Recommendation? What to use for loosening knots ? What works for you ?

[DocJD]

I'm having more trouble now with this now . Old hands.

I used to have a nice Marlin spike that worked great . Can't find it .

I believe an awl would work .

I've heard that the corkscrew could be used . Haven't tried that yet .

Maybe the needle nose pliers tip ? Or the Philips-head or small flathead on the SwissTool ?

Of course , I can just try everything for myself , but I thought somebody might have a better idea from experience .

I could buy a replacement spike ,but really don't need too often . Like to use what I already have, if possible .

 

[ferider]

The awl in the back of a SAK ? If you don’t have one, you need one anyways

 

[DocJD]

The awl in the back of a SAK ? If you don’t have one, you need one anyways

The one on my big RangerGrip is sharp near the tip . It would definitely work , but might damage the rope some . IDK .

Thanks ! It's one I hadn't thought to try .

The Ranger Grip is something I do carry at need . Very useful large saw and the Philips-head .

 

[Danke42]

I use this.

No sharp edges to cut the line.

 

[DocJD]

I use this.

No sharp edges to cut the line.

Great ! So...I search for Ti pointy EDC thingy with pocket clip ?

CAGE : 5VKB6 ? Hard to read upside-down .

Can I carry this on a plane ? Is it tactical . It looks tactical .

 

[DocJD]

CAGE : 5VKB6

Found it !

County Communications (CAGE Code 5VKB6)

CAGE 5VKB6 County Communications in Sunnyvale, CA United States

www.nsnlookup.com

 

[SharpBits]

In a pinch I use a small philips head screw driver. Marlin spikes and fids work best.

 

[SharpBits]

You can whittle your own Fid like the sailors of old did. Wood or whale bone.

 

[The Zieg]

I use a hoof pick. I always have many in the barn and one on my SAK Equestrian.

 

[DocJD]

I use a hoof pick. I always have many in the barn and one on my SAK Equestrian.

Great idea ! We used to have some around here , but they're gone or buried by now . Our race horses have been gone a long time while .

 

[Danke42]

Great ! So...I search for Ti pointy EDC thingy with pocket clip ?

CAGE : 5VKB6 ? Hard to read upside-down .

Can I carry this on a plane ? Is it tactical . It looks tactical .

I don't know about the plane, probably not as an airline passenger.

 

[DocJD]

whittle your own Fid

Not sure that's even legal in public , around here !

Also , what the heck is a "Fid" ? I know what a fiddle is .

 

[DocJD]

airline

I seem to have somehow misplaced all my private jets .

 

[knarfeng]

Not sure that's even legal in public , around here !

Also , what the heck is a "Fid" ? I know what a fiddle is .

A "fid" is a tool specifically for working with rope.

Swedish Fid

This is THE BEST for extracting cores in all sorts of rope. If you splice double braid or 16 strand ropes BUY THIS and see if you don't agree. These are stainless steel Swedish fids. They are used primarily for separating the strands of three strand rope in order to make a splice. Even though it...

www.knotandrope.com

 

[knarfeng]

I have a thing for rope knives, so I often have a knife that has a marlin spike in my pocket.
If not, the tip of the blade on an SAK classic, or in my case an SAK Rambler, will usually work.

 

[DocJD]

A "fid" is a tool specifically for working with rope.

Swedish Fid

This is THE BEST for extracting cores in all sorts of rope. If you splice double braid or 16 strand ropes BUY THIS and see if you don't agree. These are stainless steel Swedish fids. They are used primarily for separating the strands of three strand rope in order to make a splice. Even though it...

www.knotandrope.com

Thanks . I probably knew this from Boy Scouts , at one time . Never used it , so I lost it .

Just like advanced knot tying , etc .

 

[knarfeng]

Thanks . I probably knew this from Boy Scouts , at one time . Never used it , so I lost it .

Just like advanced knot tying , etc .

me too. However...

Post in thread 'Gadget rabbit holes'

Aug 21, 2025

Rabbit holes. Am currently down one.

It all started because I wanted to write a physical letter to an old friend, and discovered that my cursive was illegible. And I'm old enough that I got taught cursive rigorously and used it daily for a couple of decades from the late 50's through the mid 70's. So I decided that my cursive writing needed to be legible. I wanted to regain a skill that I had lost.

First I needed to figure out which version of cursive was I taught, because that was what I wanted to relearn, and the alphabet of each school of cursive is different. (They sell...

• knarfeng

• 
• 
• 

 

[Sharp Steel]

Are these knots which you tied that have to be undone? Some knots are made to come apart easier than others.

Knarfeng already mentioned a Fid. I was going to suggest making a spike from a thick bamboo chopstick with some sandpaper. One other thing that may help is continuing to twist the rope tighter in the direction of the twists and pushing it forward into the knot. Twisting and pushing helps for opening knots tied in plastic bags.

 

[DocJD]

Are these knots which you tied that have to be undone

Yes , and maybe I need to relearn those knots "made to come apart" .

Some are in rope that has been used for towing ,or pulling down loose tree limbs etc , and are tough to untie .

Yes , my knot tying skills now are garbage . I used to have a little field book for that ...around here someplace .

 

[Sharp Steel]

Yes , and maybe I need to relearn those knots "made to come apart" .

Some are in rope that has been used for towing ,or pulling down loose tree limbs etc , and are tough to untie .

Yes , my knot tying skills now are garbage . I used to have a little field book for that ...around here someplace .

Maybe a hitch would work? https://www.animatedknots.com/hitch-knots