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Tapering the release cord (Read 1294 times)
TrentG
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Tapering the release cord
Jan 8th, 2020 at 3:55pm
 
I have struggled with tapering the release cord and was wondering if anyone had a tutorial or tips that I could use that would be really helpful Grin

I am new to sling making and have been slinging for about a year
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JudoP
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #1 - Jan 8th, 2020 at 7:03pm
 
For me the success of tapering depends somewhat on the material and cord thickness you are working with, but there are some things worth knowing. The following post is assuming you are using a basic fishtail braid, different strategies apply for round braids and they are generally harder to do.

Lets say you have 15 jute cords which you turn into a 5 braid with each braid having three cords to it (5x3). Dropping down to 5x2 and 5x1 is pretty easy provided you are twisting the braids together (twist them tightly and against the direction of the braid). This prevents the dropped cord unravelling up the sling as it is locked together with the remaining cords in the braid. This is the easiest and cleanest way to taper, and also splicing in material works in a similar way.

Now imagine you have a 5x1 braid using 2mm nylon cord. This is a lot more difficult to taper cleanly, you cannot drop cords from a braid because there is only one cord per braid, so you have to drop a braid and go to 4x1. This is not nearly as secure as the dropped cord is not twisted into a braid and is made from synthetic material which tends to be slippery. As a result it is likely to unravel up the sling, furthermore your actual braid is a different shape now and may have rotated slightly which is pretty ugly. To stop the unravelling you have to use superglue to stick the dropped cord in place or melt the cord end with a lighter and press it into the sling as a stopper. This works, but it's not nearly as nice as the other case.

In summary:
1) You generally want to taper material out of existing braids, not actually remove whole braids themselves (The right way to reduce braid number is to merge existing braids). As a result thicker cords are more difficult to taper and splice in. You don't have to use super thin cords... but 2mm+ isn't making life easy.

2) Natural materials are a lot easier to taper and splice as they aren't slippery and lock together quite well when twisted into a braid. In my experience you can also divide them into their plys more easily which can help make a smoother taper if you happen to have too thick cords. Synthetic materials are slippery and usually indivisible so require glue and lighter treatment to lock them in properly.
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Sarosh
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #2 - Jan 9th, 2020 at 5:35am
 
What JudoP said &
I've used linen with tight braiding and there was no need for glue/wax or anything else when dropping 1 cord.
When I drop many cords together (near the pouch) I sew the braid .

I would highly suggest you use natural fibers unless you are making an experimental/range sling out of dyneema
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joe_meadmaker
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #3 - Jan 9th, 2020 at 6:18pm
 
I've started using a method where a dropped strand is used as a core for a short time, and then cut off.  I've only started using this method recently, so I'm not sure how it will hold up over time.  In the short term it seems to work very well.  I'm curious what you guys think.  Here's a description:

I'm doing an 8 strand herringbone braid.  For each strand I have two cords.  So using JudoP's syntax, it's an 8x2.  When I reach the point to drop a strand, I move it to the middle as a core, and continue braiding around it.  I braid around it for about 1-2 inches (3-5 cm), making sure to braid very tightly, and then cut the strand off.  I'll then braid for another 1-2 inches and drop the next strand in the same way.

It looks great because all the cut strands are completely hidden.  It seems solid, but like I said, I'm not sure about the effects of long term use yet.  Does anyone see any possible issues with this method?
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #4 - Jan 9th, 2020 at 10:17pm
 
Make sure you don’t pull too tight when you drop one or your cord will have a wobble to it. Best instructions come from watching bullwhip how-to’s on Youtube.
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joe_meadmaker
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #5 - Jan 10th, 2020 at 9:59am
 
NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jan 9th, 2020 at 10:17pm:
Make sure you don’t pull too tight when you drop one or your cord will have a wobble to it. Best instructions come from watching bullwhip how-to’s on Youtube.

I haven't noticed that happening yet.  The cordage I'm using is hemp or linen with a diameter of only 1-2 mm.  So the drop size is very small being that it's only one strand at a time.  I think the danger of getting a kink is minimal, but that's definitely something to watch for.
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Teg
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #6 - Jan 10th, 2020 at 12:08pm
 
In general I do what JudoP said: drop from (5x3) to (5x2) or etc. or pull the dropped string into the core as joe_meadmaker described. Going from e.g. (9x1) to (8x1) can work also if you have thin strings and many of them.

With natural material / fibers you are much more flexible. With fibers, I sometimes work by thickness, not by number of elements per braid. You can easily add/reduce fibers.
Natural string often consists of several threads twisted together. Consider removing them one by one, before dropping the whole string.

Pulling strings into a core works very well. I never had one becoming loose. The remaining braid, when pulled, will pinch the core into place.
By the way, this works also for the normal "fishtail" braid. Lakeslinger once posted a nice picture a while ago: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1389365336/2


I do not recommend tapering with thick synthetic "rope". It usually looks quite ugly. But you might consider gutting the rope, if it is a core/mantle one like paracord. You will have to sew/glue, and the transitions are quite obvious. Better start right away with just one string or drop all except one close to the pouch. One paracord rope is more than strong enough Wink .
Changing the braid is a possibility, e.g. from 8 strand square to 6 round with the rest in the core, then cut out the core one by one. But it is quite difficult to braid and make look nice. I don't recommend it.
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JudoP
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Re: Tapering the release cord
Reply #7 - Jan 10th, 2020 at 3:56pm
 
joe_meadmaker wrote on Jan 9th, 2020 at 6:18pm:
I've started using a method where a dropped strand is used as a core for a short time, and then cut off.  I've only started using this method recently, so I'm not sure how it will hold up over time.  In the short term it seems to work very well.  I'm curious what you guys think.  Here's a description:

I'm doing an 8 strand herringbone braid.  For each strand I have two cords.  So using JudoP's syntax, it's an 8x2.  When I reach the point to drop a strand, I move it to the middle as a core, and continue braiding around it.  I braid around it for about 1-2 inches (3-5 cm), making sure to braid very tightly, and then cut the strand off.  I'll then braid for another 1-2 inches and drop the next strand in the same way.

It looks great because all the cut strands are completely hidden.  It seems solid, but like I said, I'm not sure about the effects of long term use yet.  Does anyone see any possible issues with this method?


I've done that before once or twice in fishtail and more often in round braids but personally I've found that synthetics still have a chance of unravelling upwards (perhaps I'm not braiding over them for long enough, or using too slippery materials). The only way I've had 100% reliability with synthetics is superglue or lighter securing. With naturals and braid twisting I've not had any trouble at all just letting them hang outwards and snip after, so I don't bother braiding over them.

I also somewhat resonate with NooCs point about leaving bumps under the surface as it were, though with a thin cord I'm sure it's fine. I found when I was making my whips that when you braided over the hidden cord end too far or too tight it made a region of higher stiffness which seriously disrupts the smooth tapering stiffness of a whip, but that's probably not that important to slinging unless you want to optimise for whip crack noise   Cheesy
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