Rope for Binding Stuff around the House

[knot4u]

I'm about to pull the trigger to buy this rope
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300916791632?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

In case the link stops working, basically the rope is braided 100% nylon, 1.4 mm, outer sheath with a core, 1400 feet.  The breaking strength at a knot is about 70 pounds.

I need some cheap rope around the house for binding stuff here and there.  It just needs to be strong enough to hold my stuff I'm binding.  The applications are not "critical."  I'm not satisfied with jute twine that I picked up from Home Depot.  Polypropylene is basically worthless because it won't hold a knot.

The closest competitor to the rope in the link is polyester rope of the same size.  However, polyester is not stretchy like nylon is, and I want stretchy.  Plus, similar polyester rope is quite a bit more expensive.

Thoughts?

EDIT:  I bought this instead...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300956473823?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

[Festy]

I'm about to pull the trigger to buy this rope
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300916791632?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

In case the link stops working, basically the rope is braided 100% nylon, 1.4 mm, outer sheath with a core, 1400 feet.  The tensile stength is about 100 pounds.  The breaking strength at a knot is about 70 pounds.

I need some cheap rope around the house for binding stuff here and there.  It just needs to be strong enough to hold my stuff I'm binding.  The applications are not "critical."  I'm not satisfied with jute twine that I picked up from Home Depot.  Polypropylene is basically worthless because it won't hold a knot.

The closest competitor to the rope in the link is polyester rope of the same size.  However, polyester is not stretchy like nylon is, and I want stretchy.  Plus, similar polyester rope is quite a bit more expensive.

Thoughts?

Hi Knot4u, have you considered paracord?

[xarax]

   Personally, I would also buy a 1/8 " cord. The choice of nylon is fine, but I disagree with the colour !  Why not white, or something lighter ? You will be able to take clear pictures of your knots on this cord, and publish them in the Forum !  Besides, I believe that black sucks all the sun light, so it can be detrimental for the longevity of the material (?).

[knot4u]

I have lots of 550 paracord. 550 is overkill for my binding needs, and the price per length is high. It's at least 5 times more expensive I think. Type I paracord is doable, but is still overkill. With modern synthetic materials, I can easily go thinner and cheaper for my needs. Anyway, the cord in the link is basically really thin paracord.

Another color is an option. The posted spool is just an example for function purposes. However,  I tend to like black for binding stuff around the house.  Black is inconspicuous and classy and matches everything, and I don't need the rope to be highly visible for non-camping use.

I don't have all the answers though. I have never tried out the rope in the link. I can only imagine how it is based on my experience with 550 paracord.

[Sweeney]

I have something similar and it is fine but I am surprised that you find ploypro won't hold knot. I use split film binder twine - about 3mm when compressed and that works OK and it is very cheap.

[knot4u]

I have something similar and it is fine but I am surprised that you find ploypro won't hold knot. I use split film binder twine - about 3mm when compressed and that works OK and it is very cheap.

The polypropylene I have won't even hold an Overhand stopper. It's cheap twisted polypropylene from Home Depot.  You're not thinking about polyester, are you?

[xarax]

  Sometimes I use cheap braided 1/2 " or 3/8 " Nylon rope from Hope Depot. It holds knots very well, but it can also be flattened a lot - it is very "compressible" ( and that may be the main reason it holds so well...). I can not have a clear view of the geometry / structure of knots tied on this material, neither can I take clear pictures of them. A knot tied on a "non-compressible", stiff material looks like the corresponding "ideal" knot, so I suppose that its form is not depending upon the particular material very much - so it looks more like a "knot", and less like a "knotted material" ! 

[Sweeney]

The polypropylene I have won't even hold an Overhand stopper. It's cheap twisted polypropylene from Home Depot.  You're not thinking about polyester, are you?

No, this is really cheap split film polypropylene ie ribbons of thin plastic spun together into a single strand - not even laid into rope  (even worse it's bright pink!). Useless for any kind of decorative work but it holds a simple trucker's hitch to tension some tall garden canes (my runner beans which were listing badly in the wind) and an icicle hitch around a longitudinal bamboo cane (which I must say I didn't think it would) against a variable pull of, at a guess,  about 4 to 12 lbs. I also have some fine spun braided polypro in 1.5 and 3mm sizes - the latter has a breaking strain of 175 Kg but both of these were much more expensive than your nylon. That's UK prices for you I suppose. The cheap pink stuff is used in machines for baling hay and straw and these automatically knot the stuff (not sure what knot they use).

Friend of mine makes canal boat fenders from polypro rope but uses similar twine (black though) to tie the foundation strands of side fenders together using a constrictor knot (these are 6 strands crowned). That said the nylon you are looking at is a better buy though butcher's string can also be good (in the UK at least this looks like cotton string but is usually made from rayon which is a lot stronger).

Barry

[Dan_Lehman]

I believe that black sucks all the sun light, so it can be detrimental for the longevity of the material (?).

No, black is the dye of choice for esp. PP, as it inhibits
UV degradation.  (IIRC, gold was another color liked,
maybe for nylon --which I don't recall being recommended
to be in black.)


--dl*
====

[dfred]

In case the link stops working, basically the rope is braided 100% nylon, 1.4 mm, outer sheath with a core, 1400 feet.  The tensile stength is about 100 pounds.  The breaking strength at a knot is about 70 pounds.
[...]
The closest competitor to the rope in the link is polyester rope of the same size.  However, polyester is not stretchy like nylon is, and I want stretchy.  Plus, similar polyester rope is quite a bit more expensive.

