Washing ropes

[Jimmycrackcorn]

Just to be clear on the oil thing, I personally don't do it, I do know others that have spot treated with olive oil and immediately rinsed with soapy water until all residue is gone. This only if a rope is dragged through a pool of sap. I don't see this as a big deal if attention to cleaning is payed. Soap isn't even needed in the tub method, but a small amount won't hurt. Realistically, you will hour out a rope before these methods will adversely effect it. I don't mess around with trying to maintain ropes, I just replace em and give people cut up ropes for utility tie downs etc.

Your probably right Steve.. probably wear out a rope before damage comes back full circle.. that is unless we're talking about the oil soaked rope i experienced..[emoji6]

You seem to have answered your own question


My career started with natural fiber ropes. If they were dirty it must be time to replace. Now, after a long career and reading lots of books, talking with experts from rope manufacturers and , like you now, using forums...same conclusion. Wash with soap...not detergents. Nothing too complex

If phospshates are a concern and us amatuer rope care 'experts' aren't the experts...go retro. On Monday give a call to your favorite rope maker or two. Ask them live. Then let us know

I'll wash mine in a top loader using some appropriate soap

I did? I answered it myself? Woah.. that one went over my head..haha..

Ahh right right.. petro oil vs veggie.. i completely forgot about the difference.. however both are slippery so my shitty experience still concerns me. I do bet one of the two washes away easier though.. Regardless, that shitty experience should have never happened to begin with.

Speaking of washing away & rinsing.. y'all ever find that a cold rinse washes soap away better than hot.. Yes i agree, cold sucks for lifting dirt/oil.. I'm just talking about rinse.

I thought of calling like you said.. I probably will as i have some other questions for them... However if they offer a cleaner i can garantee they will not admit to anything else being ok. For those that do offer a product, I was going to look up there Safety Data sheet on a few of them & compare them myself to the hand cleaners or other products out there.. get a better feel for what is actually being recommended by them beyond the product's marketed name. I won't know wtf is what, but if if they match i should at the very least know which chems are ok..

Yeah... phosphates.. i have no idea what they are.. just heard they weren't ok... Who knows it could have been advice from what an "experts'" nephews', cousins', granddaughter heard from from them at one point & passed along through the grapevine..

View attachment 52195

High efficiency washer...

View attachment 52196

...and this stuff. Mostly coconut oil. Works like a dream, doesn't hurt the rope or anything else.

Do you use this for your laundry Tom? I never heard of it.. Oooo... It's areomatheraputic!

That Zum clean is the business for laundry! Never thought to use it for rope.

@Jimmycrackcorn the carbopol in the goop you used is a poly acrylic acid. I have no idea whether that is good or bad for climbing rope. My guess is that there isn't enough in there to cause an issue. But that's just a guess. The ingredient list looks pretty benign otherwise. It would be a good question for a rope manufacturer.

Here's screen shot of the Safety Data Sheet..
Carapoloebola?? Lol..

Do you know this stuff? I regret not taking chemistry years ago in high school..

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Stephen Moore]

Man I’m gonna gently repeat what I said, mild soap and water overnight. It is a recommended treatment for all ropes. Universally. No magic. And by the time you notice fuzz and wear on the outer sheath it is likely time to retire that rope anyway. Be safe not cheap. Replace ropes at the first sign of obvious wear, run your fingers periodically the entire length of a critical climb line and feel for bumps, flat spots or unusual imperfections in the core. This has killed more people because the core can’t be seen. To be honest rock climbing lines take more of a pounding than tree climbing lines because people are falling on them a lot. The only time this ain’t so is when guys use a climbing line to pull or rig trees... Bad! Don’t do it EVER! And NEVER hook a climbing line to a truck for any reason! Sorry, Im off topic and I don’t mean to insinuate the reader doesn’t already know this. An over stretched climb line is instantly garbage! Cut it into 10 foot lengths and give to friends. Rant over.

 

[Stephen Moore]

That last ranty part was intended for newbies that may not get the seriousness of mistreating a climbing line. Sorry man not at you.

 

[Jimmycrackcorn]

I agree with the wear & abuse part.. I've worked for some companies that rig & ride on the same lines.. fucking crazy.. I knew that wasn't right my first day in the industry 6 years ago... Lines getting wrapped & pinched in a grapple to drag shit when the winch wasn't near by... Then the those same exact ones are being used to climb & set a line ten minutes later.. it's not like they got mixed up & no one knew what they were used for.. I said it a thousand times.. "you got a death wish".. It's the whole reason i never really got proficient in climbing while i was there, i didn't trust the gear available.. However there were plenty of 20yr old heros lining up to do it not knowing any better.. If have to constantly tell them, "look, idc if its 200ft, just use this line, trust me!".. It was real hard trying to convince the boss of these things a he had 20+ years in the biz & i had 1-6 at that time.

