Make Your Own Gear: Tarp Guylines

[Benjamin Smith]

Companion forum thread to:

Make Your Own Gear: Tarp Guylines

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Eric

> I did notice that the nylon mason's line I bought at Home Depot was lower quality than other lines I have that came with gear. The weave is not as tight, it snags more easily, it's more slippery & stretchier (although this seems helpful as a guyline) and as you mentioned it stretches a lot when wet.
Yeah, that's the stuff!

> My tarp is nylon so I'd have to tighten it even if the lines didn't stretch, and with the prusiks it's very easy to adjust,
I have this pic of my tunnel tent in a sheltered spot in the snow. It wasn't that cold when I pitched the tent, but it was cold overnight. In the morning the guy lines were all slightly loose … Fortunately, it was a sheltered spot.

> I'd like to pick up some dacron fishing / kite line, but I haven't come across it or bothered to order it.
Most any kite store – plenty on the web.

> It would take care of the stretching, is hollow braided so > it can make knotless endloops, & would probably work with > friction hitches.
I wouldn't guarantee that! The kite line I use does NOT take friction hitches – few of the modern synthetics will. They are too hard.

[Eric Stechmann]

Braided Dacron is very strong, ties better knots and is less expensive.

I am proud of my guyline bowlines, but that's before I used the "finger trap" method.

I bought from BassPro a woven dacron deep-sea fishing line that is 100 lbs tensile strength, very small in diameter and works knots well. I used the method of stringing the cord through 2.5 inches of the core about 2 feet up from the steak. Under tension, it works like a Chinese Finger Trap to hold the interior-threaded cord very tightly. You can then use it to tighten the cord or loosen as needed. No knots, no devices. SUL…cool

-Eric Stechmann

[Eric Smith]

That's the type of line I wanted to try. Does it work with a prusik?

[Roger Caffin]

> I bought from BassPro a woven dacron deep-sea fishing line that is 100 lbs tensile strength, very small in diameter and works knots well. I used the method of stringing the cord through 2.5 inches of the core about 2 feet up from the steak. Under tension, it works like a Chinese Finger Trap to hold the interior-threaded cord very tightly.

Very neat, so I tried it on my 0.5 mm kite line (Dacron or Dyneema, not sure which). It held nicely at a low load, but eventually as the load was increased it started to slip. Once the slip started the grip relaxed and the two bits slid apart quickly. PITY!

Cheers

[Jim Colten]

I'd like to pick up some dacron fishing / kite line

Eric,

Buying online you'll pay as much for the minimum shipping/handling fee as for a spool of 100lb kite line. I'm within walking distance of a kite store and have picked up 500ft spools of 100lb and 250lb (both dacron) … more than a lifetime supply.

If you are looking for something to try I can send you 50ft at my cost plus postage plus paypal fee.

PM me your email addr if interested.

[Bill Giles]

I have been making whoopie slings for tieouts and endless loops for prussik knots from braided mason's cord. I have adapted the whoopie sling instructions found here:

http://www.samsonrope.com/Pages/SpliceInstructions.aspx

I use the locked brummel eye splice and modified it to make endless loops. I find that 13" of mason's cord will produce a 4" long endless loops. I embed 2" of cord in the mason's line after making the lock. For an endless loop, that would be 2" each end. I use needles similar to those mentioned in the article. When I finish the splices, the ends are embedded in the mason's line. I have been making eye splices in Dyneema rope for some time and realized that the same techniques could be applied to much smaller single braid cords. It was kind of a challenge to see what I could make from mason's line. The locked brummel (I've no idea where the name came from)has made it much easier and less time consuming to make splices. My Dyneema eyes are lock stitched, which is why I got the mason's line to begin with. Eight strand and 12 strand braided lines are easy to splice with the right tools and I've made several sets from knitting needles. I use a bit of package sealing tape to fasten the cord to the knitting needle and pull the cord through itself. 1/8" through 3/16" cord can easily be made into whoopie slings and endless loops for hammock suspensions and ridgelines with knitting needle tools. I cut them to standard fid length, which is 21 diameters, or to around 4 fid lengths to be able to pull the cord through in one step. All of the terms and methods are explained in the Samson rope splicing instructions. I haven't tested my guy lines to failure, but I am confident that they will be strong enough.

[Daniel Pittman]

Brion Toss wrote a book called 'The Complete Rigger's Apprentice' and I find it indispensable when I need to splice rope. Pretty useful section on knots as well.

[Roger Caffin]

Now, once you have mastered the ancient art of splicing rope, it is time to move on to the next level.
Now try putting an eye splice in 1/2" 3-strand steel cable!

Yes, 'they' used to do that, before high pressure crimps came in.

Cheers

[Daniel Pittman]

I've never had the *pleasure* of splicing steel cable; all the standing rigging on my sailboat used swaged fittings. However, I did all the splicing on the running rigging by hand, including the 3-strand to chain-link backsplice Brion teaches in his book. Used that one on my anchor rode. I lived on my boat in San Diego, tied to a mooring ball with a view of the barque 'Star of India'. Talk about splicing!

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