Nylon sling outcome

We used to use BIG rope offshore for towing bridles and tie up lines. The real seamen would do an eye splice, but noobs would just put a bowline in it, and tie off the end. This DID make a huge heavy wet knot to throw, though.

I have seen knots in 5" nylon line come down so hard that it melted the fibers. I have seen 5" nylon line part, and it does so with an explosive sound, a cloud of millions of nylon fibers, and flying wet heavy rope. One such recoiling line went back to the barge and wiped out all the antennas on the front of the barge and half of the helicopter deck. There was no one out front at the time, as was standard practice. It would have killed them. The other end shot back at the ocean going tug, and blew out some windows in the wheelhouse. Again, luckily, the hand at the wheel saw it coming and ducked just in time, and no one was injured. There was always a rule while towing regarding where you could and could not be. Once you saw something like that, no one had to remind you, and newbies saw that the old salts weren't just spinning tall tales to scare them.

Using straps and ropes to pull and haul things is entirely possible. But the price paid is broken fibers, weak points, and seized knots. It is good to examine what the future use of the item will be when making knots in them. I had a nylon sling with a slip hook on each end. I pulled one of the slip hooks off, so just tied it back on with a bowline, knowing I would never be able to get it untied, and hoping that I wouldn't. It is still good.

Any good rigger will tell you that making bends and tying knots are useful practices, but sometimes they don't work perfectly.

Steve

EVERYONE should be able to make a 'bowline' with their eyes closed and make it quickly.

I was a diver. There were lots of knots and hookups we had to do in the dark. I can tie a bowline behind my back.

I call it a behind the back bowline. Similar to a dragging bowline. ;-)

Steve

buffalo wrote in article ...

Why?

I never work with ropes.

I believe everyone should be able to rebuild an engine and transmission.

Are you joking?

I can rebuild an engine. I can rebuild a transmission.

However, those are not everyday things that a person would do or even want to do, in many cases.

Knots, especially the bowline, should be taught in school whether you work with ropes or Knot.

Also the timber hitch, the clove hitch, the sheet bend and the square knot (so you don't end up with a granny fifty percent of the time...)

Look at people's shoes (the ones that they have to tie).

You'll see more than 50% use granny knots - the loops lie up-and-down.

On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 11:48:51 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, snipped-for-privacy@NOSPAM.hfx.andara.com quickly quoth:

Interesting.

I don't recall anyone ever telling that to me before, and I'll bet that 99% of parents don't think of granny vs. square when teaching their children to tie their shoes. I'll have to check that out.

.-. Life is short. Eat dessert first! ---

This is intresting. I only ever saw one person tie a shoe with the loops up-down (as opposed to sidewise). He told me when I ask, something about tuxes and shoes. ??BS?? It was a result of going CCW instead of CW with the string. He even demonstrated. In any event it probably dosent matter any more most kids can't tie shoes now. I know most high school kids don't know what CW and CCW mean. :-) ...lew...

The problem with kids nowadays is they won't do as told. They ask why. Ok - let that crane hook hit you in the head - I told you once... ;-) Martin Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Endowment Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot"s Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

Lew Hartswick wrote:

I agree. These knots and more will be used in everyday life at one time or another.