E. KNOTS AND HOW TO TIE THEM
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1. The Reef Knot, for tying two
ropes together. Being a flat knot, it
is much used in ambulance work.
The best simple knot, as it will not
slip and is easy to untie. |
2. Sheet Bend, for tying two
rope-ends together. Make loop A B
with one rope and pass rope-end C
through and round whole loop and
bend it under its own standing part.
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3. Half Hitch, made by passing
rope-end round standing part and behind
itself. If free end is turned
back and forms a loop, the hitch can
be easily loosened. A double half
hitch is required to make a secure
knot.
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4. The Sheep Shank, for shortening
ropes. Gather up the amount
to be shortened as in first illustration.
Then with parts A and B make
a half hitch round each of the bends,
as in finished drawing.
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5. The Bowline, a loop that will
not slip, to tie round a person being
lowered from a building, etc. Form
a loop, then in the standing part
form a second and smaller loop.
Through this pass the end of the
large loop and behind the standing
part and down through the small
loop. |
6. Clove Hitch, for fastening a
rope to a pole. Either end will
stand a strain without slipping,
either lengthways or downwards. |
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7. Fisherman’s Knot, used to tie
two lines or ropes of different sizes
together. A knot quickly made,
and is easy to undo, the ends being
simply pulled apart. |
8. Middleman’s Knot. Made in
similar fashion to fisherman’s knot.
This loop will not slip when knots
are drawn together, and can safely
be used as a halter. |
While making your knots S.T.
Knots
Strings or ropes are used almost daily by every one in some form or other, and yet people often break their nails and teeth gnawing at their own knots to untie them. Time spent in learning a few simple reliable knots is not time wasted, but quite the contrary.
To tie a knot seems a very simple thing and yet there are right and wrong ways of doing it, and Scouts ought to know the right way. For sometimes even lives depend on a knot being properly tied, as with sailors or men in building trades, and in case of fire-rescue.
The right kind of a knot is one which you can tie easily and be certain it will hold under any normal strain, and which you can easily undo.
A bad knot called a “granny” is one which slips when you pull hard, or which gets jammed so tight that you cannot untie it.
Of course there are several ways of tying the same knot, and so if your sailor uncle can show you a good way to make a bowline don’t tell him the one in this book is the only way.