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  1. #11
    Senior Member TiredFeet's Avatar
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    TeeDee and I carry a tool that he made for working on knots. It is a 6" length of 1/8" diameter stainless steel rod. Grind one end to a very dull point and polish it. An old fuel pump push rod works very well - stainless steel, the right length and diameter.

    Then gently and with much patience insert the tool into the exterior loops and slowly and gently work the loops loose. As you do this you will notice which loop is closest to the exit from the knot. Then concentrate on that loop and make it bigger and bigger until you can pull the loop completely out. After doing this with 2 or 3 loops, the knot will be loosened up and will come apart very easily.

    Getting the tool initially under 1 or more loops is the hardest part and requires the most patience and gentleness.

    We have found that this works very well on Amsteel because the coating lets the rod slip under the loops well..

    Be gentle and patient and you will eventually get the knot undone without damaging the rope.

  2. #12
    Senior Member Pipsissewa's Avatar
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    If you were fortunate enough to tie a true square knot, it is "broken" easily by grasping one standing end and the adjacent working end and pulling them apart perpendicular to the overall line. A square knot will "snap" and it'll be loose. Good luck!!!
    Last edited by Pipsissewa; 06-09-2011 at 14:00.
    "Pips"
    Mountains have a dreamy way
    Of folding up a noisy day
    In quiet covers, cool and gray.

    ---Leigh Buckner Hanes

    Surely, God could have made a better way to sleep.

    Surely, God never did.

  3. #13
    Senior Member QChan's Avatar
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    +1 on the needle nose pliers.

    My other solution is to get someone who is persistent to deal with it.

  4. #14
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    Thanks for the help guys....ill see what I can do. Although I'm not very patient ha!

  5. #15
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    I messed up my marlinspike hitches on my last hang and ended up with two overhand knots in my webbing. I thought the webbing was toast. Not having a marlinspike to try to pry loose the knots, I got out a couple of screwdrivers and started inserting and prying, thinking that would never work. I was prying away while talking to a friend on the phone and was stunned when the knot came undone. The second knot was fixed during the same phone conversation. It really didn't take that much time.

    Now, where do I find a diagram for how to tie my marlinspike hitches properly?

  6. #16
    Senior Member GingivitisKahn's Avatar
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    Remember that corkscrew on your Swiss Army Knife - that tool you never use? This is where that tool really shines. I use mine all the time to work into tough knots and loosen them up.

    I chose the SAK Huntsman over the Fieldmaster (exact same set of tools except the Fieldmaster has a Phillip's head whereas the Huntsman has a corkscrew) for that reason.

  7. #17
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    Heres a diagram of how to tie a MSH.

    Be patient, and don't pull the individual braids! Try to grasp the bulk of the rope with the needle-nose pliers. One of those bigger sewing needles with the dull points is handy to insert into the knot. A small phillips screwdriver works too.

    Some Leatherman knives have an awl/leatherpunch type implement, and those work well also.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  8. #18
    Senior Member opie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DemostiX View Post
    Yes, you are right that it is highly recommended that you splice rather knot Amsteel rope, but it does not suffer the weakness of of a kind of predecessor, kevlar, which was substantially weakened by small radius knots even after the knots were undone.
    Actually, Amsteel is weakened by severe bends just like any other cord. The difference between natural fiber ropes and synthetic fiber ropes is the slickness of the fiber. Fibers like Amsteel will pull a knot tighter than a similar knot in a natural fiber due to the lack of friction on the line. Hence increasing the bend radius in the knot. Knots actually derate synthetic fibers more than natural fibers due to this reason.

  9. #19
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    The biggest difference between a marlin spike and a knitting needle is the shape of the shaft. Both have useful points but the marlin spike is an increasing diameter shaft which means you can push and continue to open the knot. If you are a DIY enthusiast you can get a tapered tailor's awl. That will serve as a marlin spike but have dual duty as a ripper in the sewing process.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

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