How ropes and climbing ropes are made aslan wrote in April 30th, 2016
I visited the city of Dzerzhinsk near Nizhny Novgorod. The goal of my trip was the Kanat plant, which produces ropes and climbing ropes. When I went to the factory, I expected to see normal production and see how ropes are woven and twisted. What I saw at the factory amazed me. I'm sure it will amaze you too.
The plant operates modern equipment, but in one of the plant’s workshops a unique production facility has been preserved - the “cable car”. This production has been operating since the opening of the plant in 1875 and it still operates on the same equipment, which is already 140 years old! It is quite possible that this is the oldest production equipment in the world that is still in use today. I recommended that the plant submit an application to the Guinness Book of Records. By the way, the plant is 55 years older than the city in which it is located.
The cable car is a huge workshop, half a kilometer long.
At the first stage of production, the strands are twisted.
Bobbins of thread are mounted on a creel - a frame with axes arranged in several tiers. The larger the diameter of the rope, the greater the number of threads required for its manufacture, the more seats the creel must have.
The threads are pulled in bunches through gauges - groups of holes arranged in the form of concentric circles.
The strands come out of the gauges.
The strands are attached to one of the hooks of the loom spindle, which moves along rails.
This machine is 140 years old and works like new!
There is no electricity here - the machine is purely mechanical. It moves and all its mechanisms work due to the rotation of the side wheel, through which a drive rope is threaded, running along the entire workshop.
At first this rope was pulled by a steam engine, now by an electric motor. Just imagine: this equipment was once powered by steam!
This mechanical machine is controlled by three rudders and four levers.
140 years ago there were no telephones or walkie-talkies, but a communication system was necessary. The workshop is long, the equipment is noisy and after 500 meters it is useless to shout. Since those times, a signaling system has been preserved, allowing a worker on a moving machine to transmit signals to a worker at the beginning of the workshop. These are three ropes stretching over the cable car.
The worker pulls the rope and at the end the bell rings. The bell is also 140 years old.
A moving machine pulls the strands along the entire length of the ropeway and twists them.
Up to 12 strands can be twisted in one pass. To ensure that the strands do not sag when pulled, do not get dirty and have the same tension, supports with teeth are placed under them at regular intervals.
After the movable machine has pulled the strands the full length of the ropeway, they are connected to lay the rope, three strands per rope. Four ropes can be woven at the same time. In order for the strands in the rope to lie evenly, they are passed through a cone located on a movable cart.
When twisted, the length of the rope decreases. Strands 300 meters long when twisted form a finished rope 230-250 meters long.
This is one of the last ropeways in the world - they have been supplanted by much more compact rope-weaving machines, but ropeways have many advantages - they can weave rope from any fiber, synthetic or natural, and the diameter of the rope is practically unlimited. The rope winding machine is designed for only one thickness of rope, but the ropeway can wind rope of any thickness. This kind of rope (and it is almost 10 centimeters in diameter) can only be made on a cable car.
Cable car threads (called kabolka) are spun from even thinner threads on modern twisting machines.
Look at the video at the end of this article to see how the winding takes place. This is impressive.
Thin ropes are made on rope-making machines.
The frame rotates at high speed around the spools of thread, twisting them into a rope blank. Then, in the second section, three thin pieces are twisted into a rope.
The plant makes ropes from both synthetic fibers and natural raw materials. Here is a classic hemp rope (they are now used mainly for decorative purposes).
Jute rope.
Sisal rope
Cotton ropes.
Linen rope.
Polypropylene and polyamide ropes have now almost completely replaced natural ropes in shipping.
The main products of the plant now are ropes for industrial mountaineering.
In the center of the rope there are supporting white threads running parallel. There are colored threads woven around them. Weaving is carried out by moving spools of thread.
At the same time, several dozen ropes with a diameter of 4 to 12 mm are woven in the workshop.
Machines for thin ropes weave four of them at once.
The bright patterns on the ropes are not just for beauty. Each pattern codes the type, thickness and strength of the rope.
Of course, the entire process of operating a unique cable car, twisting ropes and weaving ropes looks clearer and more interesting on video.
Thanks to Kuvalda.ru for the opportunity to visit the plant. It was very interesting for me, and I hope it was interesting for you to see the unique production that has been preserved from the century before last.
There is hardly a single villager who has never used a rope or rope. But since they are rarely found on sale, you have to make them yourself.One way is to weave by hand.
