substitute for rope cutter- (hot knife)?

[Jens]

I want to buy one of the rope cutters that have a hot blade that works by plugging into the outlet but I don't want to spend 150 bucks on something that I would use for 2 minutes a few times a year and would just take up storage space.

Does anyone have any tricks for a substitute? Just cuttiing it with a sharp knife and then using a lighter doesn't give the clean job I am looking for and hangs up on crampon latches, chain anhcors, and harness buckles.

Or would anyone loan me one for a couple of days?

[chucK]

If you've got an electric stove with the old fashioned metal burners, you can usually flip the elements so they are sticking up. Let the thing get to red hot and try slicing the rope over the side of that.

[Marko]

Or just cut with a knife, dress up the end with the red hot burner, and then quench the end in a cup of water.

[billcoe]

Do you have - or can you borrow - an electric soldering iron?

[ClimbingPanther]

wonder if you could walk in to REI or another retail shop and use theirs?

[marylou]

Jens, there's one at the VW. I'm sure they would let you use it whenever.

[mattp]

You can do an OK job just cutting with a sharp knife and using a plumbers' torch to cook the ends, and then squeezing or rolling or otherwise tapering the cut ends as they cool. The torch has a lot more penetrating power than a simple Bic lighter.

[fenderfour]

Old butter knife + propane torch = cheap hotknife

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Yep, just heat up an old knife with a torch or your stove top and cut away, pretty much works the same as an electric hot knife. It helps to cut on a cutting board or something just like you would with the electric knife, just slowly press the well heated blade into the rope. A soldering iron works too, some even have a cutting blade.

[G-spotter]

Wrap the rope or cord in masking tape (not duct tape or scotch tape) before you cut it, cut it with scissors (not a knife) to get a super clean cut. Then just torch it with a lighter. Super clean trimmed cut with no $150 cost or ugly melted blob of polypro on the end of the rope.

[Jens]

I think the VW has been sick of me always using theirs.

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I've tried most of the tips mentioned above and have had some luck but not the kind of cut I'd like.

[marylou]

I think the VW has been sick of me always using theirs.

 

Don't let that stop you!

[Dechristo]

make one.

 

It's always fun to goof around with electricity.

 

A guy down the hall in my dorm cut a lamp cord, fixed the ends to two forks, stuck the forks in opposite ends of a hotdog, plugged the cord into the outlet, and cooked hotdogs on paper plates this way.

 

All went well until, once, he plugged the sucker into the recepticle before sticking the forks into the hotdog. All the lights on the whole floor of the dorm went out...

 

...and the forks were welded together.

[Dechristo]

you should be able to make one easy enough using a rheostat (dimmer switch, etc.) to control the current passing through a wire.

[hafilax]

Wrap the rope or cord in masking tape (not duct tape or scotch tape) before you cut it, cut it with scissors (not a knife) to get a super clean cut. Then just torch it with a lighter. Super clean trimmed cut with no $150 cost or ugly melted blob of polypro on the end of the rope.

I use electrical tape and a knife that's sharp enough so that you don't have to do much sawing. Melt the end (even a match will do) and roll it into the desired end shape.

[pink]

did somebody say hot-knife?

[Draagun1]

make one.

 

 

 

A guy down the hall in my dorm cut a lamp cord, fixed the ends to two forks, stuck the forks in opposite ends of a hotdog, plugged the cord into the outlet, and cooked hotdogs on paper plates this way.

 

Was just wondering --How long for a 20 LB Turkey since Xmas is coming

[Dechristo]

plug it in now

[ken4ord]

Masking tape is the best to use, it what we used in a climbing rope factory that I worked at. It doesn't melt like electrical and duct tape does. Like Dru said, use sharp scissors for cutting, but a sharp knife will work as well, harder to keep a clean cut though. Keep the tape on the rope after cutting. You can get a cheap soldering iron for less than $10 at a hardware store, your best option. Lighter and electric stove will work as well. I am not sure if I would try heating a knife since it will probably get to hot to handle. At home I have always used a lighter, just make sure to melt the end for a while so that the melted end is thick, which will prevent cracking a fraying of the end of the rope. After melting the end remove tape and melt the sheath at the end, this will again help prevent cracking and fraying of the rope end. It is important to fuse the end of sheath to the core or you can have slippage.

[snoboy]

I am not sure if I would try heating a knife since it will probably get to hot to handle.

 

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