Knots and Pioneering

In 1925 the Columbian Rope Company published a brochure with images of impressive displays of Scouting knots to advertise their tape marked pure manilla rope. Two images feature a large knot board made by Troop 4 of Columbus Ohio. I wonder if that knot board is still around? Artful knot boards pictured in the brochure feature some practical Scouting knots. The brochure unfolds to a center spread of more knot boards made by the Columbian Rope company featuring dozens of knots, bends, splices, and weaves....

The Zeppelin bend is an easy, secure way of joining two lines. Where it really shines, though, is how easy it is to untie even after it has been under a heavy load. Also called a Rosendahl Bend after Commander of the Lakehurst, N.J. Naval Air Station Charles Rosendahl who purportedly insisted it be used to moor airships under his command. The Zeppelin Bend Infographic is available as a PDF document formatted to print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper....

The eight knot contest can be an individual or patrol contest, it’s one of my favorite inter-patrol competitions. To hold the eight knot contest you’ll need four ropes of equal diameter, three six foot long, one twelve feet long. A two foot long log about six inches in diameter, and two trees 12-16 feet apart. The contest begins with all the ropes and the log laid out, untied , on the ground, and ends when the knots are all tied and the log is suspended off the ground....

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I have seen elaborate gateways, bridges and towers lashed together at Scout events but have yet to see anything remotely like the giant pioneering projects lashed together by these Israeli Scouts....

The Philmont dining fly or crew tarp is a 12′ by 12′ nylon tarp rigged for simple, easy setup. Hiking sticks or trekking poles can be used as poles, eight stakes and three paracord lines are all else that’s required. A 40′ paracord ridge line is rigged underneath the ridge of the tarp and a loop of the line is threaded through the end grommets. A small stick is secured on each end of the ridge with a lark’s head knot, a clove hitch is taken around the pole, and the end of the ridge line is secured with taut line hitches....

Here’s two relatively little-known Scout pioneering methods that are well worth investigating. CatDrill This new (to me at least!) Scout pioneering technique originated with the Italian Scout Group Trento1. CatDrill combines classic pioneering and froissartage (see below). This technique uses smaller diameter wooden poles or branches and lighter cordage to make sturdy joints that can be used to build a number of different projects. The basic technique involves shaping a “diamond head” and corresponding “partridge eyes” (drilled holes) that are joined with light cordage (like paracord)....

Here’s a handy one-page reference that shows six First Class Knots – the square knot, taut-line hitch, two half hitches, timber hitch, clove hitch and bowline. Here’s more knot infographics Six First Class Knotsand over 40 moreinfographics and helpful PDF documents**Are included in theGET IT NOWBEFORE YOU CLICK THE DOWNLOAD BUTTON Join the growing number of Scouters who support producing and publishing resources like this. The PDF file of Six First Class Knots is formatted for 8 1/2 x 11 paper....

You can download a PDF version of both the right and left handed versions of this infographic below RIGHT HANDED LEFT HANDED The “Turk’s head” knot (named for its resemblance to a turban) is a familiar traditional neckerchief slide or woggle.(Special thanks to Brian Stockton for the left handed version of this infographic) Elaborate Turk’s head knots can be made with additional passes and leads (see Ashley’s Book of Knots for a thorough education in this versatile, decorative knot)....

The decorative royal carrick bend can be fashioned into a great neckerchief slide. Begin by laying out the royal carrick bend flat and then tighten the strands around a cylinder (paper tube, etc.) This is a challenging project, but it’s worth the trouble. Here’s my Carrick Bend Infographic Here’s a royal carrick bend neckerchief slide I made from 425 Paracord (3mm) and coated with Mod Podge to hold everything together and harden the neckerchief slide....

YouTube is a global phenomenon; 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, 100 hours of video are uploaded *every minute,*80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US. Here’s this week’s Scouting video picks I hope Scouters find interesting, informative and useful. Danish Dampers for Gourmet Campers! Campfire cooking idea from Scout’s UK series of Rapid Recipes. A variation on stick bread, add a jam or Nutella, great idea!...