It is better to start the work with someone's help by making a small piece of cord, rope or rope until you acquire the necessary skills. The main materials are thick threads, baling twine, etc.
Drive a nail (hook) into the wall to the height of your height. Having tied the thread to the nail, decide on its length and hook it at the appropriate distance on the opposite wall to the hook (or your partner’s finger). Pull the thread between the nail and the hook as many times as necessary for the thickness of the rope. Then cut the threads on the second hook (you no longer need it). Approaching the wall with the nail, divide them along their entire length into two bundles and stand between them.
Take the bundle located on the left near the nail with the thumb and index finger of your left hand. Take the bundle on the right side in the same way in your right hand (Fig. 1). Rolling the bundles with your thumbs on your index fingers, gradually twist them into one rope with a rope, moving them from hand to hand and supporting them with the rest of your fingers. Both hands work simultaneously.
It is very difficult to manually twist a cord, rope or rope several meters long. To make the work easier, I suggest making simple machine(Fig. 2)
Take dry hardwood (oak, hornbeam, birch, etc.). Select a round, even log with a diameter of 10 cm, cut into 5 rings 2 cm thick. Process them with a knife, finally aligning them in diameter. Then give each ring the shape of a gear with equal teeth. It is better to make a mark using a compass and a ruler. To do this, divide the length of this circle, equal to the diameter multiplied by 3.14 (Pi), by the number of teeth. For strength, the step between them should be no more than 1 cm.
Cut 5 of these gears and check their tooth pitch compatibility. Then make shafts for the gears from aluminum cylinders with a diameter of 7-1 mm and a length of 10 cm. Drill a through hole in each at one end. In the center of the gears, drill one hole with a diameter 2 mm larger than that of the shaft, and drive the shafts into them with the side where there are no holes.
Make the body of the machine from two pieces of board measuring 20x20 and 20x25 cm, 3 cm thick. In the center of the 20x20 cm board, drill a hole for the shaft and insert it together with the gear. Place the remaining 4 gears in the corners of the board so that they mesh with the central one, mark the locations for the holes for the shafts. Having done them, insert the gears on the shafts. To reduce friction between the base board and the gears, it is advisable to install well-lubricated tin washers.
After this, attach a second board (20x25 cm in size) to the board with screws or nails at an angle of 90 degrees (Fig. 3). Attach a handle for rotation to the central gear.
HOW TO USE THE MACHINE
Tie a thread of the required length and thickness (several is possible) to each shaft through a through hole. Start rotating the handle attached to the central gear - all the others are set in motion. As a result, the threads are twisted into a rope, which your assistant must tighten, adjusting as it twists.
The gears in the machine can be replaced with gates, connecting them with synchronizing links.
Anatoly Grudko
Based on materials from the newspaper "Toloka. We do it ourselves"
- You can turn such a bowl using conventional turning techniques, and a band saw will help make it unique.
Ropes, ropes and laces are used in various fields of economics and everyday life. The production of these items using the method of dense weaving of threads cannot be done by hand. For this, braiding equipment is used, which is a group of universal stationary rotary machines of continuous production.
Braiding machines may have certain differences in design options, which is primarily due to the number of working heads and spindles, but the principle of their operation is identical. Threads, as primary material, arrive at the factory in large spools, after which they are rewound into bobbins on a special auxiliary machine. After this, the bobbins are installed on the spindle holders and securely fixed. The retracting mechanism simultaneously takes the threads from the bobbins into a single whole, where they are woven into the required pattern. The finished rope is transferred to the winding sleeve. Starting the machine or changing the rotation speed of spindles with spindles is performed smoothly, since the electric motor system is equipped with a frequency converter.
Equipment for the production of ropes, ropes and laces meets international safety standards. In particular, the remote control is equipped with an emergency shutdown button, and a break sensor immediately stops work if the thread supply stops.
MANUFACTURING ROPES
The technology described here is simple; twisting ropes is not difficult even for people with disabilities due to many diseases. Having familiarized yourself with it, you can, if you wish, provide ropes for your own household or even be able to set up small-scale handicraft production. It's just a matter of raw materials.
Almost any fiber is suitable as a raw material. Wool, wool waste, synthetic fibers... I personally prefer natural plant fibers.
