I wonder how secure the DHB is, Ashley reports the Single Harness Bend
as being more secure than the Double Sheet bend.
I guess we could assume the DHB is closer to the Carrick Bend in security?
The
DHB should be more secure, esp. when slack (i.e.,
when set well and then jiggled around in slack line) ; it is
just a wrap or few further and one is into the
blood knot long
favored by anglers and secure in nylon monofilament line
(maybe also in HMPE gel-spun line, but weak, there?).
I don't look to the
carrick bend as a model of security
--in contrast to the interlocked-overhands end-2-end knots,
which can be seen to be derivative to the former (for better
nipping of tails).
What I've found nice in resorting to the (single/double) harness
bend is that it's formed by simple wrapping of the tail around
two parallel parts and then tucking it between them ; this at
least is easily done for ONE side, though sometimes I've
resorted to the "single" form for ease of finishing the knot,
where a 2nd wrapping & tuck was more difficult --now needing
to tuck between some OVAL opening rather than the wide
"V" of diverging parts for the initial tail-tuck placement.
--this being in small, fiddly stuff, hard to work with with
fat fumbly fingers.
Ashley also reports that the Double Harness bend with parallel ends
( ABoK#1421) "appears to be preferable" from its more symmetric relative,
the ABoK#1420.
One reason for preference (not articulated by Ashley) would
be that the adjacent/same-direction tails can be jointly cut
and will protrude on only one side, leaving the other side
*clean* for flow over surfaces, etc., where opp-direction
tails protruding might cause some difficulties. (Although,
I've found
blood knots tied asymmetrically so as to
have the opposite results --i.e., an extra half-turn in one
tail-wrap so to have it emerge in opposition to the other.
I think that it is natural & easier to start the knots with
an orientation leading to --in symmetry-- same-side tails.)
I do not like the Double Sheet bend, for the same reason that I do not like the Single one :
I do not see ANY reason a bend need NOT be symmetric, and MANY reasons for why it should be.
This is a quite limited vision (or maybe a hint at how you define
"bend"!?), as an obvious need (or rationale) is that one's joined
ends are *asymmetric* --of non-equal nature (in size, material,
construction (or color
) ! So why would one expect to bend
one stiff old material in ways that well suit a new flexible rope?
An asymmetric end-2-end knot might be just the right solution
to this simple rope problem. (Above, I show one reason I came
to an asymmetric
harness bend solution --tying difficulty.)
Re "definition of 'bend'", I have some sense of seeing the
sheet
bend and similar as "
bight hitches". But I recommend to you
the
reverse sheet bend aka "Lapp bend" with an extra wrap
around the SPart & that-side-of-bight part (not both bight legs!)
as a wonderful substitution for the
sheet bend in that it
is slack-secure, looks amply strong, and has a seemingly good
"forcible untying" method : pulle bight legs apart to draw
some hitching SPart through, and enable loosening of the
bight tail.
--dl*
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