Rope Types
Rope - The Different types - By Dilligaff
Rope Types Rope Types Rope Types Rope Types
Writing about my generation...
Rope, the universe and everything
There are many different types, and many different diameters of rope used in bondage – be they dental floss right through
to 10mm thick sisal and all points in between.
Firstly we'll deal with the type of rope itself.
There are many, many sources of rope used in bondage, whether they be a natural product or man-made. Each type has
is positives and negatives, and in the end it's down to personal choice and situation.
Man-made rope
Man-made rope is as the name suggests, artificially constructed. Typically, when compared to a natural rope of the same
diameter, has a lot higher breaking strain.
It is hydro-phobic (it “hates” water, and dispels it/does not absorb it) so it will float when immersed freely in liquid.
Due to the materials used in the construction of man-made rope, it has a low burn or melting-point, and accordingly it has
a liability to heat up quickly and may burn when run quickly over the skin.
MFP or Multi-Filament Polypropylene Rope
This is a cheap rope when compared against natural products for the same diameter. It is typically constructed in a multi filament fibres constructed in a fashion to form a thread, and in turn these threads are wrapped around each other to form the rope, but there are variants that weave the threads around each other to form a sleeve around a core.
MFP is coloured when it is manufactured, so once coloured you cannot change it – this is both a plus and a minus to it's qualities, as the colours cannot fade or bleed, so the colour is set for life.
The rope itself is very easy to clean, as it can be washed by hand with a detergent, or in a washing machine. It can be air dried and does not require any treatment post washing.
Hempex
As the name suggests, this is something similar to the natural rope Hemp. This rope is purposely made to look, and feel like natural rope.
Like MFP it's colour is set when manufactured, and so remains tan in colour. The breaking strain of a 6mm diameter when compared to jute or hemp of a similar size is 250%+ more, so hempex would be worthy of consideration to use as suspension lines.
Nylon
This is cheapest, and most widely available rope. You can pick it up at your local hardware store, for peanuts without drawing unwelcome attention.
As with the other man-made ropes the colour that you see is fixed, and cannot be changed. Typically the rope comes in white, red and blue, but could be any colour.
The drawbacks from nylon are that it does not hold a knot very well (the knot isn't firm and can untie itself). Also the rope when run over the skin, heats quickly and can and does leave nasty rope burns. Unfortunately the price you pay for the rope also determines the quality of it – the more expensive typically means the tighter the weave of the rope and the better the feel.
Natural Rope
There are many, many different materials used to make rope, but as far as bondage is concerned, there are three main types used, and some others occasionally used
Cotton
This is one of the most widely available, cheapest, and most often used rope in bondage. This rope can be coloured (dyed) to suit your individual desires, or can be bought in primary colours. The basic properties are that it very soft to the touch, runs smoothly over the skin. However, the rope has quite some stretch to it when put under tension, and accordingly when knotted can tighten upon itself and almost be frustratingly tight.
Cotton, being a natural material, readily accepts moisture, and can be discoloured with use. It can therefore be dyed, washed and treated, and it will still retain it's properties
Hemp
This along with jute and cotton are the most popular materials used in rope bondage.
Hemp alongside jute were the original ropes used to restrain people in Japan (thought to be the origins of modern rope bondage), and so people have found a liking for the aesthetics of using the original product to continue rope bondage in today's society.
Generally used in diameters of 6mm and 8mm for tieing, and is suitable for suspension as well as normal bondage.
Being a natural product, the raw rope can be dyed to any colour you wish – personally I have dyed several lengths in various colours – a deep purple (blueberry) and a rich red (raspberry) being my favourites.
In another section of this site is my musings on the subject of DIY rope dyeing so you “could” learn from my mistakes.
Please note that being a natural product derived from grass like materials, it can have potential allergic properties to those susceptible.
Unlike cotton, hemp has less stretch, and better weight bearing (for it's diameter).
It is recommended to “treat” hemp when used in bondage to prevent the fibres from drying out – this is done be applying an oil or wax to the rope.
N.B by continual use the rope picks up the natural oils from your skin, which is sufficient to keep it in condition, however if left for any period I would suggest a re-application of your chosen product to invigorate the rope.
If you choose to use a raw hemp straight from the manufacturer it could well smell (thanks to the making process) and feel slightly abrasive to the skin – which is when I would suggest boiling/washing/stretching/treating the rope before use (again refer to my piece on rope dying).
Jute
To save repeating my thoughts – please refer above to Hemp
Sisal
This is an extremely unforgiving rope when used in bondage. The rope is extremely abrasive, and almost irritates the skin by it's presence. I would only say to use this ONLY if you are into sadism/masochistic rope play.
Rice
Believe it or not, you can make rope with rice. Think on this, the stuff you eat is just the grain, and to grow the grain you need a grassy stem....
The rope is collected from these stems, and bound together and twisted to form rope.
However, due to the fragility of the base stem itself, rice rope is VERY fragile, and will not stand any struggle or tension – and would therefore be illogical to use in bondage.
Silk
There are many types of rope that claim to be silk, and only one real type (the one that comes from worm's butts!) – you'll know it because of the exorbitant price.
Others that you find will be a blend of silk and cotton or another material.
Silk rope degrades very quickly when washed, and accordingly you DO NOT want to get it dirty. Also because of the propensity to degrade with moisture, silk is not suitable to be used for suspension. In addition to degrading, silk also has a fair amount of stretch within it – those with experience are able to take this into account with bondage, but it takes a lot of experience to do so safely.
All that being said, silk rope is extremely soft and sensual, and could be used for most uses in bondage, including overnight use.
