Coiling, Winding, and Wrapping

Old CW4

Old CW4

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Sep 8, 2006
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I'm sure you folks agree that cordage is a critical survival item. What some of you may not know is the easy, non kink way to coil or wind up rope, hose, electrical cord, antenna cable, etc.

Most of us use the 'wrap around the hand and behind the elbow' technique to coil up something long and limp, and the wrap around the hand system for chalk line and similar thin cord.

Okay, fine, but there is a simple trick to both methods which prevents kinks and subsequent tangles. For example, when using the hand/elbow method: wrap five turns, then take the coil off your arm, turn it around 180 degrees, slip it back onto your hand-arm, and wind another five turns but now in the opposite direction. Keep doing this until it's all wound up. Result is a neat and limp coil with no built in 'twistiness' and tendencies to kink.

Same thing with the hand winding method. Slip the coil off your hand and turn it around every five turns. Some of us old cable pullers have done this for years and thought it was universally known but I've recently discovered it isn't. So if this helps anyone, you're welcome.
 
There was a post and video a couple of months ago about putting a twist in the cable/rope when it's looped around the hand and elbow that seemed to work pretty good also.

For garden hose, if you loop it on the ground in a figure 8, then put the 2 loops together, it works really well also.
 
Didnt know that.....I just rolled up 2 300ft extention cords. Wish Id have saw this first. I usually make a bigger loop, then figure 8 the thing a few times. Kinda works. Ill try this next time.
 
Didn't know that. Will have to give this a try sometime. Thanks for the tip :thumbup:
 
Ok, just thinking about this: Why do I need to turn the coil around when instead I could just switch the direction of the wrap every 5 turns?
 
Raining, No, you can't. Try it and you'll see what I'm talking about. When you turn the 'coil' around and continue to wind you do so from the opposite direction which is what prevents kinks. Your coil is being wound the same way but what your're winding with is being twisted first one way and then the other as you wind provided you reverse the coil every X number of turns. If you don't, you'll see your cordage begining to twist and kink after some number of turns. Alternating prevents that. Hope this clears it up. It's another of those simple things that's not immediately obvious until you try it. I would guess sailors came up with this method eons ago.
 
The butterfly way work pretty well too, it's just a figure eight that you hold.

That's what we did with fire hoses, much faster and easier than coiling it back up.

Works well for electrical cords as well.

Just like this, but with ropes/hoses etc, you'll use your elbows/forearms instead.

http://www.stringpage.com/blog/photos/ball1-20070724.jpg
 
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