Do you have a garden plot? Wonderful! Plant a bed of flax. It blooms very beautifully. From mid-June to the end of July you will have a beautiful flower garden. In the fall, you will receive a harvest of seed - your wife or daughter will thank you for the excellent hair care product, the bird will thank you with an extra egg or song, but the stems will be used to make ropes.
Hemp is also suitable for this, it’s just a pity that the pathological needs of individuals led to a ban on its cultivation. On the other hand, hemp still grows in the wild in sufficient quantities, and by harvesting it for the production of ropes, you thereby at least slightly destroy the raw material base of drug addiction.
Our nettles are an impenetrable jungle, and if you come across thickets of fireweed (Ivan-tea), then you are generally lucky. All of the above plants are excellent raw materials for obtaining plant fiber suitable for making ropes.
As a last resort, if there is no fiber, use factory-made packaging twine, but, in my opinion, it is not interesting to twist ropes from it, although it may be convenient, since there is less hassle.
But let's get back to the plants. During the period of seed ripening in dry weather, I pull the plants out of the ground (with roots). Having tied them into sheaves, I plant them on driven pegs with the roots down, let the seeds ripen. After threshing the seeds, I again tie the plants into sheaves and plant them on pegs: let the stems dry, get wet from the rains, dry again - there will be no harm. At the end of September, I move the dried sheaves indoors.
I obtain fiber using a grinder [Fig. 1]. The length of the grinder (between pegs) is 500–700 mm, the length of the handle is 800–1100 mm. On both sides of the handle, I install washers 5–10 mm thick on its axis so that there are gaps between the cheeks and the handle. I slightly round the edges of the cheeks and handles so as not to cut the fiber. I make the pegs 1300–1400 mm high for ease of work (maybe it will be more convenient for someone to work with a different height of the pegs).
Obtaining fiber is a dusty job, so I work on the grinder outside. I take a bunch of stems in my left hand and pass it forward between the cheeks and the handle of the grinder perpendicular to them, with my right hand at this time I periodically raise and lower the handle, thereby crushing the bark of the stems.
Please note that the handle fits into the gap between the cheeks along its length to different depths. Depending on the moisture content of the stems, their strength and fiber strength, I empirically determine the place where the work is more efficient. Before work, the sheaves must be lightly sprinkled with water so that the fiber located in the bark of the stem becomes flexible, and the stem itself remains dry and brittle.
To get rid of fragments of stems, I comb the fiber on a comb [Fig. 2]. The ridge pegs are the same height as
pegs at the grinder. A block is rigidly attached to the cheek, on which metal teeth with a diameter of 4–5 mm are attached every 15–20 mm. The teeth rise above the block by 40–50 mm. Their ends are rounded.
With my right hand I take a bunch of raw materials processed in the grinder, throw it on the comb and drag it through the teeth. With my left hand I hold the bundle over the teeth so that it does not jump off them. I repeat the combing several times to thoroughly clean the fiber from the fire (fragments of stems). The fiber is ready.
In a dry place it can be stored for years without loss of quality. By the way, if you make a comb more frequent and with thinner teeth, then from flax it is not difficult to obtain a tow (fiber) of such quality that it will be used to make shoe polish and even finer threads.
To twist ropes, you need twine, which we spin from the resulting fiber on a spindle [Fig. 3]. The basis of the spindle is the reel. In order for it to rotate well, the reel is quite heavy; to reduce friction on the washers and the axle, it is made of dense polished wood (the use of metal causes difficulties in manufacturing).
I recommend making a reel from three oak parts: a bushing and two dies attached to the bushing with glue or with screws. Hooks made of steel or brass wire with a diameter of 4-5 mm are attached to the front plate. The spindle axis is located horizontally at the height of the human waist. To make the spindle rotate more easily, lubricate its rubbing parts with grease or, better yet, tar.
The spindle is quite simple to manufacture, but has a number of disadvantages: rotation is done manually; After filling the reel with twine, the latter is unwound from the spindle.
This is how they work with a spindle. To the left of the worker, a lump of fiber is strengthened. A strand (roving) of the required thickness is pulled out of the lump, slightly twisted in the palms and wound 4-6 turns onto the reel. The roving is placed on one of the hooks.
Holding the strand with your right hand, closer to the reel, they begin to twist the spindle. When twisting the roving into twine, the right hand moves further and further from the spindle until it is convenient to twist, the left hand at the same time pulls the strand out of the lump [Fig. 3, c]. The twisted twine is wound onto a reel, again wound around the nearest hook and the work continues.
