Treating Rope

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Cutting, grinding, fire, oil and wax - that's how I treat my rope
 

I got asked by a friend how to get rope from raw rope to treated and ready for bondage fun and since I already took the time to type out the answer I figured I'd go ahead and post it as a writing here on fet so everyone can read along.

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I tell people treating rope is really sexy. It's kind of how we got into kink in the first place.

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First you grind it.
Then you make it hot as you burn it.
Then you make it nice to touch as you oil it
and if you really want to get fancy
You wax it and bake it (read that last sentence in the voice of Julia Childs).

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Grinding rope involves looping it through a hard point (ideally metal as the rope grinds the point back). Put the rope through the point and then wrap it around itself two or three times loosely and pull it through the point back and forth and back and forth. This breaks up the core and loosens it. It's also messy and creates lots of dust so be prepared to vacuum.

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Next you burn it. A candle will do but I prefer a blue flame from something like a torch you would use to sodder with (they're like $8 at the hardware store). Run your rope QUICKLY through the flame end to end. You'll see lots of little sparks and flares. You are burning off the whispies that itch and scratch. If a rope is particularly fuzzy you can run it through twice.

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I choose to grind my rope again after the burning just to make it super pliable.

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From here I get an old cotton shirt or rag that I dampen and run the rope through it to get any loose dust off and any char from the burning phase.

Lastly I oil my rope, usually with Jojoba oil that you can get from lots of places. To do this I simply place the oil on a rag or old shirt and run the rope through it.

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THIS IS WHERE I USUALLY STOP

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However some people like more of a sheen or a deeper color so they will wax the rope. This also makes the rope tougher and it will last a bit longer as the rope will literally drink the wax in.

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To do this you soften wax (like bees wax) in a microwave. You then pick the wax up into a cloth and again run the rope through the wax using your hand. At first you'll think you ruined your rope as the wax will be caked on and it'll look funny.

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Fear not. Turn on your oven to about 225 F and bake your rope for 10-20 minutes depending on the rope and how much wax you used.

The rope will expand and "breath in" as it heats and the wax will melt and absorb into the pores of the rope. That's how some of the rope get's it's deep brown color and strength while also being usable.

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I usually skip the waxing phase as it's the messiest, most time consuming and most prone to going wrong but that's because I'm lazy and I just want to get back to tying people up.

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Anyway, that's how I get my rope from untreated raw to ready to use and have fun with.

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PS. This all assumes you've already cut the rope to the lengths you want (normally something like 15 feet and 30 feet) and then put a knot in the end so it doesn't fray. If you haven't cut your rope to length, cut it to length and then see above.

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ADDITIONAL NOTE: This is for natural fiber rope like hemp or jute.

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Link to original Fetlife writing

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