Troop 280 Knot Master Program
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Troop 280 Knot Master Program January 31, 2013 Table of Contents The Purpose and Benefit Of This Program ................................... 1 Getting Started ............................................................................... 1 White .............................................................................................. 4 Yellow ............................................................................................ 6 Green ........................................................................................... 10 Blue .............................................................................................. 16 Red .............................................................................................. 20 Black ............................................................................................ 28 And Beyond ................................................................................. 28 2 The Purpose and Benefit of the Knot Master Program The purpose of this Program is to help participants learn and retain knowledge on knots, how to tie and use them. This booklet also gives the basic foundation of the Knot Master Program as well as diagrams for a majority of the knots within the program. Getting Started To get started in the program, you must first obtain your 5’ length of white paracord, your carabineer and your Knot Master Program sign-off card. Next work on your knots so that you know each knot that you want to test on without having to ask for help, or without having to refer to a drawing. When you feel that you are ready to test, find someone that is at or above the level that you are working on, i.e. if the knot you wish to be tested on is in the Yellow category, then the person testing you must be completed in Yellow or above. Also the Knot Master card may only be signed by a Patrol Leader or above. Once you have all of the knots for a given level signed off you will go to a Scoutmaster to have a quick conference and to tie a few of the knots in that level. When completed you will turn in your old color and receive your new color rope. For the Red level, you will need to complete a “camp gadget”, here are some ideas of what that requirement might entail. • Pack holder • Table • Camp entrance/gateway • Paper Towel Holder • Towel Rack • Rain Gauge • Flag pole • Weather rock • Fire Danger Station • Trash bag holder • Chief kit holder • Utensil holder • Zipper pulls for tents To achieve the level of Black you will need to complete a project that encompasses at least two different knots, one of which is NOT part of the Knot Master Program. Note: This can be a decorative lanyard for a knife or tool handle, an embellishment on a hiking stick, something that will show that you can use these skills in combination with each other. 3 White The white level consists of 4 knots: Square Knot Two Half Hitches Taut Line Hitch Solomon Bar Knot Square Knot The Square Knot is a common and simple binding knot. It is used to connect two ropes of equal size. You can loosen the square knot easily by either pushing the ends toward the knot or by "upsetting" the knot by pulling back on one end and pulling the other through the loops. Two Half Hitches This is a reliable and useful knot for attaching a rope to a pole or boat mooring. As its name suggests, it is two half hitches, one after the other. To finish, push them together and snug them by pulling on the standing part. Taut Line Hitch The Taut-line hitch is an adjustable loop knot for use on lines under tension. It is useful when the length of a line will need to be periodically adjusted in order to maintain tension. It is made by tying a Rolling hitch around the standing part after passing around an anchor object. Tension is maintained by sliding the hitch to adjust size of the loop, thus changing the effective length of the standing part without retying the knot. It is typically used for securing tent lines in outdoor activities involving camping. 4 Solomon Bar Knot This is also known as the Cobra Stitch, it is the star of the “flat” knots. It can be used to enhance lanyards, to create fobs, to create bracelets, to create belts, straps for bags of pouches, straps for flashlights, etc. This interesting knot can also be used to "store" paracord inside the knot itself in a way that can be easily pulled out in case of need, that is why you will often see bracelets or belts labeled with the word "survival" meaning you can use them to get cord in case of need. The Cobra Stitch can be done with a single strand of paracord, with 2 strands or with 3 strands depending on the kind of result you want. You can leave a loop of cord outside of the cobra stitch to be used as an attachment point. 5 Yellow The Yellow level consists of 6 knots: Bowline Timber Hitch Clove Hitch Figure 8 Follow Through Square Lashing Shear Lashing Bowline The bowline has been called the king of knots. It will never slip or jam if properly made and, thus, is excellent for tying around a person in a rescue. Begin by formatting an overhand loop in the standing part. Then take the free end up through the eye, around the standing part and back where it came from. Timber Hitch The timber hitch is a knot used to attach a single length of rope to a piece of wood. This is an important hitch, especially for dragging a heavy object like a log. It will hold firmly so long as there is a steady pull; slacking and jerking may loosen it. The timber hitch is also useful in pioneering when attaching two timbers together. When it is used for dragging, a simple hitch should be added near the front end of the object to guide it. To make the knot, pass the rope completely around the wood. Pass the running end around the standing part, then through the loop that you have just formed. Make three turns around the loop then pull on the standing part to tighten. Take care that you double the rope back on itself before making the three turns, or it won't hold. Three are recommended for natural rope such as jute, whereas five turns are needed on synthetic rope like nylon. Clove Hitch The clove hitch, along with the bowline and the sheet bend, is often considered one of the most essential knots. It consists of two identical half hitches made successively around an object. It is most effective used as a crossing knot. Although it can be used as a binding knot, it is not particularly secure in that role. Because it passes around an object in only one direction, it puts very little strain on the rope fibers. Note: For this level, the hitch is to be tied using the end of the rope, not by making two loops and passing over the end of an object. 6 Figure 8 Follow Through The figure-eight knot is very important in both sailing and rock climbing as a method of stopping ropes from running out of retaining devices. We routinely see this knot when we visit Reading Rocks; this is the knot that is used to attach the belaying line to the climber’s harness. 7 Square Lashing A Square Lashing is used to hold two poles that cross each other (usually at a 90- degree angle although not necessarily) Used to fasten two spars or poles together. Start by crossing the two sticks or dowels at perpendicular or 90 degree angles. Make a Clove Hitch on the vertical stick or dowel near the point where the two sticks cross. This fastens the rope to the stick. Weave the rope under and over the crossed sticks alternately. To do this, run the rope over the horizontal bar, around behind the vertical bar, then back over the face of the horizontal bar on the left. Tighten snugly, then bring the rope behind the vertical bar and up the right front side of the horizontal bar. Repeat this three or four times, keeping the rope tight. When you have finished weaving the lashing, then "FRAP" it by wrapping the rope between the poles (in front of the back stick and in back of the front stick), pulling tightly. This tightens the connected poles. Finish your lashing with another Clove Hitch. 8 Sheer Lashing Comments A sheer lashing is often used to bind adjacent poles together. It is also a good way to reinforce a broken or weak pole. The frapping turns used to tighten the lashing may be omitted and replaced with wedges inserted between the poles. A loose Sheer Lashing made around the ends of two poles will allow the poles to be opened out and used as an A- frame. It can also be used to form a tripod just like the Figure-of-eight lashing. 1. Lay out the poles. For most lashings you will want to lay the poles side by side with the butt ends aligned (thicker ends). 2. Tie a clove hitch around one of the outside poles and secure the standing part by wrapping it around the running part (or trap it under the first turns). Note: If you only lashing two poles together it may be better to simply tie the clove hitch around both poles and pull tight. 3. Pass the rope around the poles to form a first turn. 4. Pulling each turn tight made a series of turns until the lashing is at least as long as the combined diameters of the two poles (usually a set of 4 to 6 turns will be sufficient). 5. Tighten the lashing with a frapping turn by taking the rope down between two poles at one end of the turns. This should be difficult to do if the turns have been pulled tightly (as they should be).