Rope walk problems

Don Case

Don Case

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I'm trying to make large rope for the main and fore stay. I'm using Serafil Tex70. I had already made the mainstay and it seemed to have spun up nicely. It is 3 strands of 6 threads. I then spun up the fore stay, it is 3x5. It worked fine. As I held it up to the mainstay I noticed that I had spun the mainstay the wrong way, it was S instead of Z. So I started to spin a 3x6 Z rope as replacement. It won't work. I get knots in what looks like one thread of each strand. It knots up as I'm putting in the first twist, like before I run the bobbin down. I tried more tension in the moveable head and that didn't work. I double checked to make sure all the threads were the same length and all the threads are hanging in nice compact bundles before I start spinning. So in a nutshell what I've got is, 3x5 Z works fine, 3X6 S works fine but 3x6 Z knots up. The Serafil thread comes with a Z twist so I know that I have to untwist to twist a Z rope but it works with 3x5 Z. Anyone have any similar problems?
 
I just went out and double checked the last one I did and it is actually fine. I guess it just felt rough because of it size. So It looks like it was just uneven tension in a few threads. I've not had this problem before so it's looking like it's more critical as the rope size goes up and the initial twist of the thread seems to have something to do with it.
Anyway it looks like a non problem, I just have to be more careful with the the thread tension.
 
My brain is mush. I think still have the problem. The one I checked was spun S. I guess I left the reverse switch in the wrong position. I'm going to try again. Just thought I'd update this in case anyone is paying attention :confused:
 
OK. The problem is still a problem but it's not an issue at the moment. It turns out that stays are usually cable laid so I had the main stay correct in the first place. I made up some 3x5 S for the fore stay. So since there is nothing bigger than the main stay, I'm golden. I think the cables are are made of multiple ropes so I'll cross that bridge later.
PS I would still like to hear if anyone else had a similar problem with twisting large ropes. It seems strange to me.
 
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Don Case said:
I'm trying to make large rope for the main and fore stay. I'm using Serafil Tex70. I had already made the mainstay and it seemed to have spun up nicely. It is 3 strands of 6 threads. I then spun up the fore stay, it is 3x5. It worked fine. As I held it up to the mainstay I noticed that I had spun the mainstay the wrong way, it was S instead of Z. So I started to spin a 3x6 Z rope as replacement. It won't work. I get knots in what looks like one thread of each strand. It knots up as I'm putting in the first twist, like before I run the bobbin down. I tried more tension in the moveable head and that didn't work. I double checked to make sure all the threads were the same length and all the threads are hanging in nice compact bundles before I start spinning. So in a nutshell what I've got is, 3x5 Z works fine, 3X6 S works fine but 3x6 Z knots up. The Serafil thread comes with a Z twist so I know that I have to untwist to twist a Z rope but it works with 3x5 Z. Anyone have any similar problems?
Click to expand...
HI I was wondering why you chose Serafil for a thread? I use Gutterman Mara and I am just wondering if maybe I should be using Serafil instead?
 
Don Case said:
OK. The problem is still a problem but it's not an issue at the moment. It turns out that stays are usually cable laid so I had the main stay correct in the first place. I made up some 3x5 S for the fore stay. So since there is nothing bigger than the main stay, I'm golden. I think the cables are are made of multiple ropes so I'll cross that bridge later.
PS I would still like to here if anyone else had a similar problem with twisting large ropes. It seems strange to me.
Click to expand...
"The problem is still a problem but it's not an issue" I love it Don, absolutely made my Father's day morning ROTF. Hope you don't mind if I keep and use that saying. BTW I sympathise with your dilemma, it's a 'me too' issue. :rolleyes:
 
There is a great long thread on making rope somewhere here. After reading it a few times I chose Serafil for some reason. I can't even remember the name of the thread now. I think it was Daniel that recommended it but there is more than one Daniel I think. Serafil does make nice rope but I've never used anything else so I can't compare results.
 
Don Case said:
There is a great long thread on making rope somewhere here. After reading it a few times I chose Serafil for some reason. I can't even remember the name of the thread now. I think it was Daniel that recommended it but there is more than one Daniel I think. Serafil does make nice rope but I've never used anything else so I can't compare results.
Click to expand...
Maybe Steef66;

Make your rope on a rope walk

I did a lot of research on how to make rope on a rope walk and build my own rope walk. I love to share my experience with you. The quality of the rope delivered in your kit is not always of high quality. Fluffy, badly made so that you can better use it to tie up your old paper than to rig your...
shipsofscale.com
Brilliant post he put up.
 
Don Case said:
There is a great long thread on making rope somewhere here. After reading it a few times I chose Serafil for some reason. I can't even remember the name of the thread now. I think it was Daniel that recommended it but there is more than one Daniel I think. Serafil does make nice rope but I've never used anything else so I can't compare results.
Click to expand...
same here. I read somewhere to use Mara and I don't know why. I am thinking that as long as it's poly and that you pick the right tex number thread then it should work ok. There has to be some creativity in this process otherwise it would be boring I guess. lol
 
It was Daniel20 in this section that convinced me.

Make your rope on a rope walk

I must have come in the backdoor first time there. Colors showed this time. Ordered beige Thats a perfect color for rope. Those source threads are really tiny, I went through a lot in my first attempts with it but now am fairly good with them.
shipsofscale.com
 
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Hello Don, I have used Serafil 300Tex 10 in a 2x3 format and its always worked fine. I mostly use Gutterman but occasionally I have a problem with all of them. I believe even tension on all threads is a must for trouble free ropes, but that doesn't always happen, and boy does it mess things up when a connection breaks.
 
Hi Daniel I got the Serafil Tex 10 And really like it. It just takes a lot of threads to make a larger rope. (Who says you don't get any exercise making model ships) When I ordered the thread for the standing rigging I got a dark brown in Tex 70. Unfortunately even 3x1 in Tex 70 is a fairly large rope so I decided to order some Tex 10 in the dark brown. Tex 10 doesn't come in dark brown :( . I did get some different thread in a Tex 40 in the dark brown but it's fuzzy. The lesson here is to plan ahead:D
 
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