Anyhow I'm off topic.. I'll deff try your bathtub trick someday, i know what your referencing with it all the grime floating to the bottom.. However, I'm still going to call some of these companies & see what i can & can't use as far as chems go... Can't hurt, right?


Also.. way off topic here but.. serious question about the scenario i just touched on above.. Y'all obviously have alot more time in the trade than I.. So... how the frig do you convince a guy with 20yrs climbing.. you name it.. he's done it all & never gotten hurt.. but does shit like climbing on rigging ropes.. his whole life.. how do you convince that person they are wrong & creating a dangerous enviorment without stating a war with them..?

 

[Tom Dunlap]

How many races did Dale Earnhardt win before he was killed? He didn't have on the horse collar head/neck protection that became mandatory after he died

 

[Stephen Moore]

I agree with the wear & abuse part.. I've worked for some companies that rig & ride on the same lines.. fucking crazy.. I knew that wasn't right my first day in the industry 6 years ago... Lines getting wrapped & pinched in a grapple to drag shit when the winch wasn't near by... Then the those same exact ones are being used to climb & set a line ten minutes later.. it's not like they got mixed up & no one knew what they were used for.. I said it a thousand times.. "you got a death wish".. It's the whole reason i never really got proficient in climbing while i was there, i didn't trust the gear available.. However there were plenty of 20yr old heros lining up to do it not knowing any better.. If have to constantly tell them, "look, idc if its 200ft, just use this line, trust me!".. It was real hard trying to convince the boss of these things a he had 20+ years in the biz & i had 1-6 at that time.

Anyhow I'm off topic.. I'll deff try your bathtub trick someday, i know what your referencing with it all the grime floating to the bottom.. However, I'm still going to call some of these companies & see what i can & can't use as far as chems go... Can't hurt, right?


Also.. way off topic here but.. serious question about the scenario i just touched on above.. Y'all obviously have alot more time in the trade than I.. So... how the frig do you convince a guy with 20yrs climbing.. you name it.. he's done it all & never gotten hurt.. but does shit like climbing on rigging ropes.. his whole life.. how do you convince that person they are wrong & creating a dangerous enviorment without stating a war with them..?

You would be right to explain to him that safety is number 1 always... no exceptions! That rope you just stretched with a truck is no longer suitable for a life line. Period! If he still refuses to listen, look for another job post haste, refuse to leave the ground. Call WCB immediately and inform them of his practices you may be saving someone’s life. I am deadly serious about this! I absolutely freak when people walk on my ropes! When my ropes are fuzzy or no longer round... they are chopped. Period! Your life literally depends on that rope. I would provide my own ropes were I to work for another tree service. There’s not a chance in hell you’d catch me using a rope I don’t know the complete history of. Don’t do it man please don’t.

 

[Jimmycrackcorn]

How many races did Dale Earnhardt win before he was killed? He didn't have on the horse collar head/neck protection that became mandatory after he died

I get it.. he was the champion but eventually his luck ran out..

You would be right to explain to him that safety is number 1 always... no exceptions! That rope you just stretched with a truck is no longer suitable for a life line. Period! If he still refuses to listen, look for another job post haste, refuse to leave the ground. Call WCB immediately and inform them of his practices you may be saving someone’s life. I am deadly serious about this! I absolutely freak when people walk on my ropes! When my ropes are fuzzy or no longer round... they are chopped. Period! Your life literally depends on that rope. I would provide my own ropes were I to work for another tree service. There’s not a chance in hell you’d catch me using a rope I don’t know the complete history of. Don’t do it man please don’t.

Thanks for the honest response.. i completely forgot i posed that off topic question..
I'll admit.. i probably should have left earlier.. But it's all i knew.. until i knew better, but i still stayed... It was tough to walk away from as he is a close friend.. just very very head strong... very very competitive... Only way i would go back is if i brought my own gear with me & the normal rushed rigamarole had changed. Rushing to make $$ is one thing, but rushing because it's been beaten into your head by your peers your whole life is a completely different story.. It's nothing but a death wish.. The thing is, rushing isn't the only way to make more $$.. evolved techniques, different gear, the right tools, they'll all make you more $$ & usually beat you up less.. However, rushing is the physically hardest & most dangerous way to go about it. I mean shit.. rushing is the sole reason behind the scenarios in the other post.. (rigging & riding on same rope)..

Anyhow y'all know what I'm saying..

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk