Rope labeling

Babyhagrid

Well-known member
Just wondering what people use to label their ropes. Have almost been sold a rope labeling kit but I assume that most cavers have their own system with a sticker you write on and then clear heat shrink over the top. Can anybody recommend a cheap system for doing this?
 

Steve Clark

Well-known member
I tried a dymo label printer and clear heat shrink over the top. I thought it was great until I actually used the rope. The label doesn't stick to the rope very well so you end up with the whole heat shrink bit sliding off the end of the rope.

Our original system of tightly wrapped insulation tape 1" long, sharpie marker, year on one side, length on the other seems the best. Heatshrink over the top.

Having the heatshrink bit nice and short helps with the rope not getting stuck in the bolts on pull-throughs and it's easier to pull the end through a stop if you've rigged the rope at the right length for a wet pitch bottom pool / canyoning style.

(Obvs. knots in ends of ropes under 'normal' caving circumstances)
 

aricooperdavis

Moderator
I put black heat shrink on and shrink it, write on it with a white marker, then put clear heat shrink on and shrink that, then plastidip the end. The plastidip really helps stop the heat-shrink label from sliding off the end.
 

traff

Member
Personally I use wraps of coloured insulation tape as per the resisitor colour coding system with clear heatshrink over the top. No numbers to rub off, I got shot down in flames the last time I suggested it though.
 

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
Bit of insulating tape, permanent marker, and _adhesive_ heat-shrink tubing. The adhesive (basically hot-melt glue) in the heatshrink stops the heatshrink coming off (much like Ari's plastidip, I suspect). I bought this last time, but it wasn't quite so expensive then...

You may have problems using it as a pull-through rope.
You probably will have problems trying to abseil off the end of it (for canyoning etc) through a device like a Stop (while probably not providing any real protection against abseiling off the end accidentally).
 

Ian Ball

Well-known member
I put black heat shrink on and shrink it, write on it with a white marker, then put clear heat shrink on and shrink that, then plastidip the end. The plastidip really helps stop the heat-shrink label from sliding off the end.

Blimey! the end of your rope must be thick like a rounders bat!

Just insulation tape and write on it with a perm marker. Heat shrink on to stop the insulation tape shipping and shedding in the cave.

I think babyhagrid that you are involved with a club that will have novice cavers in the midst and perhaps a Students' Union overseeing your compliance to safety process? If that is the case, have a look in your club paperwork and see if you've had to nominate a process for identification and usage tracking of equipment and if you do, follow that.
If you don't, it's not a bad idea. Ropes last generally longer than the average University caving career and rope history lost unless fastidiously recorded.

In fact I would probably get in touch with CHECC, they've probably been involved with safety officers getting prickly over rope identification and will have a good idea of best practice.
 

Babyhagrid

Well-known member
Bit of insulating tape, permanent marker, and _adhesive_ heat-shrink tubing. The adhesive (basically hot-melt glue) in the heatshrink stops the heatshrink coming off (much like Ari's plastidip, I suspect). I bought this last time, but it wasn't quite so expensive then...

You may have problems using it as a pull-through rope.
You probably will have problems trying to abseil off the end of it (for canyoning etc) through a device like a Stop (while probably not providing any real protection against abseiling off the end accidentally).
out of interest. what diameter (unshrunk) plastic would you use for 9MM rope? would 12 do the job?
 

Babyhagrid

Well-known member
I think babyhagrid that you are involved with a club that will have novice cavers in the midst and perhaps a Students' Union overseeing your compliance to safety process? If that is the case, have a look in your club paperwork and see if you've had to nominate a process for identification and usage tracking of equipment and if you do, follow that.
If you don't, it's not a bad idea. Ropes last generally longer than the average University caving career and rope history lost unless fastidiously recorded.

In fact I would probably get in touch with CHECC, they've probably been involved with safety officers getting prickly over rope identification and will have a good idea of best practice.
I am indeed in charge of a university club.
As far as I know, we don't have an official system for labelling rope (that we know of). the students union have a very hands-off approach with us that we do appreciate.

however, over covid, a lot of knowledge was lost and we are still playing catch-up. hence we have new rope and don't have a system for labelling it.
 

aricooperdavis

Moderator
Blimey! the end of your rope must be thick like a rounders bat!
Haha, it's not as flexible as it once was, but it's not actually much thicker than the rope itself. I also add a tough-tag with my contact details on!
 

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Ian Ball

Well-known member
that's tasty.

Usually the ratio on heatshrink is what it shrinks down to, so the 2:1 means it shrinks to half it's diameter. So a 12mm would be fine for 9mm as long as you've not burned up a fat end when sealing a cut.
 

pwhole

Well-known member
I recently bought some 50mm 2:1 heatshrink for something that was 30mm, and it wasn't even close when shrunk - it just gripped half of it, whilst the other half went all baggy and useless - and then stiff and useless. The 'something' was steel though, and I was doing it over a gas ring on my stove, so maybe the steel just conducted the heat away too quickly? Waste of a few quid though. Luckily for rope, I get mine from Tony at SR, so it's always the right diameter ;)
 

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
out of interest. what diameter (unshrunk) plastic would you use for 9MM rope? would 12 do the job?
sorry yes, I got 12mm (3:1 shrink). Works fine on most sensible rope diameters from 8mm to 10mm (probably OK on 11mm).

I actually use a little bit of 3M Scotchlite 580 tape (in red, for style) to write the length on and also, like Ari, put a toughtag on there as well...

For a club, a bit of insulating tape with the club acronym is probably sufficient. That said, getting club toughtags is not a bad idea... although if people could stop getting pink that would be great (that's my colour!) :p
 

Pete K

Well-known member
For my personal ropes I use orange gear tape as my identifier, then use a white wrap of tape next to that to write the length and date of manufacture on.
12mm heat shrink over the top. They last really well, especially if you swell the end of the rope when you melt it to create a bit of a stopper for the heat shrink sliding off.
For my working ropes, I just got a little Brother label maker and I'm in love with it.

20221204_105023062_iOS.jpg
 

JoshW

Well-known member
Toughtag + insulating tape with rope length/type of rope on, with some of the Lyon heat shrink stuff over the top.

Something to consider if you’re thinking about how to keep track of ropes and their details is toughtags can do serial numbers on their tags, so just need a spreadsheet that will have all the details of kit on that refers to that code. Would still recommend labelling with length as well though!
 

Stevie

New member
I thought I had a great plan. Bands of insulation tape. One band = 10m. All good until the first trip when it stuck in my Stop I couldn’t pull through the end. At the second pitch I was about 2m short - it didn’t seem such a problem rounding up all my ropes to the nearest 10 in my living room. 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
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