Page 32 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

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ALL ABOUT ROPES AND TWINE

FACT

Early in the Great Age of Sail, ropes were made of hemp and
were dipped in hot tar for weather protection. When manila
became widely available, rope manufacturers were quick to
adopt it because it didn’t require tar dipping. However, sailors
still needed to apply tar to a ship’s rigging on a regular basis,
especially over the parts lower and closer to the water.

Synthetic Ropes

The second half of the twentieth century brought chemistry into
rope manufacture and with it a wide variety of synthetic rope mate-
rials. The fibers are made to any length desired and are built of
long chain molecules in various formulas. Most synthetic ropes are
at least twice as strong as equal-sized natural fiber ropes, and many
are even stronger.
Another advantage to using synthetic ropes is that rot and
fungus are not as much of a problem, so the ropes do not have
to be dried as thoroughly for storage, and in general they weather
much better. This is why they are used almost exclusively in
boating and rescue applications. But even though synthetic ropes
handle and knot well, the general slipperiness of synthetic cordage
makes for less security in knot holding; extra care must be taken
that a given knot will hold.
There are other concerns as well. Synthetic ropes are more sus-
ceptible to degradation from sunlight than natural fiber materials
and are sometimes chemically treated to mitigate this. Also,
because of their chemical makeup, most synthetic ropes will melt
near heat, and they can even melt from the friction of a knot tight-
ening quickly under a load. Some people like to melt the ends of
a rope with a lighter to keep them from fraying. This can also be
done as a test to distinguish natural from synthetic ropes, since
natural fibers burn and char, but do not melt. You may think that

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