Dietley,

The first respondant from the survey was Samson this evening. They even timely addressed your question about pitch.

From Samson on general cleaning:

Our general recommendations are to use soap & warm water and lightly rub the rope (either with hands or rub the rope against itself (lightly!)) - Never use abrasive brushes to scrub.


The other part of the email from Samson on removing pitch:


We generally recommend trying some of the general household tricks for removing sap, such as butter or mayonnaise, before trying any harsh chemicals. However, if these don't work, you can also try WD-40 (but be sure to wash the residual WD-40 off the rope with soapy water since it can leave a slippery film on the rope). If this still doesn't work, let me know and we can try and come up with some other cleaners that would be safe for the rope.



I would be tempted to try a cooking oil before before WD-40. Hint: (partially)/ hydrogenated oils are a main component of mayonaise and butter. Another household product to test would be peanut butter. It has partially hydrogenated oil with the oil loving particulates of peanuts which could provide an absorbing substrate for the pitch. Oil absorbs oil the best. Pitch, though sticky, is a natural oil. Pitch would prefer dissolving in oil over contact with the fairly inert polyester surface of the rope.

Regards,
JimK

I too climb a lot of Doug firs, in addition to pondies, and often get pitch on my hands and hair. In addition to WD-40, mayo and peanut butter, I've heard of using witch hazel, bacon grease, and lard. Wouldn't recommend them, though.

I prefer a little alcohol. I also prefer to use alcohol in removing pitch. If I'm up a tree, I just grab an alcohol wipe out of my first aid kit and it works great. I couldn't comment on whether it would be OK for polyester rope, although literature I've read indicates it's OK for nylon.

I wash my ropes, after daisy chaining them, with Woolite or Ivory Snow and cold water. I'll line dry them after first putting throw rugs, thick towels or mats over the line to prevent abrasion.

This is to share a washing procedure that was successful (no pitch involved)

5-gal Pail
Fill 3 gal cold water
1 cap full of Woolite
150 ft of Fly
Hand plunge 3 minutes
Soak 20 minutes
Hand plunge 6 minutes
Dump water
Add new water as a rinse
Plunge 3 minutes
Repeat Rinse 3 times

If there was a tough spot, I used a coffee filter to rub it. Coffee filters are about the longest lasting paper product when wet and offer mild abraisive action.

Not very entertaining.

I'm not confident about my washer. I'm not sure if Fly and Maytag would enjoy each other.

Regards,
Jimk

Jim, be careful if your washer is a top-loader. If you daisy-chain your rope and it comes undone, the rope would get tangled around the agitator and you might destroy your washer and/or (worse yet!) your rope. If you put the rope into a mesh bag, maybe it would be okay, I don't know.

I think front-loaders are the only way to go with something like a rope, so I go to a laundromat and use a coin-operated one.

Part of the reason I'm so reluctant to use a top-loader is the fact that even in the front-loader without an agitator bashing things around, my Sportline daisy chain came undone, inside a mesh bag yet, and turned into a horrid tangle! I can only imagine how much worse it would have been with reciprocating mechanical paddles in the middle of the rat's nest!

Does anybody have any horror stories about ropes and washing machines?

No horror stories, but I have a top loading Kenmore that I've used on my Fly and assorted XTC and safety blue without incident. I use the gentle cycle during which the agitator barely moves. I've had the daisy chain come partly undone without problems. Tried using a garment bag a few times, but always had balancing problems. Guess it depends on the machine. The first few times, I watched over the washer and just watched how it went.

Hey guys, I just joined the forum. I'm a newbie at tree climbing but love it. I have a bunch of tall pine trees as well as some other trees in my yard and I hope to give them all a try.

I have been reading with interest about the slipping Blake's hitch because I have experienced the same thing with my new Samson Arbor Plex rope. Being new and still experiencing "height phobia", it really spooked me when it started slipping.

