Hi all,

Can anyone help me out here. I just bought some 5/8th inch bee line accessory cord for closed hitch tying, but I can't get it to fuse. The fibers are heat resistent, which is good, but even using a gas stove I can't get the new ends to melt and fuse together. What do you do to keep the ends from unraveling?

Thanks!

Whip em, dip em, shrink em, or tape em.

Or for the non southerners:

You can do a nice whipping using thread, string, or monofilliment.

Perhaps dip them in some rope end dip or plasti-dip.

Using heat shrinkable tubing with an adhesive interior is a good option.

Some folks just put some electrical tape around the ends.

Yep, I wrap first with vinyl electric tape, then cut with a very sharp knife, works great. I don't fuse/melt the ends of any of my ropes, always follow the same procedure.
-AJ

Thanks Hunabku and Moss!

If you use the vinyl tape method I highly recommend cutting the ends AFTER you tie and very firmly set the eye knots. Make your final cuts longer than you think you should, the tails will lose some percentage length on your first couple of climbs.

If you make the final cuts before you tie and firmly set the eye knots you will see the core slip down inside the sheath, not much but the core will move.
-AJ

Thanks AJ, it's good to know the vinyl tape can work. I have plenty of bee line to experiment with and I got some plasti-dip this morning so I'm going try the "whip and dip" trick Hunabku mentioned. I found that with the electrical tape alone, the core was sliding into the sheath too much for my liking as I tied and untied the knot.

I do like how the bee line grabs compared to the previous cord I was using from REI. This forum has been a huge help to me. Blanket thanks to everyone!

Exactly, that's why I tie the knot first, set it hard, then trim the taped end. Once I tie the eyes on a hitch cord I don't undo and retie them.
-AJ

I haven't tried it yet, but I bet dipping them in some 10 minute epoxy would do the trick too.

Quick-set epoxy is my preferred way to finish cord ends that can't be fused with heat. I don't use plasti-dip anymore, because all three times I bought it I did a few cords, then the next time I went to use it it had all set up! Sure works good, though........

Like Moss, I also prefer to tie the cords up before finishing the ends. I cut them to a rough length and wrap the end with vinyl tape, loose enough that the core can move freely. I tie the cord around a climbing line with my favourite friction hitch, then the attachment knots onto a carabiner (in that order). The ends are then bound at the finished length with a constrictor knot tied from something thin and strong, and trimmed close to the constrictor. Some 5-minute epoxy is mixed up and painted on, and then, as tedious as it sounds, I hold the cord ends and slowly twirl and move them around to prevent the epoxy from flowing into an unsightly shape. This is a great activity for middle aged and older people, because it makes your life seem longer!

I agree it does work good. There's a trick to making the plasti-dip last -- I've had a can of it tightly sealed, stored in the frig that has remained viable for nearly three years now.

But, lately I've started using Liquid Tape I bought at HomeDepot. I think it's the really same stuff. FWIW, I put up a short vid last June -- skip the heat seal part. The Liquid Tape bit starts at 0:40.

Thanks guys. Following Moss's advice I tied one double overhand, tied the hitch, then tied the second double overhand. Then I whipped both ends with monofilament, cut the ends on the far side of the whipping and plasti-dipped them. Could be overkill, but I'm very happy with the end result.

Tom Dunlap taugh me that after milk the cord well. Then slide the jacket down aways and leave it longer that the core that you cut with a razor sharp knife. Slide the cord back over the core and melt it closed. Whip the ends and you are done. The best rope melting tool I have is a propane torch that heats an soldering iron red hot; touch and twist your rope end.

Good news about any hand-tied eye is you can inspect the tail on the eye very easily by squeezing with your finger tips. If the core has slipped it's obvious to your fingers. All kinds of interesting method posted for finishing the cord ends, I like the simple vinyl tape wrap because it doesn't obscure the core feel from my fingers and I can see the ends. On visual inspection either the core is where it should be or it isn't.
-AJ