Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

FREIGHT FREE
in Australia

Black Diamond "STOPPER" Set. (Sizes 4 to 13) - 10 pieces. Comes with a "free" karabiner for racking. $99.00
17% Off

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

Author

Rope brushes

Gavo

19/03/2012
2:24:27 PM

Hey hey.

I've had spurt-dirt in my rope for a while and it's gone through the wash (in a mesh bag, no detergent) with little effect.

I'm told a rope brush is the best option. So there is the beal one for about $30 I think.. but rather than that... I've found the following DIY's:

http://www.cragx.org/equest5.htm

http://www.knick-knack.com/howto/climb/build-a-climbing-rope-washer.html

It's got me wondering though.. wouldn't it be fine to just take a stiff-ish brush (like a nail-brush), and just scrub it by hand on all sides of the rope in a bucket of water, maybe with some LUX flakes in there?

It's not like I want my ropes spick and span but it's at the point at the moment where if it runs over anything but black pants, even for just a few feet, it leaves a big black mark.... so I reckon it could do with a bit of TLC.

Anyone know of a really good way to get the dirt out?

Cheers

Miguel75

19/03/2012
2:56:51 PM

I have access to really big pumps and hoses... Not recommended but could be fun;)

Gavo

19/03/2012
3:07:34 PM

Mike: if you let me come and play with firefighting equipment, you KNOW I would!

BoulderBaby

19/03/2012
7:00:52 PM

The guys I used to work with in the UK reckons the rope brushes are a gimmick, and washing the rope only pushes the dirt further into the core of the rope.

Let me know how you go though, I'd love my rope to be bright blue again. hehehe.

Gavo

19/03/2012
9:04:07 PM

yeah well washing it had no effect... twice I tried and it came out barely cleaner at all.. that said, didn't use any soap flakes. I might try that next time.

The brush though... I reckon that might work. I imagine any non-soluble parts are sitting mostly in the sheathe. I'd guess a brush will take out a fair chunk of it.. even 50% I'll be happy with...

I'll try and remember to follow it up when I have a crack

BoulderBaby

19/03/2012
10:02:30 PM

I think beal make rope cleaner too.

tskinner

19/03/2012
10:14:25 PM

On 19/03/2012 Gavo wrote:
>Mike: if you let me come and play with firefighting equipment, you KNOW
>I would!
Oh no...Gavin and firefighting equipment. That would be scary. Mikey, no matter how much he begs, don't do it :):)

patto

19/03/2012
10:33:34 PM

On 19/03/2012 BoulderBaby wrote:
>The guys I used to work with in the UK reckons the rope brushes are a gimmick,
>and washing the rope only pushes the dirt further into the core of the
>rope.

Yeah, and a guy that I used to work with in the US reckons that washing machines are a gimmick and washing clothes only pushes dirt further into the core of the rope.

On 19/03/2012 Gavo wrote:
>yeah well washing it had no effect... twice I tried and it came out barely
>cleaner at all.. that said, didn't use any soap flakes. I might try that
>next time.
No soap? Well what did you expect?

On 19/03/2012 Gavo wrote:
>It's got me wondering though.. wouldn't it be fine to just take a stiff-ish
>brush (like a nail-brush), and just scrub it by hand on all sides of the
>rope in a bucket of water, maybe with some LUX flakes in there?
It depends how much you value your time. I'm sure a nail brush will work but it will take 20 times longer.

Personally I found throwing it in the washing machine with some soap flakes worked well for me.

dr box

19/03/2012
10:34:44 PM

4 nail brushes taped together worked well for me until I was given a brush for a birthday or Chrissy.
I think it makes a difference. It wont be shiny again, bit it made the rope nicer to.handle and judging by the colour of the water afterwards, it cleaned it.
I dont use soap, just water

Miguel75

19/03/2012
11:01:59 PM

On 19/03/2012 tskinner wrote:
>On 19/03/2012 Gavo wrote:
>>Mike: if you let me come and play with firefighting equipment, you KNOW
>>I would!
>Oh no...Gavin and firefighting equipment. That would be scary. Mikey,
>no matter how much he begs, don't do it :):)

How is it that I always end up knocking threads way off topic?;)

It could be pretty fun though eh? Maybe Gavo and I could set up some kind of rope 'washing' business? 'Soapy ropes'r'us'?

Gavo

19/03/2012
11:38:25 PM

Liv: yep they do

Tracey: You have the COMPLETELY wrong idea about me.. I am entirely trustworthy around everything except people, animals, firefighting equipment, fire, sharp objects, blunt objects, water, cliff faces, boulders, and vehicles.

Mikey: I was looking for a career change after all.

Patto & Dr Box: I tried without soap because a few people said it usually works. Now I live in a new place and the washing machine munches clothes, dont think I want my rope in there. I'll try lux flakes.. and maybe I'll fork out for a brush but I won't be happy about it!!

:)

cruze

20/03/2012
6:11:09 AM

Is it dirt (brown/black from the ground...dur) or alumininum oxide (off-white but collects a whole heap of other stuff so is generally black and comes from old biners, etc)? If it is oxide then I suspect that washing with or without soap flakes might not achieve too much not only because it may not remove it very well but because you haven't found the source and eliminated that. I have never had a problem with that dreaded black crap on my gear but every now and then when belaying on someone else's rope and gear I have been covered in it.

citationx

20/03/2012
9:35:37 AM

i used lux flakes and stomped around on it in the bathtub. rinsed it outside with the hose on a hard surface. came out cleaner for me.

Miguel75

20/03/2012
9:40:32 AM

On 20/03/2012 citationx wrote:
>i used lux flakes and stomped around on it in the bathtub. rinsed it outside
>with the hose on a hard surface. came out cleaner for me.

Sounds good. Can I send my ropes to you for a bit of TLC? ;)

Gavo

20/03/2012
11:15:27 PM

cruze: it's definitely MOSTLY spurt dirt. Obviously there is/could be some aluminium oxide on there as well but this rope was pretty much shiny new before it saw some action at Taipan/Spurt/VD and then it wasn't.. and yeah it came off the tarp a couple of times. Grr.

Lux flakes is what I'll try next.. bathtub.. mmm not so much. I'll use my usual basin. I'm actually interested in how clean it's going to get this time around...

Olbert

21/03/2012
8:25:35 AM

I found that you just wash it in a bath tub repeatedly until the water you wash it in becomes clean. I used a but of 'soft' soap, ie soap that wasn't gonna hurt it.

I washed a rope after three weeks in Thailand and the stuff that came out of it was amazing

citationx

21/03/2012
8:42:18 AM

On 20/03/2012 Gavo wrote:
>Lux flakes is what I'll try next.. bathtub.. mmm not so much. I'll use
>my usual basin. I'm actually interested in how clean it's going to get
>this time around...

having attempted hand-washing and then watching my washing machine intently the last few weeks (trying to figure out why sometimes the final spin cycle runs at around 50rpm, not 1200) i've determined that the number one way of getting something clean is to just keep thumping/pounding/scrubbing. I really can't see that the washing machine does it any other way. if you do it for 10 minutes you're likely to have a cleaner rope than doing it for 1 minute. (hard work though. dunno how chicks like these do it so much...)

rodw

21/03/2012
8:57:36 AM

I just wash em in a tub when I rarely even bother washing them.....just this Sunday I threw a static in the tub and asked my daughter to jump in for a "bath" to help agitate the rope in the tub...she not so politely refused once she saw how black the water was....Kids today, In my day.......

There are 18 messages in this topic.