Fibre and Wire Rope Handling
Taking Rope from a Coil or Reel
Fibre Rope and Wire Rope may be supplied in the following methods:
On a drum,
as a coil,
as a hank,
in a fast deployment bag or
as a tangled mess - hopefully a thing of the past.
Drums
The essential point with unreeling from a drum is that the
drum revolves. The same rule applies for wire and rope. If the drum is
on a rack then it is very easy, just pull the rope or wire from the drum
and it will revolve. If you are on-site, try to find a broom or a suitable
pole and place it between two chairs with the drum in between. For
small reels get a friend to hold the drum on suitable pole.
If the drum is too heavy to lift or no broom is available (which is a very
sorry place indeed) then the drum may be rolled along the floor and
the wire or rope cut off.
Good 
Never ever pull rope off the top of a static drum.
It will kink and damage it.
Don’t forget to mark accurately the remainder
of the rope left on the drum.
Good 

Bad 
Coils The inside of a new coil is in the form of a round tunnel. At one end of the tunnel
Reach in, draw the end up through the tunnel, and the entire coil will run off without a
kink. The important point to bear in mind is that when you pull on the inside end, the line
must uncoil in a counterclockwise direction or it will end up in a mess!
You must always coil in a clockwise direction and uncoil in a counter clockwise direction.
Pull rope out...

is the inside end of the line. This inside end always comes out first, usually from the bottom of the tunnel and up through the tunnel. Reach through the tunnel until you find the
end, and determine on which end to set the coil so the line will uncoil in a counterclockwise direction. It can be hard to find the end but it will be there. It is well worth getting
this right!
....and it should
unwind
anti clockwise
Good 
Flint Hire and Supply Ltd., Queens Row, London SE17 2PX tel: 020 7703 9786 fax: 020 7708 4189
[email protected]
The same rules apply for balls of string - pull from the centre NOT the outside. It is soooo much easier!
Don’t forget to mark accurately the remainder of the rope left on the coil.
Here are the Rules for Uncoiling Coils of Rope
Uncoil coils anticlockwise from the middle! Read the instructions!
Mark off the amount taken!
Hanks Climbing and Industrial Access Ropes are often supplied as hanks. Be careful because
the method of manufacture and hanking varies with different manufacturers. Some have made
them more user friendly but normally if you just grab a new hank of a climbing rope and throw it
on the floor you will be in for a very unpleasant surprise! You will end up with a kinked up mess
which could take an hour to sort out. Always read the instructions before unwrapping the rope.
Generally the way to uncoil a new hanked climbing rope is to slip both your arms through it and
then unwind it as if it is rotating on a drum. You will need two people. Don’t forget that many semi
static ropes require soaking before they are unwound. Read the instructions!
Click here for video link.
courtesy of Beal Ropes
Coiling Up Ropes
Standard Sailing
Method Assuming the
The Lay Three strand ropes are generally right hand lay (you will probably never come across a left
hand lay rope). That means that when the rope is laid over your right hand palm, the direction of the
strands point towards your thumb. With wire ropes you will often see RHOL on the test certificate. This
stands for right hand ordinary lay. You will notice that the wires within the strands are laid left hand,
against the lay of the main strands, this is the “ordinary” method. There are different types of wire
ropes but the ones Flints sell are all RHOL (Right Hand Ordinary Lay). Right hand lay ropes get looser
if they are coiled up clockwise but if they are coiled anticlockwise they get tighter and tighter until they
kink. This is the reason we always coil up clockwise. On a short length you may get away with coiling
the wrong way but on a long rope it will cause problems. Please always coil clockwise. Uncoil anti-clockwise.