Thanks for pointing this out, knot4u!  I bought a spool as I needed some small cordage for purposes similar to yours.  I was hoping to find an alternative for Sterling's 1.5mm nylon MINI-cord which--even in bulk--is a bit expensive to use on all but smaller or important projects.

The ebay cord is actually quite nice for less than $0.02/ft delivered, but note that it does not seem to be nylon.  The first thing I noticed was the very low stretch.  And while I'm hardly the Fat Lady of Limbourg, it definitely doesn't have the aroma of nylon when melted/burnt.   Based on the low stretch and this table of burning characteristics, I'd guess it is probably polyester.

The cord is more dark gray than black.  It is fairly hard-braided and has a reasonably round cross section.  Seems to hold most knots okay, though both binding and friction knots might be less easy to set due to the lack of stretch.  Incidentally the core is a single 2-ply twisted yarn, which I suppose technically makes it kernmantle.

I'm happy with the cord despite its seeming non-nylonness, but I figured I'd mention my suspicions since others might be considering a purchase.

[xarax]

No, black is the dye of choice ...as it inhibits UV degradation.

   I believe that the main protection against UV comes from special chemical agents added in the material, not from the colour itself. In Australia they fabricate "anti"- UV clothing of every colour. However, as the ultra-red / thermal radiation penetrates the dark colours more easily than the light ones, it makes sense if the ultra violet-radiation does the exact opposite.
   Any black-coloured material left under a bright sun for some time becomes really hot. Temperature always accelerates chemical reactions, as the molecules move with greater velocities against each other, so I suppose that a high temperature would not be a good thing for a synthetic rope - although the molecular bonds of nylon are sensitive to the higher frequency of the UV radiation. They say that the factor which affects nylon more than the UV radiation is the water ( humidity, which generates hydrolysis ) - so is nt it natural to suppose that the water would penetrate the nylon material deeper, if the temperature is higher ?
1. http://kristinandjerry.name/cmru/rescue_info/Technical%20Rescue%20Research/Performance%20Of%20Nylon%20Climbing%20Ropes%20-%20Cutler.htm
   

[roo]

No, black is the dye of choice ...as it inhibits UV degradation.

   I believe that the main protection against UV comes from special chemical agents added in the material, not from the colour itself.

www.polyprocessing.com/pdf/technical/CarbonBlackandPlastics.pdf
http://www.mapability.com/ei8ic/contest/rope.php

[knot4u]

In case the link stops working, basically the rope is braided 100% nylon, 1.4 mm, outer sheath with a core, 1400 feet.  The tensile stength is about 100 pounds.  The breaking strength at a knot is about 70 pounds.
[...]
The closest competitor to the rope in the link is polyester rope of the same size.  However, polyester is not stretchy like nylon is, and I want stretchy.  Plus, similar polyester rope is quite a bit more expensive.

Thanks for pointing this out, knot4u!  I bought a spool as I needed some small cordage for purposes similar to yours.  I was hoping to find an alternative for Sterling's 1.5mm nylon MINI-cord which--even in bulk--is a bit expensive to use on all but smaller or important projects.

The ebay cord is actually quite nice for less than $0.02/ft delivered, but note that it does not seem to be nylon.  The first thing I noticed was the very low stretch.  And while I'm hardly the Fat Lady of Limbourg, it definitely doesn't have the aroma of nylon when melted/burnt.   Based on the low stretch and this table of burning characteristics, I'd guess it is probably polyester.

The cord is more dark gray than black.  It is fairly hard-braided and has a reasonably round cross section.  Seems to hold most knots okay, though both binding and friction knots might be less easy to set due to the lack of stretch.  Incidentally the core is a single 2-ply twisted yarn, which I suppose technically makes it kernmantle.

I'm happy with the cord despite its seeming non-nylonness, but I figured I'd mention my suspicions since others might be considering a purchase.

Cool, thank you for the review!  I haven't gotten around to pulling the trigger yet.

I've actually been searching for inexpensive Type I paracord, but that stuff is in the same price ballpark as Type III 550 paracord!  Go figure.  Thus, I consider Type I paracord to be too expensive to be used like twine.

[xarax]

No, black is the dye of choice ...as it inhibits UV degradation.

   I believe that the main protection against UV comes from special chemical agents added in the material, not from the colour itself.

www.polyprocessing.com/pdf/technical/CarbonBlackandPlastics.pdf
http://www.mapability.com/ei8ic/contest/rope.php

  There is not ONE word in those articles about the effects of water absorption by nylon, and the possible relation the higher temperature of a hot rope can have on it ! I would be surprized if there is none ! I an almost boiling hot rope, the water molecules would have a party...
   Absorption of humidity and hydrolysis are much greater and immediate dangers for nylon s strength ( I have read about percentages of strength reduction so high that I do not believe them ! ), while the degenerating effects of UV radiation are much less important ( for nylon ), and only long-term.

[SS369]

It seems that you are looking for some basic twine knot4u, not rope. My suggestion is mason's twine. It has terrific strength, considerable stretch and comes in hot pink, yellow and white. There are twisted and braided versions.
Widely available and inexpensive too.

SS