I was climbing with a friction saver and I realize that less friction between the rope and tree means more friction will be required by the knot. It's just when you read the "books", it's like you just tie this knot and it holds when it's supposed to hold and slips when it's supposed to slip. My knot seems to be confused about holding and slipping.

The problem may be that it's a new rope so it may go away. In the mean time, I presume the B-53 means five wraps, but is the three the number of bottom or top wraps?

Thanks,
Ron

Ron asked: "I presume the B-53 means five wraps, but is the three the number of bottom or top wraps?"

A 5-3 Blakes means that there are 5 wraps around the climbing rope; 3 of those wraps are BELOW where the tail of the rope exits the knot.
(A 4-2 Blakes is another common configuration.)

Patrick

Thanks Patrick.

I used the 4-2 on my new Arbor Plex and it slipped. I want to try the 5-3; it'll probably take care of the slipping problem.

Ron

Hello Ron Welcome to the TCI Site. I have Arborplex rope and when it was new ( like any rope) the knots slip a little. I now use a split tail all the time since it is better for my stile of climbimg. And since I am a gear crazy person I do a lot of SRT climbing. Your rope will get more supple and pliable and the Blakes will hold better in the next few climbs. Make sure you "dress" the knot properly before leaving the ground and you will be fine. Make sure the knots are properly tied for sure. Anyone can make a mistake from time to time and it is better to find out before you leave the ground.

Ron,

I climb on Arborplex sometimes. Not my favorite kind of line (I usually climb on New England Ropes Safety Blue - heavy but comfy and well-behaved), but for a while A-plex has been my only spare when climbing with others.

Even after A-plex breaks in it still squares off under load (like most other 12 strand ropes), and stays a bit stiff and squirrelly. However, I find that a 5/3 Blake's pretty much solves the slipping problem, and the stuff seems to be plenty strong enough.

I know I'm repeating what others have already said here, but I've never had a problem washing daisy chained ropes in my top loading washer. A little bit of mild soap (woolite is good) and it's like having a new rope again. Very easy!

For pitch or sticky sap (e.g. banyan) I've had luck massaging veggie oil into the affected parts and then washing in the machine like usual. I have heard experienced west coast climbers endorse some of the citrus solvents for removing pitch, as well.

CMI rescue gear make a rope washer that you can hook up to your garden hose or laundry room taps. Works VERY well for rinsing the rope.

www.cmi-gear.com/catalog/ropes/washer.asp



also most new ropes,(esp Kermantles) come with a factory applied lubricant , that is permeated thru the rope to lubricate the individual fibers. This is a leftover from the braiding process. After a wash or two this lubricant goes away on the surface, making for a non slippery rope.

Wow! I got behind on this. But, here's what I've found:

The Blake's hitch didn't perform so well in ArborPlex or my Velocity rope.

I have since switched to a Helical hitch and all slipping and sticking problems have gone away.

The Helical holds securely and slides freely when unloaded in both ArborPlex and Velocity. I use if for DRT tail and as the friction knot for my foot loops.

I was immensely impressed by the increase in performance of the Helical hitch over the Blake's hitch. The Helical breaks completely free when unloaded and pushed upwards from the bottom of the hitch. It's also easier to descend on - it's smoother and takes less effort to get it to break and start descending.

The Helical is my goto hitch now. I doubt there will be any turning back.

I guess this is in order too. I developed my own version of the bowline terminating knot for the Helical hitch that allows it to be tied with only one end of the rope and it can be finished off in a Mountaineer's stopper which orients the tail of the bowline straight down.
Helical hitch
a bit more close up

^ interesting Ron, (re blakes hitchon arborplex), i've had no problems with the blakes on the arborplex.

I wonder if maybe different batches of rope got more or less lubricant during the making proccess?

I have not heard of this Helical hitch.
Can this be used as a full replacement for the Blake’s hitch on DRT ?
Are they becoming popular in REC climbing?


Do I have the correct hitch here?

I would like to hear more about this which Ron had mentioned above.
Thanks for any input on this,
Electrojake