If the roving breaks, stop the rotation of the spindle, fluff the ends of the strands, place them on top of each other and roll them lightly between your palms. Later, when twisted on a spindle, the strand will be held together well. The twine is increased in the same way.
The main task, until you acquire the skill, is to obtain an even strand of the required thickness. Pay the most attention to this particular operation, since even twine will make a beautiful rope. And it’s not worth making an ugly one.
You have spun enough twine. It's time to start twisting the ropes, but this requires the appropriate tools.
The rope twisting machine consists of three components: the front machine [Fig. 4], the rear machine [Fig. 5] and the dividing bar [Fig. 6]. The front machine is designed for twisting a rope (without any modification) from two to four threads.
However, it is worth noting that the experience of centuries suggests that the best rope is still one folded from three threads. The machine consists of a board 200-300 mm long, with a hole into which a handle with a hook at the end is inserted. The handle rotates freely in this hole. To reduce friction, a washer is placed between the board and the handle; for the same purpose, it is advisable to lubricate the rubbing surfaces.
During operation, a large load will act on the hook, tending to pull it out of the handle, so the hook requires reliable fastening. I recommend making the end of the hook with a thread and screwing it tightly into the hole in the handle, previously filled with epoxy glue. Since well-twisted twine will tend to unwind when the machine is stopped, to prevent this, a hole is made in the board into which a locking pin is inserted to secure the handle. To prevent the pin from getting lost, it is better to tie it to the board with a cord.
The machine is installed on the ground using the same pegs. Considering that, depending on the tension of the twine when twisting the rope, the front machine will have to be rearranged (moved towards the rear one), its pegs are better made from a metal rod with a diameter of 10-15 mm (to make it easier to stick in and out).
The rear machine consists of a board 600–700 mm long, in the holes of which three handles are installed. The distance between the handles depends on the length of the rope being made (the longer its length, the greater the distance). So, for example, with a rope length of 12–25 m, this distance is 100–200 mm. If you want to make ropes from two or four threads, then the number of handles will be two or four, respectively. The handles are equipped with hooks that, like the hook in the front machine, require strong fastening.
The handles are fitted with a bar, the purpose of which is to synchronize the movement of the handles. This is necessary to ensure that each strand of the rope is twisted equally. There are two handles on the bar, with the help of which the bar, and with it the handles with hooks, are set in motion. To prevent the bar from jumping off the handles, its movement is limited by washers screwed to the ends of the handles. As in the front, in the rear machine
There are locking pins, but only two.
The dividing strip is
a regular plank with recesses for the passage of twine, which are made on the sides of the plank in a checkerboard pattern (so that the plank is securely fastened in the twine during operation and does not fall out). The distance between the nearest notches is equal to the distance between the handles in the rear machine [Fig. 7].
So, all the necessary “equipment” is ready, let’s get down to the main thing - twisting the ropes. Let’s immediately make a reservation that the initial length of the twine is approximately 15% greater than the length of the finished product, because during the twisting process the twine “sits” exactly by this amount. (Remember to make appropriate adjustments when selecting rope length.)
To work, you will need two people and a flat, straight platform about a meter wide and of a suitable length. We take three pieces of twine, tie their ends on one side and hook them to the hook of the front machine. On the other side, we tie loops at the free ends of the twine and put them on the hooks of the rear loom. We secure both machines so that the twine is taut. We lock the front machine with a pin. One person stands at the front machine, the other at the back.
The one working at the rear machine begins to rotate the handles (with a bar), the one working at the front machine monitors the tension of the threads and gradually moves his machine closer to the rear one. When 10% of the original length has been selected by twisting the twine, work is stopped and locking pins are installed in the rear machine. Between the twine that has not yet been twisted, we install a dividing bar as close as possible to the front machine.
The person working at the rear machine moves to the dividing bar. Having freed the handle of the front machine from the stopper, they begin to rotate it - the direction of rotation will be indicated by the handle itself, since the twine, trying to unwind, will push it in the direction necessary for twisting the rope. As the rope is twisted, we move the dividing bar along the twine towards the rear machine.
Directly near the rear machine, the dividing strip is removed, use the handle of the front machine to tighten the rope and remove it from both machines. We tie the end of the rope, removed from the rear machine, into a knot (to protect it from fraying). The rope is ready.
The “products” are stored in long skeins, hanging the latter in a dry room. In this form, ropes retain their strength longer.
