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Discussion => Wars, Weapons & Survival => Topic started by: netfreak on February 13, 2017, 12:46:55 am
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ROPE By James Watkins
ROPE fulfills a wide variety of purposes, both industrial and
recreational, and importantly this simple everyday implement also
provides a versatile survival tool to persons skilled in its use.
For example, in many disaster and rescue situations, sometimes
under the worst weather conditions, it frequently is some form of
rope harness or safety line that makes the saving of someone's
life possible. Knowing how to apply rope to crosscountry travel
also makes it possible to tackle extremely difficult if not
dangerous terrain obstacles. Thus, learning the composition and
behavior of cordage as well as correct knot tying, should be an
important aspect of family survival education. On both land and
sea there is a seemingly endless list of usage where rope achieves
its value as a tool. A person's proficient in knot tying, splicing,
weaving and coiling separates the seasoned ropeman from a rank
novice. The only way to acquire the skilled use of cordage is
with constant practice and practical everyday experience.
Therefore, to begin a deeper look into this subject, we will keep
all applications and physical conditions, particularly a wet
environment, in mind when describing knots and different aspects
of rope in general. Essentially cordage comes manufactured in
either wound or woven Samson line. These two basic types of line
are constructed from both organic and Space Age materials. For
any considered purpose, all possess varying merits and
weaknesses. Organic ropes, for example, include cotton and
manila varieties; and nylon, polyester, polypropylene and
polyethylene compose synthetics. As a last resort during a survival
emergent it's relatively simple to form a line of variable
strength from woodland or grassland plant fibers. The secret
of rope strength lies within its stretch and shock absorbent
capabilities. It's these factors that render it important to
wisely choose the correct line for a specific job in mind. In
simple terms, it would be near certain suicide for a mountain
climber to select cotton rope rather than time proven nylon line.
Now that we have discussed the basic materials utilized in rope
manufacturing, let us quickly look at the various strengths and
weaknesses in organic and synthetic lines. Cotton rope provides
the best cordage for use with horses and pack animals because it
offers adequate strength for the purpose and in general doesn't
cause rope burn if the animal becomes ensnared. However, the
glaring drawback to cotton is its limited strength, a tendency to
fray, plus a very short lived durability. Under no circumstances
should a person trust this kind of rope during a life threatening
situation. Manila rope is made from an Asian hemp plant called
jute which contains strong fibers that become the manufacturing
ingredient of the strongest available organic cordage. It was
manila which made up the mast and sail rigging of ships during
the age of sail, and this line still is respected as quality
rope. With proper block and tackle it works efficiently with
minimal friction. While a good supply of manila rope may be
desirable, this kind of cordage is subject to organic
deterioration, thus requiring careful maintenance to preserve its
strength and durability. Now we cover synthetic cordage, the by-
product of petroleum and chemical plastics. Nylon offers
excellent tensile strength, elasticity, and optimum durability.
This high performance plastic possesses a strength ratio of 3 or 4
to 1 over manila rope. What makes nylon so desirable is its
tremendous shock absorption capabilities, resistance to fraying
and rot, heat and acid, plus its almost total reliability as an
emergency survival rope. Mountaineering ropes, for example, are
woven from its incredibly strong synthetic As a second choice,
polyester offers a good quality rope. However, this line should be
considered only as a temporary alternative to nylon. Its primary
attributes feature tensile strength close to that of nylon, but
half the elasticity. Importantly both polyester and nylon retain
nearly their entire tensile strength when wet. Finally, only as a
last resort should a person consider polypropylene or
polyethylene rope. While this line does float and offers twice
the strength of manila, it frays easily and is stretch
resistant which results in poor shock absorption capabilities. This
synthetic also deteriorates rapidly in sunlight.Then, the least
desirable characteristic of this type of rope is that knots slip
and untie easily, a bad property when considering a rope for
emergency survival use.Fiber Rope - So far we've listed ropes
which are available commercially, but what do you do during an
on-the-spot emergency when that badly needed cordage isn't
available? Fortunately, unless the terrain scenario features a
bare desert, the world's plant kingdom provides the answer.
Fibers composes the basic ingredient for rope construction, and
three examples of natural cord making materials include tree bark,
vines, and grasses. Fibers can be twisted clockwise into yarns,
which in turn are twisted in reverse, counterclockwise, to make
plies. Then three plies once again are wrapped clockwise to
finally become a finished rope of variable strength. Indeed,
it's this clockwise, counterclockwise, and clockwise procedure
that creates the inherent strength of cordage. In fact, the
practical applications of primitive rope work can be seen in the
jungle cultures of Asia and South America where people lash
together homes, bridges, boats, and tools. Once you purchase an
expensive coil of rope it's necessary to handle it so the line is
properly maintained and always ready to use. At the same time a
patient attitude when working with a long cable will help prevent
a time consuming snarl problem. Like any tool requiring skilled
use there are correct disciplines to ropemanship competence.
