Tricks for untieingreally tight knots?

[ripplerider]

Anyone have any wisdom/tricks for getting a standing bowline untied from a 3-strand rope that had a LOT of pressure applied to it? Tried using a scrench to prise it apart and can probably get it eventually but seems like I'm marginally damaging the strands like this. This knot usually unties easily for me but this time had another rope tied to it with a Maasdam puller on both ropes at once (2 pullers working in unison to pull a tremendous white pine.) Thouhgt about putting dishwashing soap on it, any thoughts or better ideas?

 

[ripplerider]

Sorry about the spacing in title but I'm not a great typer.

 

[Tree Pig]

I always heard of it as referring to braking its back, when you pull the one section of loop that loosens it up. Seeing as its just three strand you can try smacking it with a hammer.

 

[winchman]

can't help you this time, but...

Next time you plan on loading a knot to the extreme, use the "stick trick." Detailed in Gerry Beranek's "Fundamentals" book, it is basically shoving a stick into the knot so that you can break the knot after it's been loaded.

Try it, you will be soooo happy you did. Just stick a stick into your knot where you want to break it later.

 

[chad556]

Channellock pliers and vice grips. If you are worried about the pliers' teeth damaging the rope try wrapping the rope in a rag or something that will take the abrasion. Use the mechanical advantage of the pliers and you will get the knot to break rather easily. Thats how i do it.

 

[ForTheArborist]

Sometimes have to cut out the middle of the wood inside of the rope's wrap around the wood, crush the wood into pieces, and take the wood out from the loop of rope. As the rope is free of the wood I take the knot down with a 23 oz hammer.

 

[ripplerider]

Thanks guys. Yeah I know the "stick trick" but it's too late for this particular knot. Didnt realize I was going to have to put so much pressure on it before I tied it. Got a job to do tomorrow involving dropping about a dozen trees from the ground, along with a couple of climbers. So I went over there last night with my son and hung ropes in about 10 of them to expeditite things this morning. Used several ropes that havent seen the light of day for quite some time. I'll get those bowlines out , just takes some elbow grease. I just hate to beat on my ropes with a hammer or prise on thom with a screwdriver too much. Spraying them with diluted laundry detergent didnt seem to help at all.

 

[treeclimber101]

Use a better knot , a properly tied good knot no matter how tight it is always unties .... You could pull a plane with a bowline and it will untie by hand ....

 

[the Aerialist]

Get the right tool for the job ...

Thanks guys. Yeah I know the "stick trick" but it's too late for this particular knot. Didnt realize I was going to have to put so much pressure on it before I tied it. Got a job to do tomorrow involving dropping about a dozen trees from the ground, along with a couple of climbers. So I went over there last night with my son and hung ropes in about 10 of them to expeditite things this morning. Used several ropes that havent seen the light of day for quite some time. I'll get those bowlines out , just takes some elbow grease. I just hate to beat on my ropes with a hammer or prise on thom with a screwdriver too much. Spraying them with diluted laundry detergent didnt seem to help at all.

And that would be a Marlin Spike. Here's a mini one I always have with me on the job:

 

[the Aerialist]

Use the right tool for the job ...

Thanks guys. Yeah I know the "stick trick" but it's too late for this particular knot. Didnt realize I was going to have to put so much pressure on it before I tied it. Got a job to do tomorrow involving dropping about a dozen trees from the ground, along with a couple of climbers. So I went over there last night with my son and hung ropes in about 10 of them to expeditite things this morning. Used several ropes that havent seen the light of day for quite some time. I'll get those bowlines out , just takes some elbow grease. I just hate to beat on my ropes with a hammer or prise on thom with a screwdriver too much. Spraying them with diluted laundry detergent didnt seem to help at all.

And that would be a Marlin Spike, here's a mini version I always carry on jobs:

 

[zopi]

Lay the knot on the log or something and take a billet of wood or a mallet or some thing and give it a few whacks...turn ninety degrees and repeat....wiggle the line a bit...do it all again...it will work out...also works for getting water knots or fishermen's bends out of webbing loops...

 

[ripplerider]

Use a better knot , a properly tied good knot no matter how tight it is always unties .... You could pull a plane with a bowline and it will untie by hand ....

Bullcrap101 I've been tying a proper bowline for more than 20 yrs. and I've had a couple stick under extreme conditions. I bet plenty other people on here have too.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Use a better knot , a properly tied good knot no matter how tight it is always unties .... You could pull a plane with a bowline and it will untie by hand ....

Properly, right.
Nope, you better use a 'Double Bowline ' on that.
Jeff

 

[Captain Crunch]

It's sounds like tension was applied to the bitter end (loose end) of the bowline, probably what made it so tight. A knitting needle might be easier to find/cheaper than a marlin spike. Normal use, never had a bowline stick like this.
For pulling on both ends and the loop, try an alpine butterfly.

 

[jefflovstrom]

You do know that half hitch's along the line after the knot can make your life easier.
Jeff :msp_unsure:

 

[jefflovstrom]

If a properly tied bowline sticks there is a very good chance that the rope has been subjected to stress beyond it's recommended safe range of operation.

How many times you gonna change your name?
Jeff :msp_rolleyes:

 

[ripplerider]

It's sounds like tension was applied to the bitter end (loose end) of the bowline, probably what made it so tight. A knitting needle might be easier to find/cheaper than a marlin spike. Normal use, never had a bowline stick like this.
For pulling on both ends and the loop, try an alpine butterfly.

Yep, thats what we did. Had a rope puller on the main line and another on a different rope tied into the bowline. I'll never do that again. I'll try the Alpine butterfly sometime though.

 

[Captain Crunch]

Under heavy load the alpine butterfly will get tighter than #### and is not as easily broken as a bowline.

I guess I have only used it under normal heavy load not woodcutters heavy.
I only use the alpinebutterfly if I NEED to pull on both ends of the rope. Otherwise bowline or as Jeff suggested, some form of taughtline hitch.

 

[treemandan]

I always heard of it as referring to braking its back, when you pull the one section of loop that loosens it up. Seeing as its just three strand you can try smacking it with a hammer.

A plus plus. Hammer knots.:msp_scared:

 

[ForTheArborist]

You do know that half hitch's along the line after the knot can make your life easier.
Jeff :msp_unsure:

Everyone trust this guy. He knows is stuff. This man climbs more trees per day than the total climbers in the state of Arkansaw.....2 many. And believe it or not he keeps his smart phone on this website the whole time as he's making those cuts, so he's got a bead on the tree guy dope first hand in the trees, and a he's a bead on your prayers of distress simultaneously. He doesn't even take breaks.

I can here Jeff now shutting down the big Stihler. He heard that phone notify him of another post in the forums. :Eye:


Jeff, send me a hard back copy of your tree workers guide. I'll pay full price. I've got that Clove hitch and half hitch working already. This stuff is priceless. I bet the Jeff Hitch is somewhere in that book.