This video from the author of Paracord Fusion Ties demonstrates tying a fleur-de-lis knot – I have the Kindle edition of Volume one of Paracord Fusion Ties (there are three volumes). It has very easy to follow illustrations and I recommend highly, the number of things you can make with paracord is nearly endless, and it’s great fun. Before you know it you’ll be making paracord bracelets, neckerchief slides, key fobs, and lanyards....

South African Scouter Peter Le Roux maintains the excellent Ropes and Poles blog. Here’s a recent post on expanding the use of pioneering projects: Pioneering projects are great fun to build, and there is a good sense of accomplishment that can be achieved, but I’m always looking for a pioneering project to be a bit more useful in the long term. When I was a Troop Scouter, if a Scout proposed a project, I always looked for another angle beyond just building something ‘because we can’ ....

Pioneering tower challenge; build this tower using this sketch. Send me a picture of the result! It won’t be easy, certainly, but is it possible? You may want to refer to this book for a little help.

photographs by Liesl de Weerd click to see full-sized image This pioneering sculpture was created by a Scout named Ruan from 1st Horison, a Scout group on the West Rand near Johannesburg in South Africa (map below). Ruan is working towards Springbok Scout – the highest rank in Scouts South Africa, like our Eagle Scout. One of the requirements for Springbok is a construction project (there’s also a service project)....

The bottle sling knot has been around for centuries. This ancient method of forming a sling for the neck of a jug or bottle this knot was described in detail by the Greek physician Heraklas in his first century book on surgical knots and slings. The bottle sling can be used to create a handle for a container with a slight flare or collar. In a doubled form known as a hackamore it can also form an improvised emergency bridle for a horse; the central parts acting as a bit, the knot’s outer loop on the muzzle, and the other passing under the jaw....

The constrictor knot is a way of making a secure, temporary or semi-permanent binding (it’s a good temporary whipping for a rope, closing a bag, or holding a punch of poles together.) A close cousin of the clove hitch the constrictor knot adds an additional crossing of the ends under the full wrap. It’s easy to learn with a little practice. Once drawn up tight the constrictor knot jams and may have to be cut to release it....

This Pioneering Camp Seat infographic was generously provided by reader and listener Roger Thor Roop – Thank’s Roger! The Infographic is available as a PDF document formatted to print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. (see the download link below) Get dozens of Scouting resources like this one (infographics and other helpful documents in PDF format) Get the PDF package and support the creation of these resources for $5.00 by clicking the purchase button, $5....

These incredible pioneering structures built by Israeli Scouts are a real inspiration (here’s the website). Obviously a lot of planning and modeling went into creating projects on this scale. It looks like a tremendous amount of fun doesn’t it? I’ll have to show my Scouts these pictures – who wouldn’t want to build a giant Spongebob or Dragon? I can see how this could turn into a great camping weekend or even a themed camporee....

A “bend’ in knotting terminology is a knot used to join two ropes. The carrick bend is consider superior in strength and utility to the square or reef knot (which is not classed as a bend). In 1783 the carrick bend was mentioned in nautical dictionary. There are several possible explanations for the name “Carrick”; Ormonde Castle in Carrick-on-Suir shows numerous Carrick bends in its plaster reliefs, Carrick Roads anchorage by Falmouth in Cornwall,England, or the medieval ship called a “Carrack”....

Larry Green (no relation) has an excellent website and blog on the subject of Scout Pioneering: My name is Larry Green and for over twenty years, I’ve been a student of the late, greatly-loved and widely admired Adolph Peschke, author of the (previous) Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet, and the acknowledged designer of thirty original “boy-sized” pioneering projects. Adolph’s way of presenting pioneering principles and projects is not only informative, but also serves to motivate and inspire....