The way rope naturally coils is in a right-laid or clockwise
manner. In fact a line should always be coiled in a clockwise and
circular spiral of loops, called bights, which in turn lay
slightly off set and on top of the last laid loop. The end result
should be a neatly coiled rope which will unravel or toss toward
a desired goal without snarling. Both the tail and lead ends
should be tied off with a clove hitch or other knot which securely
bonds the coil, yet simply unties in an emergency. Four important
mistakes should be avoided with a rope meant for survival
purposes. First and crucially, never reuse a rope which receives
a severe shock or stress to its strength. For instance,
mountaineers do not trust a climbing rope once it absorbs the
dead-weight impact of a falling climber. It's preferable to buy
another rope than risk your life. Second, don't coil a line
in a counterclockwise direction because this immediately
causes the line to kink, a problem difficult to correct once it
starts. Third, it's an absolute mistake to coil a rope around the
elbow and shoulder as is commonly seen among the inexperienced.
Finally, don't pull new line from a spool which lies on end;
the spool should be mounted horizontally so the cordage rolls
out in a flat manner. In the last three situations these common
mistakes remain responsible for the majority of snarl problems.
In simple terms, when an emergency arises and someone's life
is on the line there isn't time to play around with a clumsily
put together coil. Seamen, military and police personnel,
mountaineers, and just about anyone with experience know how to
coil and bind rope correctly. Also, a valued rope must be
stored and preserved against the elements when not in use. It's
best to hang a coil off the ground in a cool dry place out of the
sun. Knots - Now we come to an interesting subject in itself:
knots and why to use a particular cinch or hitch for a specific
purpose. All people should know how to tie as second nature
the bowline, sheet bend, clove hitch, double becket hitch, and
the carrick bend. These first class knots prove their
reliable strength plus easy handling in wet or freezing weather
conditions. However, in their proper place justice must also he
given to the square knot, two-half hitch, timber hitch, and the
square, diagonal, and shear lashings. Before going further into
knot tying it's crucial to say that the weakest spot in any rope
will be where a knot' is tied. The reliable bowline is among the
strongest and most trustworthy cinches possible. Its primary use is
in forming a temporary loop in a rope end and importantly the
knot won't slip yet easily unties when wet or frozen. This is
a general rule though and a cover single hitch should be added to
prevent accidental slippage when the bowline is used as a personal
safety line. The sheet bend proves valuable as a general
purpose knot, utilized for many situations when two ropes need to
be temporarily connected. However, the knot isn't too secure when
used with two different diameter lines in wet, freezing
conditions. A good example of the sheet bend in use is in
commercial fishing where tackle and groundline are laid for miles
connected in a continuous chain. Importantly the sheet bend is
quickly handled when wet or frozen, and it also withstands
tremendous pressure from industrial equipment and weight. Similar
to the sheet bend the double becket hitch is utilized primarily
when attaching one line to a bight or loop in another rope. This
superb knot results in great strength because of its extra loop
turn. It never slips when wet or frozen under load, yet easily
unties. The simple tied clove hitch provides a wonderful cinch
when used to moor a boat, or tie a safety line to shore. It
characteristically loosens a bit when not under pressure, but
binds down tight when force is applied against the knot. Easily
handled when wet, the clove hitch also is applied in tent pitching
and is an integral step to all lashing jobs. Then, the carrick
bend finishes this listing of knots to use in wet environments.
This incredibly strong cinch is the best possible knot for tying
together a tow line. Ships at sea use the carrick bend for
towing or tying together two mooring ropes. A person can almost
bet that a weak spot in the rope will break before this bend
gives. As described, the primary attributes to all these first
rate knots are their inherent reliability and great strength
under stress, plus the fact that these cinches do not jam under
wet environmental conditions. In contrast, there are a number of
knots, for example the reefknot, which will positively jam
when wet, thus rendering it necessary to cut a valuable and
expensive rope. This isn't to say these knots haven't value
elsewhere, but they shouldn't be applied during an emergency
under wet conditions. In concluding this description of knots it
remains valuable to learn a few hitches and lashes which become
useful in woodland work or camping situations. The simple two
half hitch offers a simple cinch that hunters and hikers
utilize to temporarily suspend game and equipment. A timber hitch
possesses the strength necessary to drag heavy timber, while it
also is quickly released when working conditions demand instant
actions. Finally, the square, diagonal, and shear lashings
provide the means to securely fasten together rafts, shelter,
heavy utility tripods, the terminal anchor work to a rope bridge,
and numerous other applications. As we can see, rope is an
extremely versatile survival tool; however, the subject only
begins to deepen at this point and can't be covered further in
this article. Book stores and your local library offer numerous
volumes of illustrated resource material about cordage in
detail. At this point the real hands-on learning can begin after
purchasing some quality manila or nylon rope. (This article was
optically scanned from : AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE / DECEMBER
1991) Subscription Information
American Survival Guide Subscription Dept.
2145 W. La Palma Ave Anaheim, CA 92801-1785
https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/survival/Rope.txt