Smallest continuous loop of amsteel blue possible.

[Mark8408]

What is the smallest continuous loop I can make out of amsteel blue and it be load bearing. I have made continuous loops out of amsteel, I just don't know how small is the smallest loop I could make and it be safe.

[Richard Tipton]

4" buries would be as short as I would go, whatever diameter that makes.

[Bubba]

I've made continuous loops as small as 6.5 inch diametre before. It's not the manufacturer's recommended bury lengths but I was fine with it and they have held up well. You can take your own risks as long as you know what is recommended. I don't know off hand what the buries should be for continuous loops but I know it's longer than the 3 inches I made them.

[Phantom Grappler]

Mark8408
I really don't know but remember someone posted a diagram of a continuos loop and the BURYS passed each other and overlapped inside the loop. I don't know if this works. Also you can double the loop like a figure 8 then fold it in half that way the rope takes two laps around instead of one lap and then your 'doubled loop' is half the length as before. And or you can wrap the loop extra wraps on gathered end of hammock making it extend a shorter distance from hammock. Before you had a cow hitch or larks head and now you've got a two or three wrap prusik. Or you can tie an alpine butterfly loop but that might weaken the amsteel too much and then you've got a knot too.

[OCDave]

I am not sure what will be your application but, I have made soft-shackles with much smaller radius than anything I've been able to make continuous.

Would that be an option for you?

[SilvrSurfr]

I do value a smaller continuous loop through the channels of my gathered-end hammocks. Twelve-inch continuous loops are too long. About the smallest I'll go is a 4.2 inch bury.

I basically took Opie's continuous loop pictoral and decided to cut down all lengths by 30 percent.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...+loop+pictoral

Opie recommends starting with 40 inches of Amsteel Blue, and six inch buries to make a 12" diameter loop. So I just used 70% of those measurements. I start with 28 inches of Amsteel Blue, 4.2 inch buries, and it makes about an 8.4" diameter loop.

I think I started using the smaller measurements after I got my first Buttinasling hammock. First thing I noticed was how much smaller the BIAS continuous loops were than my DIY versions. I asked Shane what measurements he was using and have been making my continuous loops that way ever since.

I lock stitch the buries on all my continuous loops - makes me feel better about not using manufacturer's recommended bury length.

[gmcttr]

Mark8408
I really don't know but remember someone posted a diagram of a continuos loop and the BURYS passed each other and overlapped inside the loop. I don't know if this works...

Only if the only overlapping sections are both tapered so that the combined diameter is not greater than a single section would be and therefore it would have a minimum effect on length.

[cinnamon]

using the recommended bury length my continuous loops usually come out to a dia. of between 8-8.5". to get shorter try this (picked it up from another forum member but don't remember who) since there are two buries make one of them 'full' length 8" for 7/64 and cut the second bury shorter say 3-4". if you have an 8" and a 3" bury and they meet end to end you should be able to get a 5.5" loop (8+3)/2

[Martyn]

Mark8408
I really don't know but remember someone posted a diagram of a continuos loop and the BURYS passed each other and overlapped inside the loop. I don't know if this works.

I've done a couple of loops with overlapped burys, it's actually easy to do. You just make sure both ends are equally tapered so they dont create a bulge where they overlap. You get a bit of bunching when you pull the second bury through initially, but as you milk it out, the tapers inside are pulling away from each other so it neatens out. I'm not sure how it affects the strength of the splice.

[MAD777]

You need only one bury for the strength. Think of an eye splice. When I want a small loop, I bury one side to the manufacturers recommended length and just tuck a 1" tail into the other side. A few loose hand stitches keeps everything from falling apart when not tensioned.