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video Chluaid's 10-minute Monkey Fist
When I was a little kid I read somewhere that sailors made weapons from rope. Since then I've been fascinated with rope weapons (limited mainly to flails and whips) and always wanted to learn how to make them.
A few years back, I was in a book store and saw a step-by-step how to make a monkey's fist knot, so I memorised it (didn't really want to buy a whole book), went home and before long, the house was full of monkey's fists, ranging from small marble-sized knots to a big one with a golf ball inside.
In my video you'll see a range of rope flails at the end, with cores of steel, glass, wood and the big one with the golf ball. My favourite is the black leather one with a rip-cord handle and hardwood core.
This video isn't so much a tutorial as it is a time-lapse demonstration. Hope you likey!
*update - thanks for Feature and all the great comments! Good to know some people are finding this an inspiration or a refresher :)
A few years back, I was in a book store and saw a step-by-step how to make a monkey's fist knot, so I memorised it (didn't really want to buy a whole book), went home and before long, the house was full of monkey's fists, ranging from small marble-sized knots to a big one with a golf ball inside.
In my video you'll see a range of rope flails at the end, with cores of steel, glass, wood and the big one with the golf ball. My favourite is the black leather one with a rip-cord handle and hardwood core.
This video isn't so much a tutorial as it is a time-lapse demonstration. Hope you likey!
*update - thanks for Feature and all the great comments! Good to know some people are finding this an inspiration or a refresher :)
Marlinspike Seamanship is a dying art....I blew my chief's mind one day when I tied a taunt-line hitch while rigging a tarp topside. Kinda sad, rope-work is fun!
I was on an ammo ship, don't think I'd like a sub! Used to crawl around in caves, but I could come out when I wanted! haha
Have a pleasant day.
You've got me on the nukes, but I did some similar stuff around my rack. Most of the guys called me 'hillbilly' (Arkansas) and thought it was just some wierd redneck stuff, till a boats' saw what I was doing. My dad retired as a Chief Boatswains Mate, and made sure I knew how to tie things. Fingers are pretty artritic now, but I still get most of what I want to do. Ha, you can't an old swabby down.
Trick: take a trackmouse ball and cut the silicon off the outside and you have a BIG ball bering
The only reason I could see for using this knot would be to make something more permanent, but ropes wear quickly on boats so there's a limit to how permanent it could be.
The only exception I could see would be if the sailors were made to use these knots as they went about on their big, fancy, well supplied ships because they were part of a large navy. But if that's the case, wouldn't the knot have to have come from somewhere before that?
I have nothing against the knot, and this is just speculation; I just got caught up in the origin conversation. =)
whether that momentum is to be used as personal defense, or some nautical purpose, or whether the core is some hollow object that might help you float is all conjecture.. the knot has traditional uses, and there is a best knot for every purpose but there is no knot with only one purpose
when a line needs to be swung, or throne, it is a good idea to add weight.. when weight needs to be added it is a good idea to use this knot