Ropes

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What type of rope should I use, and what do I have to be aware of?

Hemp rope:
Until the mid-forties hemp rope was made of natural materials - hemp and manila, cotton, coco fibers or sisal fibers. Today the synthetic ropes are dominant. I have chosen to work mainly with hemp rope, because I think it looks really good against the skin and it gives really good rope marks *SS*.

Preparing and treatment of the hemp rope:
When you buy the hemp rope its usually not been treated in anyway. There can be small fiber threads sticking out and so on. These small threads can fasten to the skin of your sub, when you are tying him/her up, and stay like small splinters. This is not always so good in the "good" way afterwards *SS*.

To avoid all these fibers, and to make the rope more soft and supple you can use the following procedure:

01. Cut off the rope in the length you wish, and lace up the ends.

02. Let the rope slide through some rough cloth several times, while holding the cloth around it, so the largest threads are pulled off.

03. Tie the rope double around a pole, and make a series of self loosening knots in its entire length.

04. Turn the rope clockwise until its tight, and at the same time pull it towards you.

05. Repeat point 4, this time counterclockwise..

06. Again rub the rope with some rough cloth, to make the last threads "rise" up.

07. Press the rope together into a ball, and start knead until it turns soft.

08. Burn all the small threads off, using a camping-gas burner. Don't use a candle, because you then will be forced to hold the rope longer in the flame. Move the rope quickly back and forth above the gas flame, to avoid any damage on the rope.

09. Use a moist piece of cloth to clean the rope for soot and any burned leftovers from the threads

10. Let the rope dry, during the night. Preferably outside.

11. (Not necessary) You can give the rope some animal oil, i.e. mink oil. You have to make sure that the oil is pure without any additives, including petrochemicals. They will degrade the strength of the rope. Don't use olive oil, because the rope will smell rancid of it. Make sure the rope don't get to much oil. You can rub your hands in the oil, and let the rope run through your fingers.

12. Wipe the rope with a dry cloth.

13. Let the rope rest 1-3 days in a well ventilated room. You can place it outside, if its hanging in a dry place.

14. After this you can give the rope a last rubbing, and now you should end up with a nice supple and soft piece of hemp rope.

Sailors rope:
Or synthetic rope. Incredible strong, even in small diameters. But have the disadvantage that they often are very slippery, making the knot undo, if its not secured with a half-turn or a stop-knot.

Basics:
A rope with the diameter doubled, has 4 times more strength. But its not necessarily the strongest rope you should choose. Under some circumstances elasticity can be more important than strength. And its not necessary to use a 15 mm rope when a 6 mm rope is more than enough.

Don't buy rope with a too large diameter, or a rope which are to rigid. It will be difficult to make a good bondage, and knots might hold badly together. My experience are 6 mm for hemp rope and 6-10 mm for the sailors rope.

Joining knots:
Are used for joining the ends of 2 ropes, to produce a longer rope, or to join the ends from the same rope. To be sure the knot is safe, you should make sure the diameters of the ropes are the same. The only knot which are safe with 2 different diameters are the sheet bend.

Fastening knots:
Are used for fastening ropes to poles, hooks, rings and so on, or to another rope which already are a part of some fastening. Fastening knots cannot keep its shape by itself, it must have a load to keep it. They are often used by sailors for mooring, lashing and fastening, so it must be able to withstand a parallel load.

Fixed loops:
Are used to be placed over an object, opposite to the fastening knot which are being made around the object. The loops are made by taking the end parallel to the standing part end, making a bight, then fastening the end to the standing part. This makes the loop fixated and not movable.

Stopping knots:
This group of knots are often used to prevent the end of the rope to run through a loop or noose. Stopping knots can also be used for securing the end of the rope to prevent it to unravel. And as a last usage for decoration.