52 Prepper’s Projects for Parents and Kids

PROJECT 51

WHIPPING ROPE AND TYING KNOTS

Being able to use rope efficiently is more than an old-time pioneer skill. Proper knots are distinguished by their ability to hold when needed, release easily when needed, and not reduce the strength of the rope any more than required.

While everyone can tie “granny” knots and bend rope around, the ability to know and use the right knot for the right use is a pleasure and is a testament to skill and professionalism.

In this project we will show how to prevent rope ends from unraveling by whipping the ends, as well as prepare for the last project in the book by showing how to tie some common knots. They are:

• Square knot

• Clove Hitch

• Tautline Hitch

• Bowline

While there are hundreds of specialty knots, I find I can do most every common task with just these four knots.

While not as common, we will also show a timber hitch as it is used in diagonal lashing.

Before we get into the knots, let’s prepare our practice rope by whipping the ends so that they do not unravel.

Material:

• Rope

• Thread

Tools:

• Knife

Procedure:

1. Loop the end of a 2 foot piece of thread, string, or twine—in knot tying terms, a loop is called a bight.

1.1. One end of the bight should be just a little longer than the distance you want to whip, so that the majority of your string is on the other end of the bight.

2. Lay your bight against the end of the rope you wish to whip, and the bight should be parallel to the rope.

3. While holding the bight against the rope, and starting near the end of the short end of your string loop, take the long end of string and wrap it around the rope.

4. Keep the wrap tight and continue to wrap the string neatly until the wraps are roughly equal to the diameter of the rope you are whipping.

5. Reeve the end of the twine through the eye of the bight. This means thread the loose end of the twine you are wrapping through the loop sticking out from your wraps.

6. Pull on the end of the twine that is extending beyond the end of the rope until the bight at the free end of the twine is pulled under and to the mid point of the wrappings.

7. Finish the whipping by cutting off the ends of the twine.

Now for the knots. . . .

Square Knot

The square knot is probably the best known knot. It is easy to tie and is useful for low strain ties.

The knot is popular among sailors, climbers, and gift wrappers for its convenience and ease of tying.

One of the simplest knots available, the square knot nevertheless proves plenty strong for most casual applications.

What I like best about it is that if you grab one rope ends that are not under strain, and pull it back toward the knot, a properly tied square knot will untie itself. Unfortunately, this makes it unreliable for climbing.

Tying the Square Knot:

1. Take two ropes and lay the right-hand rope over the other.

2. Wrap the right-hand rope under the left-hand rope.

3. Bring the right-hand rope back over the left-hand rope.

4. Bring the original right-hand rope over the other rope.

5. Pull the original right-hand rope under the other rope.

6. Pull on both ends firmly to tighten.

Clove Hitch

A clove hitch is used to tie a rope to a cylindrical object (like a fence post or tree), this makes it essential for lashing (tying timbers together to build useful items), but be aware that it is unreliable when tied on a square post.

It is also useful to know that that if you feed the rope in from either end the knot will loosen—making it adjustable.

Basically it is just two half-hitches tied in a row

Tying the Clove Hitch:

1. To tie a clove hitch at the end of a rope, pass the end around the pole starting at the right, with the end coming around below.

2. Put the end around in the same direction to cross over the standing end to be above the first loop.

3. As the end comes around, put it under itself to be over the standing end.

4. Check that both ends are in the middle, emerging in opposite directions.

5. Pull to tighten.

When pulled tighter, the rope passing over itself binds it in place.

Tautline Hitch

Since it can be slipped to tighten or loosen a line, and it also holds well under load, the tautline hitch is a great knot for camping.

This knot is most often used to attach lines to tents and tarps, but it is also used on occasion to tie down loads on trailers.

Tying the Tautline Hitch:

1. Make a turn around a post or other object several feet from the free end.

2. Coil the free end twice around the standing line working back toward the post.

3. Make one additional coil around the standing line on the outside of the coils just made.

4. Tighten the knot and slide it on the standing line to adjust tension.

Bowline

Anytime you tie a knot in a rope you reduce its strength through bending; the better the knot, the less strength you lose, and a properly tied bowline retains about 65 percent of its strength.

Because a bowline retains a good bit of the rope’s natural strength, the Federal Aircraft Administration uses it to tie down light aircraft. More importantly, the bowline is commonly used as a rescue knot for conscious individuals that fell into holes or off cliffs. I even have a video on my YouTube channel that shows how a person can tie a bowline with one hand in the event they are injured and have a rope thrown down to them.

Tying the Bowline:

1. Lay the rope across your left hand with the free end hanging down.

2. Form a small loop in the line in your hand.

3. Bring the free end up to and pass through the eye from the under side.

4. Wrap the line around the standing line and back down through the loop.

5. Tighten the knot by pulling on free end while holding standing line.

Timber Hitch

The timber hitch is used to secure a rope around a post or any cylindrical object. It does not jam or slip, no matter how heavy the load, and is easy to tie and untie.

Tying the Timber Hitch:

1. Pass the working end of a rope around the object and take a turn around the standing part.

2. Tuck the working end back around itself three times with the lay of the rope.

3. Add one or two half hitches near the hauling end for hoisting and to keep load from twisting.

Lessons Learned:

This particular project is of lifetime use. I learned knots as a preteen, and use them all the time. It is nice to know how to use the proper tool for the right use. This project provides a good time to discuss why using proper techniques is important, and that it is okay to have pride in doing a job the right way.