, I found this. But sadly on closer examination, this one won't stop you losing your load either. NSFW (but not too rude). Nice arse.

[MarillionFan]

I'd like to know a knot that stops me getting pissed, downloading the William Hill Casino and losing £500 on ******* roulette table they have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TimberWolf]

Just found another interesting knot. This one provides mechanical advantage, like a pulley. A-mazing.

Trucker's hitch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good video of one variant of it which is easy to make here

With this knot you can create a really taut line, so I have connected my wardrobe to a door handle with some nylon string and now have a guitar. This guitar plays quite a high pitched note, but alas as I don't know music I cannot say which key it is playing. I'd say around 2000 Hz.

In case you ask, I have been out today.

[Dearnla]

Two famous Notts

Sir John Nott - Intelligence Squared
Metropolitan Police Service - History - Sir John Nott-Bower

[minestrone]

I thought it was so you could hang onto the cliff with one (non-broken) arm and tie it with the other hand. So as long as you can switch your holding arm you'll still be OK.


Prussiking is great fun. Are you a twice-round or a three-times-round man?

My all-time favourite is the double fisherman's. Tied all my finals papers together with this little beauty:


But I still have great affection for my childhood sweetheart, the Highwayman's Hitch.

never been brave enough to use the Prusik. Next time I am in a lift that breaks down...

The highwayman's hitch was probably the first knot I learned. You feel clever slipping the know with the lose end.