Twisted
We just had a campout with a pioneering theme. We made a monkey bridge and worked on the various skills required for the Pioneering Merit Badge. I had the opportunity to put my rope maker into action. I posted about the rope maker about 5 posts ago, but I have some more thoughts on the subject now that we have actually made rope numerous times.
We were following the Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet instructions for making a 6' rope from 60' of twine. At first, I thought it would be a good idea to cut the twine into 60' sections prior to the rope making activity to save time. These sections had a tendency to get tangled as we were unrolling them. Sisal twine is very hairy and difficult to untangle.
Also, we were using a tape measure to measure 6' from the hooks on the rope maker to the single hook to set up the rope maker. This was kind of a pain. I found that it was much easier to leave the twine in its original roll. Pull the twine out from the center. Make an overhand knot on a bight on the end. Measure 6' from the end and make another overhand knot on a bight.
Hook the end loop to one of the hooks on the rope making machine. Hook the second loop to the single hook being held by a Scout. Then let the twine pull out from the roll as you go back and forth between the hooks. The pamphlet says you should have 3 yarns in each strand. I found that when you set it up, the only way to use a continuous piece of twine, is to put 3 yarns on the first hook, 4 on the second, and 3 on the third. Your finished rope ends up being about 5' long. If you are a stickler for the 6' rope requirement for the merit badge, you should make the second loop 7' from the first.
I also found that the design of the rope maker in the Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet could use some improvements. If you have a Scout hold the single hook, without moving it, and have another Scout crank the handle, the yarns will twist into strands, but the strands will just get tighter and tighter until they snap and explode into a ball of tangled twine. The hook needs to be able to turn in order for the strands to twist into rope.
To remedy this, I introduced a swivel into the system. The swivel and extra S hook set me back about $4. Now there is little danger of the above fiasco. We tried it out and it works much better than the previous setup.
Since posting this, I have made additional modifications to the rope machine, detailed in a post titled "Another Rope Machine Modification".
We were following the Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet instructions for making a 6' rope from 60' of twine. At first, I thought it would be a good idea to cut the twine into 60' sections prior to the rope making activity to save time. These sections had a tendency to get tangled as we were unrolling them. Sisal twine is very hairy and difficult to untangle.
Also, we were using a tape measure to measure 6' from the hooks on the rope maker to the single hook to set up the rope maker. This was kind of a pain. I found that it was much easier to leave the twine in its original roll. Pull the twine out from the center. Make an overhand knot on a bight on the end. Measure 6' from the end and make another overhand knot on a bight.
Hook the end loop to one of the hooks on the rope making machine. Hook the second loop to the single hook being held by a Scout. Then let the twine pull out from the roll as you go back and forth between the hooks. The pamphlet says you should have 3 yarns in each strand. I found that when you set it up, the only way to use a continuous piece of twine, is to put 3 yarns on the first hook, 4 on the second, and 3 on the third. Your finished rope ends up being about 5' long. If you are a stickler for the 6' rope requirement for the merit badge, you should make the second loop 7' from the first.
I also found that the design of the rope maker in the Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet could use some improvements. If you have a Scout hold the single hook, without moving it, and have another Scout crank the handle, the yarns will twist into strands, but the strands will just get tighter and tighter until they snap and explode into a ball of tangled twine. The hook needs to be able to turn in order for the strands to twist into rope.
To remedy this, I introduced a swivel into the system. The swivel and extra S hook set me back about $4. Now there is little danger of the above fiasco. We tried it out and it works much better than the previous setup.
Since posting this, I have made additional modifications to the rope machine, detailed in a post titled "Another Rope Machine Modification".
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