Whipping the end of a rope

Whipping for the end of a rope
Stopping a rope from fraying or unravelling


Common Whipping








Common Whipping
This is the whipping most commonly used to bind the end of a rope neatly.

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Sailmaker's whipping



Sailmaker's Whipping
A better looking and more secure whipping in which, after binding around the lay of the rope, the twine is passed between two strands above the binding, down parallel with the lay across the binding, through the strands below the binding, back up across the binding parallel with the lay, between two strands again, and so on all the way around, finishing off with the end of the twine buried between the strands below the whipping.


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Palm and Needle Whipping







Palm and Needle Whipping
Very similar in appearance to the Sailmaker's Whipping, the only difference being that, as the name implies,
a needle is used to stitch the twine between the strands instead of simply tucking it by hand.

eg. - after applying wrapping turns like any other whipping, riding turns are created.
On an ordinary hawser-laid (i.e. 3-strand) rope there will be 3 riding turns, one resting in each groove between strands;
and they are made by simply stitching the working end of twine through each strand in turn with a needle as it snakes
backwards and forwards from one end of the whipping to the other.
Start at the outside end and to finish off stitch the end of your whipping twine back and forth across the body of the rope a couple of times.
A palm-and-needle whipping should never come off, even though the rope's end is flogging about in a wind; and it can be
applied just as well to braided or sheath-and-core lines.
Always bind AGAINST the lay of the strands so that any tendency for the line to open under load will automatically tighten
your whipping. Use vegetable fibre twine on vegetable fibre rope, and synthetic thread on synthetic rope.
Start the binding process away from the end of the rope and work towards it, trimming the end afterwards to within
7 or 8 mm. of the whipping. How near depends on the size of the rope. Whippings need to be as long as the width of the rope,
i.e. square to look at, or just a trifle longer. A real 'belt-and-braces' job will result if you also paint, varnish or glue
your whippings.


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