Hanking Ropes

rope isn’t too heavy to hold
in one hand, then take an
end in your right hand and
drop down a loop of about
700mm (if coiling say 30m
of 12mm rope, make smaller
loops for smaller ropes).
Coil loops over your right
hand in a clockwise direction. Roll the rope gently between your fingers to form neat loops. When there are a few metres left, flip the
rope over your left forearm and wrap the tail around the hank several times. Once several wraps have been made pull a loop of rope
through the hank and pass it back over the back and pull tight. A single piece of rope will be available to tie the hank up. Do not form
hanks by wrapping them around your elbow.
Click here for video link.
Over-Under Hand Method (Alternate Hitching) As many ropes are not three strand
construction, when we coil clockwise we are actually building up a twist. This method avoids any twist
and is ideal for electrical cables and hoses too. It has a major drawback in that if you accidentally pull
the wrong end of the rope through the coil it will produce a series of half hitches. I would suggest using
this method on halyards attached to sails, hoses connected to a tap and cables attached to machines.
That way you can never pull the wrong end.
Proceed as with the standard method but after each normal coil rotate your left hand so it faces outwards and make the next coil. The video shows this more clearly. The rope will not build up any twist.
Click here for video link.
Flint Hire and Supply Ltd., Queens Row, London SE17 2PX tel: 020 7703 9786 fax: 020 7708 4189
[email protected]
Double Lap Method - Butterfly Coils This method is preferred by mountaineers. Loops are
made either side of the palm of the right hand (or they can be made over your neck). It produces a larger
loop and so develops less twist. It is finished as per the other methods.
Double Lap from the Centre This method is very fast and provides a means of carrying the rope on your back. Certain climbing ropes are
marked in the centre. Take the centre as the start and proceed as above.
Leave more rope available at the end so you end up with two loose ends
about two metres long. Throw the coil over your back. Bring the two ends
over your shoulder, cross them across your chest, take them around your
back and tie off at your stomach.
Click here for video link.
Large Ropes With large or very long ropes it is best to coil
down on the ground. Make a clockwise coil and secure with sisal nippers tied off with a reef knot. The word nipper comes from these
small pieces of string. Children used to be used to handle anchor
rodes. In order to lift the heavy long ropes small “nippers” were tied
to them. The children who dragged the rope along using the “nippers” eventually became known as nippers.
Coiling after shortening onto a Harness for Roping Up on Glaciers
This is used to remove excess rope when making progress over glaciers etc. The end person will
tie into the end of the rope using a re-threaded figure of eight. The knot should be close to the
harness to keep the centre of gravity low. Add a double fisherman's as a stopper knot. Make coils
over your head and around your right hand thumb. Keep the length of the coils close to the position of the figure of eight. Once shortened enough, take a loop through and make and overhand
knot. Fasten the loop to the the harness or to the original figure of eight with a screw gate karabiner. Click here for video link.
Instant Access Ropes If a rope is needed very
quickly it is best flaked out on the ground or stuffed into a
bag. It is important the pulling end of the rope is clearly
marked. The anchor bag in the picture shows the bitter end
knotted at the bottom of the bag. It comes out of a large
eyelet in the base of the bag. This end can be pulled from
the bag and securely tied to the yacht. The other end can
be let out. Note the protective PVC tube on the rope. The
bag will never blow away as it is always captive to the rope.
The length of the line is conveniently written on the bag.
Throwing Ropes The correct way to throw a rope is to split the coil in two. Throw your
right hand coil first underhand and then either follow up by throwing the other half or let the coils
fly off your left hand. The rope will go twice as far if the coils are split.
Throw Bags For lighter lines a weighted bag is ideal.
Leave a loop of rope at the top to go through your wrist. The
remaining rope is stuffed (NOT coiled) into the weighted bag
which is thrown. The line is normally polypropylene so that it
floats.
Flint Hire and Supply Ltd., Queens Row, London SE17 2PX tel: 020 7703 9786 fax: 020 7708 4189
[email protected]
Making off onto a Cleat Cleats should be
positioned at about 15 degrees to the direction of
the rope. The rope should always make one full turn
before the figure of eight crosses. A final locking
hitch can be applied for extra security. Never apply
locking hitches to yacht sheets unless the skipper
has requested it as it slows down the response.
Click here for video link.
Tying Ropes to Cleats If the cleats are very large it may be possible to just hook the excess
rope over the cleat. However normally this is not possible and another method is needed. Coil up the
excess rope working away from the cleat but leave some slack between the cleat and the coil. As a
rule always work from the fixed end out to the loose end as it allows any twist to escape. Pass your
hand through the coil and pull the slack through, twist it then place the loop over the cleat so it holds
up the coil. Click here for video link.
Care of Ropes Never ever tread on a rope. It shows disrespect for a fine product. It can also be very dangerous in a theatre or
on the deck of a boat as the rope may be live. Dirt weakens rope enormously. Please pick up any rope which is liable to be trodden on
and coil it safely away. Ropes should ideally be hung up so that air can circulate and they can dry naturally. This is especially important with natural fibre ropes which will rot if they are not allowed to dry. Most artificial ropes can be washed on a low temperature in
a washing machine. Avoid using fabric conditioners. Many climbing ropes need soaking before they are used so they shrink slightly to
provide the correct dynamic performance. Read the instructions!
Ropes should be inspected at prescribed intervals and before and after use (read the instructions!). Inspection of a rope should be carried out in good light and in a methodical manner from one end to the other without being disturbed. Form a small tight loop between
your hands and work it along the rope. Any faults in the core will become apparent if the loop becomes distorted or uneven. Some surface abrasion in the outer cover is normally acceptable but look out for fading (a sign of UV degradation), chemical attack (nylon is
attacked by acid but polyester is attacked by alkalis), burn marks etc. Any tears will render the rope useless and it should be destroyed.
Rope life will be prolonged if they are reversed at intervals. Cut the splice off the end and re-splice the other end. This will move the
areas of chafe and high wear along the rope. That is why it is best to buy a rope slightly overlength.
This document is very much “Work in progress”!
We welcome your comments especially regarding climbing ropes which are rather outside our field of expertise. We hope you have
found it helpful.
[email protected]
Flint Hire and Supply Ltd., Queens Row, London SE17 2PX tel: 020 7703 9786 fax: 020 7708 4189
[email protected]