View source for Ropework

{{Short description|Skills for use and maintenance of rope}}
[[File:School for Sailors NGM-v31-p351.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Marlinespike seamanship being taught to sailors in the early 20th century]]
'''Ropework''' or '''marlinespike seamanship''' are umbrella terms for a skillset spanning the use, maintenance, and repair of [[rope]]. Ropework is used by seafarers, climbers and military personnel.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stronge |first=Charles |publisher=Amber Books Ltd |location=London |title=SAS and Elite Forces Guide to Ropes and Knots: Essential Rope Skills from the World's Elite Units |isbn=9780762778034 |page= |year=2012}}</ref>

Included are tying [[knot]]s, [[splicing (rope)|splicing]], making [[Lashing (ropework)|lashings]], [[whipping knot|whippings]], and proper use and storage of rope.  

While the skill of a [[sailor]] in the [[Age of Sail]] was often judged by how well he knew [[marlinespike]] seamanship, the knowledge it embraces involving docking a craft, towing, making repairs underway, and more is still critical for modern seafarers.

==Whippings==
{{main|Whipping knot}}

A [[whipping knot]] is a means of holding the cut end of a rope together to prevent fraying and ensure ease of use. The simplest form is the [[common whipping]]. [[Constrictor knot]]s can serve as temporary whippings while cutting ropes, as can a few layers of [[adhesive tape]]. 

Other fray-prevention techniques include back-splicing, [[aglet]]s, or the application of a rubberized adhesive coating, resin, or paint to the cut end. Some modern [[synthetic fiber]]s, such as [[nylon]] and [[polyester]] can make use of alternative methods such as fusion, which uses heat to melt the fibers to make a clean cut and permanent end; this technique cannot be used with non-melting fibers such as [[aramid]]s.

However, the rope and knotting expert [[Geoffrey Budworth]] warns against the practice of fusing thus:<ref>{{cite book |last=Budworth |first=Geoffrey |publisher=Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. |location=New York |title=The Knot Book |isbn=0-8069-7944-5 |page=37 |year=1985}}</ref>

<blockquote>
Sealing rope ends this way is lazy and dangerous. A tugboat operator once sliced the palm of his hand open down to the sinews after the hardened (and obviously ''sharp'') end of a rope that had been heat-sealed pulled through his grasp. There is no substitute for a properly made whipping.
</blockquote>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Ropework}}
*{{annotated link|List of knots}}
*{{annotated link|List of knot terminology}}
*{{annotated link|Marlinspike}}
*{{annotated link|Rope splicing}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{Knots}}
{{Seamanship}}

[[Category:Ropework| ]]
[[Category:Maritime culture]]