I decided to have a go at making myself a Rope Washer the other week. So after sourcing the parts I put it together tonight.

Firstly, I've got to say this is my first prototype and might not stay as it is. It is also untested.

I wanted something compact so I decided to go for a brush(es) in a tube design.



Here are the un-assembled components:-

Waste Pipe Tee and Connector from Screwfix
Pipe from my shed
Threaded Brass Bush from Screwfix
Hose Connector from the shed
Bits of door mat from Ikea
Nylon Washers machined at work.
Old Radiator End Plug from the shed



It goes without saying where the bits of door mat go.



The water jet assembly - the jet size may need adjusting



Fully assembled Rope Washer



The rope goes in the opposite end to the water. I should mention that the idea is that the Rope Washer will be mounted vertically and the rope will be pulled upwards through it.



Rope comes out at this end just having been rinsed by the jet of water. The idea is that the water runs down through the brushes and flushes the muck out the bottom of the tube. As the rope travels up the tube is travels through progressively cleaner water.

I need to point out that the Nylon Washer through which the rope exits will be removed when loading the rope in the washer.

The first issue to overcome is the loading of the rope. So far I've only managed to get a 10mm rope about 4 inches up the 12 inch brush tube.

It is only a first prototype after all.

Why don't you just stick your rope in the washing machine? It comes out much cleaner.

Fulk said:

Why don't you just stick your rope in the washing machine? It comes out much cleaner.

Click to expand...

There's no doubt that it does, but it's cheaper to make a rope washer than buy a new washing machine when all the crap off your rope has f*cked up the old one.

1) cut a single piece of mat, wrap it round the rope and then slide it into the tube.

2) fulk is obviously trying to spoil you're fun / excuses ('sorry, can't come caving today...still perfecting my rope washer')

3) washing machines are surprisingly tolerant (tho, a friend was telling me newer ones are less robust - something to do with designed in obsolescence)

4) Sue's usual solution to me trying to wash caving stuff by hand is to tell me stop making a mess and put it in the machine....

Like the idea, one day I might get round to building a rope washer myself and pinch a couple of the features.
 

But I'm not convinced on the necessity of the jet (rad blanking plug).
I think if this does anything, it will just jet clean a line down the rope.
I feel you might be better off going for volume of water flowing through ie no jet, just use the hose connector and brass bush and let the brushes scrub and the water wash away.

Interested to see how you get on with it.

Maj.

My original thought was to blast the rope with multiple jets, but it was too complicated to figure out how to do it.

You may be right about volume of water. I'll find out when I test it.

DCRO have a similar plastic pipe washer (built by the late Ralph Johnson) which uses one of those spiral rope brushes that Hitch and Hike sell. You wind the brush onto the rope, leaving an inch or so sticking out of the end, push the whole into the pipe arrangement and pull the rope through from the other end. There's a narrower bit at the end to stop the washer going through. I'll get a photo next time I'm at the base in Buxton.

One trick I've seen for loading rope into these mat type washers is to use a length of suitable diameter plastic conduit or copper pipe which just fits over the rope. This is stiff enough to allow you to push it right through the washer where it can simply be removed from the rope.

Fred said:

One trick I've seen for loading rope into these mat type washers is to use a length of suitable diameter plastic conduit or copper pipe which just fits over the rope. This is stiff enough to allow you to push it right through the washer where it can simply be removed from the rope.

Click to expand...

I've got some 15mm copper tube in the shed. it might be a little too big though.

Madness said:

Fred said:

One trick I've seen for loading rope into these mat type washers is to use a length of suitable diameter plastic conduit or copper pipe which just fits over the rope. This is stiff enough to allow you to push it right through the washer where it can simply be removed from the rope.

Click to expand...

I've got some 15mm copper tube in the shed. it might be a little too big though.

Click to expand...

Push rope through copper pipe, tie knot in end, push copper pipe through plastic pipe, untie knot, remove copper pipe.

(and then put the goat in the boat and row back across the river)

Or just bung it in the washer, like Fulk said...

Don't need to knot the rope on the far side of the pipe. Just hold the rope inside it when pushing it through, then simply pull the pipe right through leaving the rope neatly in the washer.

Fred's right, you don't need a knot.

The rope washer is very tight for the 15mm copper tube that I had in the shed. I got it through though buy cutting and hammering the end to a point. Once that was through loading the rope was easy.

Now I need to get a rope dirty.

If you'd asked earlier you could have washed my 275 metres of rope for me 

Maj

UPDATE

The rope washer works quite well. I was surprised at the volume of water coming out of the jet, it seems about right. I might try it without the jet at some point and just flood the tube with water.

It's a little awkward to use at the moment as I've not mounted the tube to my shed yet, so I have to hold it with one hand and pull rope with the other (I get a bit wet). I've got a cheap chinese pulley on the way so that I can get the rope pulling through the tube vertically when it's mounted on the shed.

When it's all up and running I'll post a photo.

HardenClimber3 said:

1) cut a single piece of mat, wrap it round the rope and then slide it into the tube.

2) fulk is obviously trying to spoil you're fun / excuses ('sorry, can't come caving today...still perfecting my rope washer')

3) washing machines are surprisingly tolerant (tho, a friend was telling me newer ones are less robust - something to do with designed in obsolescence)

4) Sue's usual solution to me trying to wash caving stuff by hand is to tell me stop making a mess and put it in the machine....

Click to expand...

Where do you get the mat?

Does this answer your question Larry?

Madness said:

Here are the un-assembled components:-

Waste Pipe Tee and Connector from Screwfix
Pipe from my shed
Threaded Brass Bush from Screwfix
Hose Connector from the shed
Bits of door mat from Ikea
Nylon Washers machined at work.
Old Radiator End Plug from the shed

Click to expand...

just use a washing machine as you do for the rest of the kit.

Rope manufacturer recommend washing machines for ropes

Ed said:

just use a washing machine as you do for the rest of the kit.

Rope manufacturer recommend washing machines for ropes

Click to expand...

Please could I ask which manufacturer and at what settings?

I've always used a washing machine for ropes and caving suit. Cold wash no detergent