In our previous two knots in our Knot of the Week series, we showed you how to tie a Diamond Hitch and Artilleryman’s Loop. Today we’re going to show you how to combine these two knots for use as a tie down in a truck bed.
There were some comments in our Diamond Hitch article asking for a method to be able to use it with only four lashing points rather than the six our article required. Utilizing the Artilleryman’s Loop and some extra paracord, we’ll show you how to make this happen! [Read More…]
Our newest Knot of the Week features an intermediary step in what we’ll be showing you next week, which is a method requested in the comments of our last KOTW to use four points to secure a load
While the intent is to show this knot used in that, The Artilleryman’s Loop is a quick method for tying a loop on a bight. Tying this loop on a bight requires your line to be free of tension, as tension would make it difficult to pull the slack needed for tying this.
The Artilleryman’s Loop can be used for creating a tie-in point on a line or dragline, securing a third climber on a line or simply making a quick drop loop for attachments or adding tension to a lashing. [Read More…]
In our latest installment of the Knot of the Week, we’ll teach you how to tie the Diamond Hitch and explain what benefits it offers over traditional methods of securing a load.
What’s truly versatile about the Diamond Hitch is that once tied, it creates a diamond pattern in the center which not only is where its namesake comes from, but is what gives it the ability to compensate for the load shifting.
Whether being used to secure a load to a roof rack, truck bed or even a pack animal, the Diamond Hitch is definitely one to put into your knot tying toolbox. [Read More…]
Today’s Knot of the Week is a bit of a departure from our usual knots and is more of a paracord wrapping. What we’ll be demonstrating is wrapping a small hand sanitizer bottle, often referred to as a Germ Grenade.
We’re demonstrating this not to simply have a bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready, but to show the overall wrapping with a Solomon Bar and get you to see that you can realistically wrap just about any bottle or container using this method. [Read More…]
On today’s Knot of the Week, we’re going to go over instructions for creating your own Bola or Boleadora from natural fiber rope and a few golf balls for weighted cores. While we’ve gone over the Monkey’s Fist Knot in a previous KOTW, we’ve never show in quite like this.
Bolas throwing weapons were primarily used by South American Gauchos to capture/hobble running cattle or game, by utilizing an over-the-head swinging motion and releasing it on target. While I’m sure our readers could come up with a multitude of uses for these, one could come in handy in case of Zombies! [Read More…]
This isn’t a bracelet to relive the 80s, simply a different take on the standard Solomon Bar Paracord Bracelet that resembles a DNA strand.
Funny enough, this knot is what happens when you don’t tie a standard Solomon Bar, or a Cobra Knot for some of you out there, the right way. You’re left with a twisted pattern that actually makes a neat design.
We wanted to not only highlight the Twisted Solomon Bar with this week’s Knot of the Week, but to also demonstrate an alternative method of closure on a paracord bracelet with a loop and Lanyard Knot. This closure can be used for any type of paracord bracelet. [Read More…]
Making a Fast Rope for Climbing has certainly been a fun project to undertake for our Knot of the Week!
Today we’ll be demonstrating the last steps in completing your rope, which are whipping and fusing the bitter end. Whipping and Fusing are traditionally methods to prevent a rope from unraveling and to stop fraying. We’re essentially using these techniques in the same way on our Fast Rope, to strengthen and protect the end.
The reason we chose to terminate the Fast Rope in this fashion is that in reading the Mil-Spec for Fast Rope construction, it distinctly mentions that “The free end shall be seared and whipped.” Seared is just another word for fused and fusing is actually the proper terminology. [Read More…]
Today we continue our KOTW Lashing series with the Diagonal Lashing.
The Diagonal Lashing is “diagonal” because it’s used to bind poles that cross each other at a 45° to 90° angle. Binding poles together in this way will prevent racking and add stability, thus preventing them from moving apart.
A Diagonal Lashing can replace a Square Lashing (which is stronger), but not vice-versa. [Read More…]
Continuing with our Lashings on the Knot of the Week, today we’ll be looking at the Round Lashing and discussing the variations and uses.
The Round Lashing is commonly used to lash up triangular A-frames of poles for rigging a block and tackle. If joining timber poles is what you’re after, like in creating a flag pole, you’ll want to exclude the frapping turns to secure the poles tightly to each other.
You’ll often see this lashing referred to as a Shear Lashing or Seizing, which we’ve gone over previously on the KOTW. We like to keep things simple and refer to this as a Round Lashing that you can use with or without the center frapping turns.
Two of these lashings can also be used for further security when joining poles. If what you’re joining will be weight-bearing, you’ll need to use a Square Lashing which is designed to hold weight. Think of the Round Lashing as what to use on the horizontal floor of the levels in a structure or the slats on a raft. [Read More…]
In today’s Knot of the Week, we’ll be showing you how to use common seizing to join two parallel pieces of rope.
Seizing can be a great alternative to knotting or splicing, but is not as strong as a dedicated splice. For instance, in the article demonstration we’ll be creating an eye with our seizing. While a good method, it’s nowhere near as strong as a splice.
Terminology can get a bit tricky as this appears to be a lashing, but lashings are typically defined as the joining or binding of timbers. While seizing even starts the same way as a lashing, with a Clove Hitch, they’re technically different.
Another nugget of terminology here is that the last turns through the center of this seizing are referred to as Frapping.
[Read More…]
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