After Gathering the hammock: cable ties?

**Distanzreiter** · 08-11-2008, 09:30

Hi one question please:
has anybody used cable ties for the hammock after gathering the hammock instead wrapping a cord round it?
On jeffs site he told something about it, but i´m not sure how strong it would be?

I wanna try to make my first hammock, also for my daughter so i´m looking for some light and strong enough solutions.

Best regards
manu

**Dutch** · 08-11-2008, 09:33

I have done it and many others on this forum. It works great and is the way to go. It just has to hold it until the support line gets attached.

**Ramblinrev** · 08-11-2008, 10:06

Does anybody still whip with cord?

**headchange4u** · 08-11-2008, 10:07

I still use cord. I just like the way it looks.

**Distanzreiter** · 08-11-2008, 10:13

Great, thanks for your quick reply ^^
So i will do that on both hammocks.

I´ve used cord on a test kids-hammock (which is tooo small for my daughter...just to see how it works!), its also easy and quick to do but a little bit heavier than cable ties imo.

**Graybeard** · 08-11-2008, 10:38

Originally Posted by Ramblinrev

Does anybody still whip with cord?

I whip with Marlow's #4 waxed whipping twine, a hangover from my sailing days. The wax is a huge help in keeping everything tight and in place while doing the whipping and the finished product is neat and tidy.

**Distanzreiter** · 08-11-2008, 11:17

Oh but i thinks mine cable tie does not save on my 1.9 oz ripstop nylon, cause this is very slippery...although the tie is strapped very strong on it!

**Schneiderlein** · 08-11-2008, 21:00

Originally Posted by Distanzreiter

Oh but i thinks mine cable tie does not save on my 1.9 oz ripstop nylon, cause this is very slippery...although the tie is strapped very strong on it!

Distanzreiter,

do you mean the cable tie slips off the nylon? This should not be possible if the end of the hammock is hemmed. I have not used cable ties, but whipping with cord I always use pliers to tighten the whipping. Maybe you need to do the same thing with cable ties?

Another thing to look at might be Youngblood's double sheet-bend technique. I used that on my latest hammock, and although I did not like the hammock for other reasons, I will probably use the double sheet bend again on my next hammock. It is really simple to do and essentially combines the whipping and attachment of the suspension rope.